My Internship In A Nutshell

I don’t think I could fit my internship experience into a nutshell. There have been too many different opportunities, experiences, and tasks to fit into such a tiny space.

Since June 10th I have:

*Learned the accounting software… somewhat.
*Side swiped a pole with my car in the parking garage. (I don’t park there anymore.)
*Designed a t-shirt.
*Made a movie.
*Answered the phone, “Good Afternoon, Liggett Stashower” over the paging system.
*Sat on a beam over the city to take pictures… kind of.
*Reserved a conference room for 4am.
*Became some people’s favorite person of the day when I got to pass out checks.
*Went to a local news station, printing press, radio station, and publishing company.
*Became familiar with the infamous Euclid construction.
*Got jolted around in the Halle Building elevators.
*Went to lunch with some very knowledgeable and friendly executives.
*Was able to experience all the different aspects of the agency, not just financial.
*Learned about professional organizations and their importance.
*Not eaten the Chinese food in the building’s “cafeteria”.
*Become very comfortable talking to upper management and asking questions.
*Made some great new friends.

So, as you see, I would have to find a pretty large nutshell to fit all of that. I am sure there are tons of things that I have forgotten, too. Yet, I will never forget the people at Liggett who have helped me through this experience and the fun that I have had this summer.

Kelly M.
Finance Intern

Oh, the Places You Will Go

In response to Olivia’s and Adam’s blogs, I can honestly say that I was lucky to have the opportunity to work and learn from such a talented, dedicated, and focused group of college students. The interns here are dedicated. They are qualified. They are knowledgeable in their areas of study. And they don’t take themselves too seriously. Working together, we have learned that we are going places.

I myself have done some reflection as I’ve started preparing to write my internship experience paper for school. I think my paper will focus on a larger lesson I’ve learned this summer: just because I’ve had one, nine-week internship doesn’t mean I hold the keys to career success in my hands. I will continue to grow both personally and professionally with each position I hold.

Since high school, my parents and teachers have stressed the importance of relationship building and being an effective communicator. I took a course last semester solely dedicated to learning how to communicate and network. Coming into this internship, I thought I knew everything about interacting with other people because I had just taken a great class that I learned a lot in. Boy, was I wrong. It wasn’t until I started interning at Liggett that I realized that relationship building and communicating is harder than it sounds. Through my interactions with the people here at Liggett, interns and full-time professionals alike, I’ve learned more about communicating by observing good communicators in action than I could learn from any textbook.

So I encourage all all college students, regardless of major, to interview as much as they can and talk to as many experienced professionals as they can. This internship has given me a different perspective about my career, and has taught me that no college course can replace the knowledge gained from an experience in a professional setting.

So, as you plan your future careers, remember to get involved in a professional or volunteer organization or give an internship a shot. If you get yourself out there as much as you can, you will go many places – I can almost guarantee it.



Marie D.
Program Management Intern

My Summer Well Spent

It is with mixed emotions that I write this last blog entry for the LS intern blog. These past nine weeks have been the most professionally and personally fulfilling experience I’ve ever had. In past summers, I’ve held retail jobs at the mall, baby-sat little kids and wasted the days away swimming in my pool. This summer I’ve pitched to local and national media publications, seen the interaction between agencies and television stations, radio stations, printing presses and publishing companies, and made seven great friends.

My favorite part of the LS internship has been collaborating with the seven other interns to create a cohesive theme to represent our experiences here. Together we created a T-shirt, DVD and poster to leave behind our mark on the LS Intern Wall. Our theme was “Building professionals one intern at a time.” And I truly think that’s what this agency has built us into.I never once was afraid to approach anyone at LS with questions, comments or problems.

The quality of people at this agency is high. They truly treat their interns like employees; my ideas were taken seriously and my presence felt meaningful. As another intern said in a previous blog, this was by far the hardest class I’ve taken, but definitely the best learning experience. I feel that these 9 weeks have prepared me for my last year in college, and most importantly, the real world. I certainly don’t feel like I know everything I need to know, but I know what I have left to learn.

Olivia M.

Program Management Intern

Intern Party

We just had our intern party/open house this past Thursday. It was quite a success. Our friends, family and co-workers came to see what we interns have been doing/creating this summer. After giving my mother an official agency tour we gathered with the rest of the group in the main conference room to give our intern presentation. Then it hit me, we only have a week left at this internship.

