Life After the 400s: Rookies

in the Agency
Posted in Featured
Posted: February 5, 2015, 7:35 p.m.
by Annslee Wilson
For many college graduates, graduation day marks the end of being known as the
intern. These graduates rejoice and celebrate their recently accepted full-time titles and
no longer have to worry whether their supervisors asked for regular or decaf coffee.
In the competitive field of public relations, however, graduates are often expected to go
through yet another 4-6 month trial run. These interns compete with other interns to
prove themselves worthy of a full-time position. It seems as though the transition never
ends: from student to intern, intern to employee. It could take up to a year before a
recent graduate finds stability within the workplace.
According to a 2014 Gallup Web survey of 30,000 college students, only 29 percent of
undergraduate students had an internship or job that allowed them to apply what they
learned in the classroom. A recent Bloomberg Business article found that having an
internship that allows students to apply classroom lessons doubles the odds that
students feel engaged at work.
For Myreete Wolford, a 2014 graduate of The University of Alabama, the transition from
intern to account coordinator at Ketchum exceeded her expectations.
In the summer of 2014, Wolford relocated to Chicago to begin her internship at
Ketchum. She and four other interns worked together on various accounts, including
Whirlpool and Kimberly Clark.
The difference between an intern and a full-time employee is maturity, responsibility
and a salary, Wolford said.
Though she was able to apply the lessons learned from her undergraduate coursework,
Wolford said what prepared her the most for an internship at Ketchum were her
previous internships and her leadership positions in her schools PRSSA chapter and
other organizations.
As an intern, you have to work 10 times harder than anyone else to get the feedback
needed to be hired on, she said. If you know what you are good at, then you can excel
where no one else can.
In October, Wolford accepted a position in new business at Ketchum as the account
management account coordinator. She now represents Whirlpool, Morton Salt and
Welchs, to name a few.

After youve gained trust, become indispensable and have the luck of the draw with
timing, you become full time. After that, expectations are raised, and you have to step it
up.
Andrea Easley, also a 2014 UA graduate, chose a similar route and relocated to Chicago
to pursue the internship program at Golin. Easley spent three months working with 16
interns on the Lipton Tea and Silk Almond Milk accounts. She had the opportunity to
pitch a project to a client and worked closely with some of Golins top executives.

Provided by Finance Blue

The Golin internship was by far the most rewarding and beneficial program I have ever
been a part of, Easley said. We had training sessions, mentors, supervisors, lunch
sessions with the CEO and a midterm and final review to assess our strengths and
interests. They really worked hard to make sure that we would be ready for a full-time
job at the end of the internship.
In August, Andrea was hired to be a full-time digital associate at Golin. She is now
responsible for McDonalds, McCafe and Lipton Tea accounts. She has had the privilege
of working for the Sundance Movie Festival and the NFL Super Bowl.
When it comes to the transition from intern to employee, Easley said that her current
duties and responsibilities are very similar to the ones she had as an intern.
At Golin, your internship is basically a training period. So by the time you are hired on,
work comes easy to you and youre comfortable, she said. I think the transition from a
college student to intern is more difficult than intern to a full-time employee.
Easley said that her team helped her with the transition from student to professional and
made her experience much more rewarding.
While Wolford and Easley were hired through their internship programs, other students
can successfully be hired directly as a full-time employee. But for this to happen,
employers tend to expect applicants to have completed multiple internships.
For example, Ellen Molina, a 2013 graduate of The University of Wisconsin-Madison, is

now an account executive for Heron PR, a boutique public relations firm in Chicago that
represents a variety of hospitality, restaurant and entertainment clientele. Prior to this
position, Molina completed eight internships that allowed her to work in several fields
within the communications industry, including an editorial intern for Madison Magazine
and a reporting intern for NBC 15 in Madison. In May 2013, Molina accepted a position
as an assistant account executive at Heron PR and was promoted to account executive a
year later.
Having a variety of experience and internships prepared me for a smooth transition
from student to assistant account executive, Molina said.
Wolford tells undergraduate students who seek a career in a public relations agency not
to be lazy or expect opportunities to be handed to them.
Work hard, put your name out there and say yes to every opportunity. Go out of your
way to make your career happen. If you think you are doing too much, then you are
probably almost doing just enough, Wolford said.

The Flavor of Now Or

Never?
Posted in Blog
Posted: February 9, 2015, 2:27 p.m.
by Annslee Wilson
In November, Pizza Hut launched its first big rebrand of its 56-year existence. After two
years of a steady decline in sales, Pizza Hut decided something needed to change . . . and
fast. The Flavor of Now rebrand focuses on bold new flavors, healthier options and
stuffed crusts. Squid and wasabi mayo drizzles, 250-calorie slices, and burger-stuffed
crusts are a few of the touted menu options. After witnessing the recent rebound of
sister-company Taco Bell, Pizza Hut took a leap and hired Deutsch L.A., the creative
agency behind the success of the Taco Bell rebrand.
The brand devoted a year to researching what millennials want to eat. VP of Marketing
Jared Drinkwater said they learned that the younger generation is increasingly looking
for flavor. So Pizza Hut said, ask and you shall receive.
In addition to the new flavors, Pizza Hut has a new logo, humorous commercials,
revamped social media efforts, and new uniforms for its employees with catchy phrases,
including Savor the Flavor and No one throws a sandwich party. You may have also
seen Pizza Huts Super Bowl commercial earlier this month with Tony Romo making an
appearance. Pizza Hut 1, every other pizza commercial 0.

But how successful will The Flavor of Now be? Lets consider the following scenario:
Its a Friday night, and you are driving to your friends house to blow off some steam
from the workweek. The whole gang will be there, so youre excited to catch up with
everyone. Youre pulling into the subdivision, and your stomach lets out a loud growl. I
really hope there will be food there. Im starving. You pull up and go inside. Go figure,
theres no food here. So you take it upon yourself to call in some reinforcements. Hey
everyone, Im going to order some pizzas. What kind does everyone want? And in
unison, you hear a collective response of the two most popular choices: cheese and
pepperoni. Well that was simple. Forty-five minutes later, you enjoy your dinner of a
classic American favorite.
You have most likely experienced something along these lines. While the nearly 2 billion
combinations of flavors and toppings sound tempting, we Americans love our traditions.
And when it comes to large get-togethers, who is going to order a honey-Srirachaburger-stuffed-crust-with-extra-drizzle pizza? For the ease of the masses, its assumed
that your choices are cheese or pepperoni.
Kudos to Pizza Hut for giving pizza eaters health-conscious options. But when I crave

pizza, its a go-big-or-go-home type of craving. Who knows, maybe a gluten-free, 250calorie slice can satisfy those taste buds after a nice jog around the block.
Nonetheless, pizza joint rebrands have proven to be successful in the past. Remember
back in 2009 when a video surfaced of Dominos employees committing disturbing acts
with cheese? Well, after some good PR and advertising, the company experienced a
$23.6 million increase in sales the following quarter. Now thats a success.
S
o Pizza Hut, bring on the flavor. And may the crust be ever in your favor.