A change of pace this week – Annie was here on work experience this week, and these are her thoughts. Over to you Annie!
Work Experience at Cowan Group
Prior to starting I was unsure what quite to expect from work experience at Cowan Group. I tried to gain some insight into the sort of work produced by the agency, but had little idea of how an agency is run, and was excited at the prospect of discovering how the work comes together and who are the key forces bringing the work together.
My first day in the office was a whirlwind. I was placed in the throne of Jen (Client Relationship Director), who was on holiday for the week, and sorely missed by her dependent colleagues.
After being introduced to the team – comprising of the ‘Suits’, the ‘Creatives’ and the ‘Geeks’ – I was immediately set to work. First task: building a list of fashion brands that ‘lack presence in the UK’. Second task: A detailed review about different agencies. The fact that these two tasks were given simultaneously, although daunting at first, kept me on my toes for the next few days.
The first task was extremely interesting. Not only because it allowed me to flex my passion for fashion, but also because it gave me valuable insight into the research required in order to select which clients are lacking in efficient direct marketing strategies, and thus which clients are in ‘desperate need’ of Cowan Group’s rescue remedy!
My research skills were further developed when constructing the agency review. It enabled me to gain an insight into how companies use different platforms to elevate themselves, one of these platforms being their competitors. It taught me that people can learn from one another, and that it’s not illegal to learn valuable tactical ideas from industry rivals!
I almost immediately learned Cowan Group were using social media extensively. I think one of the first questions I was asked amidst settling in was what my Twitter username was. After discovering that I had never actually heard of the site, it took a few minutes of recovery before the team began revealing its precious and revolutionary use (or multiple uses, I should say).
Partly out of embarrassment at thinking Facebook was the only popular social media platform that existed, and also after my failed attempt at trying to justify this – claiming that Twitter was obviously a business/post-grad fad – I set up my own Twitter account.
A few ‘tweets’ later, and although fully occupied with my tasks, I could not resist peering over – with the occasional eavesdrop – at the work-in-progress of the creative team. As a student hoping to one day break into the creative industry, I found it extremely useful to witness the process involved in creating the work required by clients. Whether this be to completely re-brand a company, or just to improve their direct marketing.
It’s now coming to the end of a great week, and one thing I still find baffling is the unremitting line of volunteers to do the coffee run. It seems caffeine plays a vital role in the workforce at Cowan Group. I would have thought that the ongoing happenings here on Great Portland Street would have been enough to keep even a sedated person awake: the never-ending amusement provided by the verging-on-bullying banter between colleagues; the assortment of approximately three songs, appearing to have been put on ‘repeat’, on the condemned radio station; and not to forget, the hysteria on Wednesday afternoon when we were imprisoned by a drunken homeless person and a fresh puddle of vomit on the doorstep.
Work experience at Cowan Group – full service, fully integrated and creative!