I remember walking through the elevator the first day of my internship. I was excited to meet everyone and start doing some real agency work. I got to my clean office,(which is now a total wreck) straightened my pens and pencils, checked my LS e-mail account and started my day. Next came the difficult process of attempting to remember the 7 strangers (interns) names and schools they attended.

Those 7 not so strangers were standing beside me Thursday evening ready to tell everyone about our time at Liggett Stashower. It’s hard to sum up what we did the last 8 weeks because the days were full of different tasks and jobs. So we focused mainly on our intern project, which consisted of presenting our t-shirt, poster and DVD.
After our sweet presentation the night was over as quickly as it began.

Check out our T-shirt and Poster below...






Adam F.
Program Management Intern

PowerShop

Although I am still a firm believer in the ethics of journalism and public relations, I cannot help but recognize the power technology has placed within the hands of advertisers and the media.

Here’s a great example: How have Hollywood singers and actors become so flawless? When you pick up the latest issue of Cosmopolitan or InStyle, you immediately notice the perfection that graces over the cover. Not one blemish is in sight, not one piece of hair is out of place and the cover girls’ skin tone is radiantly glowing.

Now being an “average” American woman, I stand in the grocery check out line and silently curse these singers and actors for being “so perfect.” I mean come on, can people really look THAT AMAZING?!?!

The answer to my question doesn’t lie within hours upon hours of workouts or natural herbal exfoliation treatments. In fact it can be found in the 20” box that is sitting in front of your face at this very moment. The computer has forever changed the production of magazines, advertisements and print materials. Programs like Photoshop create perfection, making obtainable to the naked eye.

Now I am not challenging the ethics of this topic, however I cannot help but be absolutely amazed at how much one is able to change, simply by uploading a picture onto the computer. I am practically speechless! I am fascinated by how much one can change and modify through the computer.

Here are examples from Dove and Jezebel. Please leave some comments about these two pieces!



Crista S.
Program Management Intern

Local Celebrities

The interns and myself found ourselves face to face with some local celebrities this past week. We took a field trip to a local radio station and had lunch with the sport’s talk DJ. Upon arriving at the radio station we found out we were going to be meeting a former Brown’s player too! We sat in on some of the broadcast and listened to these guys talk sports. They were both very friendly and down to earth.
We also got a run down on how things work behind the scenes during a radio broadcast. The DJ had to do some live advertising while on the air, too. That was exciting because during our internship at Liggett we have learned a little something about that!

The other local celebrities we came into contact with this week were each other. Our Liggett intern blog (the very blog you are reading right now) was mentioned in an article in The New York Times! We are very excited that people are interested in what we are doing during our internship at Liggett.

These run-ins with local celebrities got me thinking, though. We see athletes and celebrities being paid millions and millions to do endorsements for different companies. Yet, more than not these days, celebrities and athletes are getting some publicity for being the opposite of upstanding citizens. Why are these celebrities getting paid millions to promote products and then use those millions to get themselves out of prison for DUI charges and charges of drug possession? We all obviously know the answer… those are the people who make the product sell. Yet, I think that we as a society should start looking at the local celebrities as the ones we should be focusing on. Why not feature a college student with a great internship in a “Got Milk?” ad? Why not feature the football player who may not be making millions, but is a really nice guy in a Coca-Cola ad?

Until then, I suppose it isn’t such a bad thing to be so normal. As Brad Paisley says: “Cause when you’re a celebrity, it’s adios reality.”



Kelly M.
Finance Intern

Portfolio Advice

Coming straight from my mentor for this summer, Liggett’s Senior Art Director, I have some tips and tactics for graphic designers to help boost interview results, and to customize your career to meet your goals.

Before interviewing, a good idea might be to research your company of course, and figure out specifically which positions they are looking for in a creative. For example, if you want to come in as an entry-level designer, then your portfolio might be more style oriented and comprise an extensive collection of die cuts, paper selections and popular visual trends for logos and various single pieces, then a couple business systems and campaigns representing the conformity of your styles. However, if you were to apply for a job as a junior or associate art director, an employer might rather see a lot of visual solutions for an idea or metaphor; or how you came about branding your ideas. You will still have a lot of logos and single pieces, but more campaigns, less variety, bigger ideas. Maybe you could go down to a local business and see if they will let you brand the fliers and invitations for their next event. It can be as simple or complex as you want it to be.

