Hello all!
I'm John from Limkokwing University and this would be my first post. Its been two weeks since I started my internship on December 1, 2009. I honestly didn't think it'd take me two weeks to write my first entry, but work has been all-consuming!
I managed to get a spot as the only intern in DDB PR, Kelana Jaya. Being the only intern in the office means that many administrative tasks will fall to you i.e. labeling CDs, stuffing press kits, filling out media lists, scanning, photocopying, faxing, emailing and such. Although these tasks may seem mundane, they are actually the foundations of what it takes to be a PR executive.
But first, a little background on my company. DDB PR is a consultancy which handles everything from political PR to luxury brands to charity organisations. I guess I'm lucky to be in a company with such diverse clientele. Most of what I know about this company was relayed to me during a 40-minute pep talk by my Managing Director. It was inspiring - he didn't just go on and on about the dos and don'ts but rather explained my specific role in the organisation. I was to be a fully accountable employee, he said, not merely a temporary hire. I am to be as responsible as anyone else, and therefore I owe them nothing less than my best effort.
My general task is to assist the Account Executives in their day-to-day work. A major part of what we do is media monitoring. Every morning when we step into the office everyone has to pick up one or two newspapers and look through them to find news on our clients, their competitors and the industries in which they operate. The relevant articles are clipped and/or scanned to be sent to clients. Besides that, I've been taught to write cover letters for emails to be sent to editors.
It has only been two weeks, but one thing I've noticed is that theory differs greatly from practice. A good education will give you the fundamental skills to kickstart a career, but nothing prepares you for the real world like the real world. But all said and done, I'm looking forward to many more challenges and new experiences in the coming months.
Until next time, take care!
Cheers,
John.
4 comments:
Media monitoring looks easy but is crucial ^^
Because we not only monitor what is coming out but also monitor what is some other PR events that done by other company and what is their strategy and tactics:)
It takes a lot of patience!
I admit I was bored at first, but it actually is the only way for us to keep informed about the information being published and circulated about our clients.
I understand that everyone is doing media monitoring and it is now our daily bread. Every time you go to office you know that the newspaper is waiting for you to go through it. We might be taking these lightly and saying that it is wasting our time but actually we are learning alot from these. John hope now you are not bored actually you are enjoying, just hoping that sometime you do wish that you work for the day can be just monitoring, I am just kidding.
By the end of our internships we will be experts of media monitoring
Cheers!
Bantle, LUCT
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