But the idea that you are tailoring your portfolio to the position you are applying for lets the employer know that you understand the business. My mentor told me a story of a concepting class he took based on spec projects, in which another student spent an entire three months doing nothing but watching TV and redoing commercial spots that he saw – and created the portfolio that got him from Carmichael Lynch, Mullen, and a few other well known firms.



Pat B.
Creative Intern

"That's a Wrap!"

One of the perks of being a graphic design intern here at Liggett has been the opportunity to tag along on photo shoots. Several days ago, my mentor invited Pat and I to observe a client photo shoot. We headed out bright and early to the location and we're greeted by a Liggett art director, a client rep, the photographer and his three assistants. We were mainly there to watch and understand how Liggett’s art directors were involved in the production of advertisements.

Behind the scenes...



There were months of preparation and planning before the day of the shoot. Concepts and designs needed to be approved by the client. The location was scouted and a carpenter built the sets from the sketches he was given. It was necessary for every detail to be perfected, since the photos would eventually be turned into magazine print ads. The art director worked very closely with the photographer, making sure he captured the right angles and shots. The photo shoot was outdoors, so the weather played a key role in determining whether the photos would turn out well. Luckily, the weather cooperated, but the photographer did have to wait a few minutes between shots for the clouds to pass by.

As for Pat and I, most of the day was spent watching and learning, but we also helped set up and take down props. I picked up on a few things that I would most likely never learn at UD: transforming a pitcher of water into iced tea (coffee is the perfect substitute), grouting tiles without grout and even some floral arranging and scaffold building. It took the whole crew to make things run smoothly. Overall, it was a great experience to see the “behind the scenes” production of print advertisements.












Linda F.
Creative Intern

It's a Small World After All

I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that the business world is all about connections, especially in this industry. And despite how large the industry is, when you submerge yourself in it, it seems to get smaller and smaller every day. Everyone knows everyone. Last week, this idea reinforced itself to me yet again.

A few weeks ago, I was assigned to pitch this intern blog to a PR Week writer who has been covering stories about communication technology trends. After flipping through recent PR Week publications to research the hot new topics, I decided to look at Advertising Age as well. I asked a coworker for the July 16 issue. To my surprise, a girl I know and have worked with at the Daily Kent Stater at Kent State was on the front page in an article titled “Where have all the Girls Gone?”

The article was a discussion about how more young girls are shifting to online magazine Web sites instead of subscribing to the print versions. In fact, the article states that the percentage of girls who read magazines has fallen from 85.6 percent to 79.9 percent in the past five years.

Personally, I still enjoy reading magazines in print form. With all the things I do on a computer, I like to have a physical publication I can flip through. My favorite magazines, similar to most women my age, include Glamour, People and now, after reading quite a few interesting articles during my internship, PR Week and Advertising Age.

What do you think?

Olivia M.

Program Management Intern

This wasn't in my job description...

We got one of the best pieces of career advice this week during one of our executive lunches. While talking about his career and how he got to where is he now, LS’s COO told the eight interns to always be open minded to learning new things while you’re on the job, because you never know what opportunities can come from that experience. Even though this seems like a simple thought, it can easily be overlooked.

Throughout the course of this internship, I have done many of the advertising and PR tasks that I expected I would be doing: target market research, drafting press releases (and revising them about 10 different times by 3 or 4 different people), sending out media kits, making copies, running errands…the list goes on. However, I’m sure that every LS intern would agree, that there are things we would have never imagined we would do during our nine-week experience. One of our biggest highlights would surely be having our blog mentioned in yesterday’s New York Times.

The biggest thing, though, is that what you get out of an internship is directly related to what you put into it. By accepting as many projects as you can handle from as many different people as possible, by staying late to help finish a project for the next day, by challenging yourself to take one more step outside of your comfort zone and by doing the things you never knew were part of the job, you will become more experienced and better prepared for the future that awaits after college.



Jessica M.
Program Management

That Just Made My Summer

“Okay so that just made my summer!”
My friend and fellow intern Olivia isn’t talking about a concert or a vacation, but the latest Liggett Intern field trip.

Yesterday the group took a trip to one of Cleveland’s local news stations. We were given a tour of the entire station – everything from the news pit to the editing booths and the production room. In my opinion, the news industry is the New York City of the communication world… it never sleeps. There is always someone in the news station 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. While working under a fast-paced, every second counts environment, it is important to keep focus and not loose yourself by becoming overwhelmed. I thought this was a great lesson to take away from the journalists and editors. Becoming overwhelmed at the situation will not help you do your work and will only hinder productivity. Instead, it is best to focus on the task at hand, delivering the best work possible while being time conscious.

One of the most exciting parts of the field trip was watching the noon news. We were able to sit in the studio while journalists presented the news to a live broadcast audience. It was awesome to watch the broadcast journalists read the news, and to see all the “behind the scenes” work that is involved with producing a news segment.

I am thankful to have the opportunity to learn about something as cool as this. Being able to experience a news station first-hand, while drawing the connection between news stations and advertising agencies is a one time opportunity. I love that the interns are able to go on all of these field trips and learn about other outlets of communication. It’s cool to see the relationships between advertising agencies and broadcast media – we both need each other.

Being an intern at Liggett and given the opportunity to broaden horizons, learn new things and experience the Cleveland communication world first had has definitely “made my summer.”












Crista S.
Program Management Intern

Taking a Bite out of Manhattan

A couple of weeks ago, Jessica M., a fellow intern, suggested I subscribe to the Ad Age daily e-mail newsletter. So, as I start each day here at Liggett, I try to read a few Ad Age articles online if I have time. Right now, I’m really interested in the media planning and buying side of the industry, so I usually go straight to Ad Age’s “Mediaworks” microsite to get the latest news on media trends.

Yesterday, I saw an article about Discovery Channel’s upcoming Shark Week. Even as a person who could care less about sharks, I am intrigued by their tactics used to create hype about a big event.

The 20th anniversary of Discovery Channel’s shark week is coming up on July 29th, and as a promotion for the big milestone, this year, Discovery Channel and it’s media agency, Omnicom Group’s PHD, will showcase a mobile projection of a shark fin on the skyscrapers of NYC after dusk July 26th through July 28th.



Shark week is not solely being promoted using outdoor media, but the promotion has taken on a big interactive element as well. If you visit the Discovery Channel website you will enter a fun, interactive Shark lover’s world filled with video galleries, shark quizzes, a podcast, and much more. Go to the website to learn more at:

www.discoverychannel.com/sharkweek

I thought I’d share this not only for all the shark lovers out there, but because this is just one example of the trends we are going to see develop over the next several years in advertising. The Media component of promotion and advertising is absolutely fascinating because it is growing and changing day by day. Text Messaging, viral marketing, and non-traditional forms of media such as the promotion illustrated here for the Discovery Channel have the potential to get people who wouldn’t think twice about sharks to think twice. Advertising and communications are changing to accommodate our on-the-go, mobile lifestyle. Not to mention the Internet, DVR and TIVO have really thrown a monkey wrench into traditional advertising campaigns.

So, if you’re planning a trip to New York City in the next week or so, watch out because those Sharks are taking a bite out of Manhattan.



Marie D.
Program Management Intern

Middle of the Road

After an executive lunch with the CEO, I have learned a great deal about how the agency has branded itself, and how I can relay these techniques into my own identity as a young professional.

Many semi-large advertising agencies find themselves “in the middle of the road,” in terms of what their brand identity is, and how it relates to the services that they offer to potential clients. Which can also be confusing for the client who is buying the agency’s services.

In the advertising world, every agency wants every client’s business, no matter what that client is looking for, whether it is print advertising, TV and radio broadcasting, interactive support, or public relations – the agency will try to sell them the whole goat, when all the client needs is a fresh squeeze. But that’s where the buyer is confronted with a problem – the agency is selling them any and every service that they have to offer, which in the buyer’s perspective dilutes the quality of the services they will get. So in turn, the client will go find a small interactive or pr shop that seems to do a better job at a specific task, because they specialize in it.

Picking a ‘side of the road’ can be an agency’s way of convincing these clients that they are on call for all of that client’s needs. Even if an agency doesn’t want to specialize in one line of advertising, maybe they can specialize in one line of clients, for example, in Liggett Stashower’s case: mostly building products. This technique helps the agency to distinguish itself from all others when all a client is looking for is a little clarity.

Similarly to this, a person trying to market himself or herself may come across this problem as well. For example, celebrities have to carry an identity every day, because they are constantly making an impression on people. Consequentially, so do young professionals. Upon graduation, many students will be entering the job market, and as all markets go, they will be selling something. There are so many students all over the world that have nearly the same credentials, so they will be trying to differentiate themselves from all others and create a unique persona that a prospective employer will remember.
So as a young professional, no matter what field you’re in, or what field you’re trying to get into, branding yourself with an identity can be a great strategy to elevate yourself from the mass of other students, who are stuck in the middle of the road.



Pat B.
Creative Intern

Trevor, Intern for the World

Every intern experience is different. Here at Liggett, I've been given real client projects to work on. Other companies may have their interns going on coffee runs or basic office duties. For others, it may mean taking orders from complete strangers and having a live webcam record almost every minute of their day. That has become the life of one intern, Trevor "The Mentos Intern". Trevor's tasks are not given to him from his boss, but from people who visit his website and plan out his daily schedule. He cannot leave his office since his entire day is broadcast live on the internet. You can call, instant message or email him asking to do ridiculously entertaining things such as "interview the cat," "ask my boss for a raise," or "belly dancing lessons with the mail lady." As you can see, Trevor is no ordinary intern. He is the star of this viral marketing campaign put on by Mentos. Relying on viral marketing to get your message across can either be very successful or a flop. In this case, I think Mentos did a great job using technology and clever thinking to create this concept. I'm still wondering if Trevor knew what he was getting himself into when he applied for that intern position. Maybe I'll call him to find out.

Check out this site
Leave your comments about Trevor and the Mentos viral marketing campaign.












Linda F.
Creative Intern

Live like the Simpsons.....

The Simpsons is by far one of my favorite shows on TV. The humor and the ever-changing story keep me coming back for more. You can’t find another show with such a diverse set of characters. The Simpsons has withstood the test of time, too. Today a good show lasts 5 years, the Simpsons has lasted over 18 years. So why not release a movie? If you ask me this was a long time coming.

Going into my 6th week here at Liggett, there are many things that I have learned about the advertising world. One of the main things I will take with me is how important PR (by putting together many press kits) and event planning (by assisting with event mailings…Crista) can be for a marketing campaign. A flashy commercial helps gain brand awareness, but you really need consumers to interact with your brand. I saw this new level of interaction with the Kwik-E-Mart promotion for the Simpsons movie.

One of the biggest players in the success of a movie is building buzz before it is released. We all know that movie promo commercials are beginning to become less successful due to people tuning out at commercial breaks. Every movie promo on television is the same. There are some clips of the movie with the same deep-voiced man telling us how great the movie is going to be. Pretty boring, huh? So what production companies need to start doing is have a marketing campaign that isn’t solely reliant on media.



Welcome to Qwik-E-Mart, please come again. In anticipation of the July 27th release of The Simpson’s Movie, 7-Eleven converted 12 of their shops into Qwik-E-Marts. These Qwik-E-Marts are full of actual Simpson merchandise found in the show and cardboard cutouts of the main characters. Now Simpsons’ fans can actually feel what it would be like if they lived in Springfield. Brilliant. Imagine an advertising campaign where people will wait in lines for hours to be exposed to it. Where people come to your message, not turn away from it. This is the advertising strategy of the future.

So pass me the popcorn and Buzz cola and let the credits roll.

Adam F.

Program Management Intern

My Summer Family

It is week six at Liggett and the time is flying by. I keep thinking to myself that I have plenty of time to get things done and to hang out with the other interns, but in all reality that time is coming to an end very quickly. It seems that we are all being trusted with more and more work because we understand more and more about the business. But, more than just understanding and getting what goes on in the agency, we are understanding and getting each other. We know what pushes each other’s buttons, we know what each other is good at, and we know how passionate each other is about the work that we do.
We have joked before about being like the Brady Bunch and our intern coordinators being like Carol and Mike Brady. As goofy as it sounds, its true! We are a little family. Sometimes I see these seven people more than my own family. This is why I refer to them as my “summer family”. I knew coming into this that I was going to meet seven other interns. I did not know that these people were going to become part of my life. I thought that I would come to work, see them, and then go home. Yet, they are really fun and funny people who I like to be around. I look forward to “intern outings” after work and lunch on Star Plaza with them.
I am going to come out of Liggett with two things: a great experience and seven new friends.

Kelly M.
Finance Intern

Just Do It...

As a “student of advertising,” it’s almost become a habit for me to watch TV or flip through magazines and start analyzing the ads that I see and wonder, what is the brand trying to achieve with this ad? And more importantly, is it done effectively?

I’ve always liked Nike ads because they do more than just try to sell clothes or shoes. Over the years, they have developed a cohesive brand that is recognized by almost anyone in the world. By using top athletes, the brand’s personality and identity has become synonymous with athletic excellence, superior performance and product innovation. This can be seen in one of the latest ads that ran during the Wimbledon tennis tournament with tennis ace, Roger Federer (2007 Men’s Wimbledon winner) and Tiger Woods. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AcbjxqWhrM)

Additionally, Nike ads are typically humorous and attention getting, but not so over the top that the viewer forgets what brand the ad is for. Like this new ad “welcoming” the number one NBA draft pick, Greg Oden, to the Portland Trailblazers.

By developing a consistent brand image and by effectively using light humor, Nike continues to set an example in the advertising and sport industries.

Jessica M.
Program Management Intern

It's not the coffee that keeps us going.

A few weeks ago, all of the interns had lunch with one of the members of upper-management. We asked him about his career and what it takes to be successful in the advertising industry. He said that it takes passion, persistence and attention to detail.

From the past five weeks, I’ve really learned that being passionate, persistent and paying attention to detail, even if it makes you appear overly meticulous to your co-workers, is necessary for success in this industry.

In my last blog, I mentioned that at LS, you never know what you’re gonna get, and that has certainly been true for me this week. Yesterday, I strolled into the office with my coffee around 8:15am, checked my LS email, and got myself organized for the day. Then about 10 minutes later, I was asked to help prepare for a new client pitch that would be taking place that afternoon. Soon enough, I was helping to edit PowerPoint slides, following my mentor, who walks ten times faster than I do, around the office, printing presentation materials, and binding the materials together into some pretty snazzy looking presentation books. I had to finish putting together all of the necessary materials so the client pitch team could get out the door. I needed to work quickly to help meet the team’s deadline, but make sure not to make any mistakes. I didn’t even take a lunch break; my adrenaline just kept me going. But hey, I’m not complaining because I thrive on seemingly stressful situations.

So, the lesson learned here is that in this especially creative industry, you need to be passionate and detail-oriented to be successful, no matter if you’re working on the account side, creative side, or just helping out all around the agency as an intern. This isn’t the type of job where you let things go. It’s intense. We’re not crazy, and we’re not all wired on coffee here; we’re just wired on passion.



Marie D.
Program Management Intern

Life's too serious to take seriously

"Don't take yourself too seriously. And don't be too serious about not taking
yourself too seriously." - Howard Ogden

A big problem in the business world is that people tend to take themselves way too seriously. I know some people who don’t have any fun at their jobs, and I think it shows in the work they put out. This is not the case at Liggett. To succeed in this creative industry, you can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty – at all. Especially as an intern.

As a Program Management Intern at LS, most of my assignments are pretty much what I expected them to be: Writing news releases, building media lists, putting together press kits and doing group intern projects. And of course I get some work no one has fun doing: Making copies, typing up spreadsheets, etc. But I’ve also gotten some assignments I never in a million years expected to do.

A couple weeks ago I was sent out to roam around the city during lunchtime to interview people about their snacking habits (preliminary research for a client). Now, I’m an outgoing person, but I’ve never had the urge to approach complete strangers and talk about potato chips. I was nervous, but I grabbed my video camera and clipboard and went to work.

What I thought was going to be a socially scarring experience ended up being an assignment I will never forget. I learned a couple things from that afternoon:

1. If you have a video camera, people are going to want to be on it.
2. If you tell them you’re an intern, they’ll have sympathy.
3. And most importantly, when assigned to walk around downtown for two hours, wear comfortable shoes.

After those two hours, I felt like I could do anything. I get that feeling a lot working here. And I would actually be excited if I got asked to do it again. Who knew?

So sometimes the wacky jobs end up being the memorable ones. You have to take a leap of faith, because usually you underestimate your capabilities. When looking for an internship or job, just remember the famous quote: Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive.

Olivia M.
Program Management Intern

Building a theme

One of my favorite things about working at LS is the internship program itself. As you probably know from reading our blog, Liggett hired eight interns for the summer. Aside from working with the amazing LS staff, it’s a lot of fun to work with so many people my own age. All of the interns bring something original and valuable to the team.

Currently, the interns are working on our internship project. The project consists of designing a t-shirt, along with any other memorable work that we would like to create. LS has an Intern Wall of Fame, where a t-shirt, picture and poster of the previous summer intern classes are displayed.

The brainstorming meetings for this project have been a blast. It’s awesome when you get to interact with others and feed off of one another’s creativity. Everyone has something to contribute to our meetings. I am confident that we are on our way to developing a unique, creative, memorable theme for our project.

What’s the theme you ask? You’ll just have to wait… I’ll let another intern disclose that information later. All I have to say is that building up the suspense is worth the wait!

Crista S.

Program Management Intern

Motivation

Since starting at Liggett I think that I can achieve just about anything if I work hard enough. If I had to give this internship a theme, it would be motivation. Everyone I have met is so motivated and excited to do their work and they do it well. Through getting to know everyone around the office, I see the different backgrounds, schools, majors, and personalities that come together to make this place as great as it is.

Like Adam said in his earlier post, we met with Rick Squire from American Advertising Federation- Cleveland last week and he explained the importance of professional associations. After meeting with him, I felt motivated to go beyond my school organizations and meet people in the professional world. I felt that I could meet the right people and eventually make enough connections to possibly get exactly where I want to go someday. I am not even sure where that is yet, but its nice knowing that there are so many organizations out there to help and guide you.

Also, I promised in my earlier post to get more creative for you guys. Well I was looking at some ads online and I was especially interested in billboards. There are so many cool and creative billboards out today. To see an advertisement go from this to this is just incredible. Both of those advertisements are creative for their time. I know that technology plays a part in all of this, but without the motivation and creativity from the minds designing these things, they would never be possible.

“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.”- Mark Twain
This is how I feel after my first four weeks at Liggett. After my experience at Liggett is over, I cannot wait to see what else I can achieve through the things I have learned and the people I have learned from.

Kelly M.

Finance Intern

Lesson of the Week: Get Involved

It’s easy to get involved in college with so many clubs and volunteering opportunities to choose from. For instance, check out all the organizations Ohio University offers to the students. On top of the organizations there are so many volunteer opportunities as well. Joining organizations and volunteering is not only fun, but it’s a great way to be more successful in life.

This week at Liggett we had Rick Squire, executive director of the American Advertising Federation – Cleveland, tell us of the importance of getting involved after college. To tell you the truth I never considered joining organizations once I got a job after college. I figured well hey if I get the job, all I need to do is work hard in the office and I will be able to move up the corporate ladder. Man, I was wrong. Getting involved is where it’s at.

There are many organizations for professionals out there. You can find an organization for any career, just google it. For instance, here in Cleveland there is the AAF – Cleveland, PRSA, AMA, SME and many others.

Now let me guess, some of you people reading this might be thinking, “I don’t know if I want to join a professional organization right after college.” That’s cool, you can join a bowling league, a golf league, a chess club, a nature walk club, a boxing club, a fitness center, an ice cream club or {insert here} club/league/association. Volunteering your time is another great way to get involved in your community. It’s hard to put in words the satisfaction you get when you become a volunteer.

On top of all the fun you will be having, you also create a great networking opportunity. Anyone in the business world today will tell you the importance of networking. You need to know people, who know people, who are married to people, who know Bob. So lets all go out there and get involved, if you don’t I guarantee somebody else will.

Adam F.

Program Management Intern

The Social-Spun Web: It's All About Connections

When I first told my mom I was going to study public relations, she told me that in the business world, it’s all about connections. At first, I thought that sounded a little like cheating; does that mean that people who grow up with socialites as parents are going to get to the top faster and with more ease? That’s unfair. But after observing this industry for three weeks, I realized it is far from cheating; it’s the only way to go.

The book I was assigned to read during my internship at Liggett is called The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. I’ve only read about one-fourth of the book, but so far it is just reinforcing my mom’s wise words. Life is all about the connections you make with others; people who you can go to for advice, ideas, to lean on when you need a friend and even to find a new job. And let’s face it: Some people are a lot better at making connections than others. Gladwell says these people are called Connectors. These are the people you either want to be like, or be good friends with.

One of the exercises in the book tells you to make a list of a bunch of people you know, even if they are just acquaintances. Then try to trace them back to how you met them. Usually, if you trace your connections all the way back, you will end up with the same three or four people you know most of your friends through. And more likely than not, those Connectors are pretty successful people.

At this point in my life, I don’t consider myself a Connector. I’ve only lived about 21 years and haven’t had that many cultured experiences. And for the record, I wasn’t born into a royal family with socialites as parents. But even those people have to do a little networking of their own. So next time you’re on a plane or even standing in line at the BMV, it wouldn’t hurt to strike up a conversation with the person next to you. You never know whom you’re going to meet; it just might make a life-long connection.

Olivia M.
Program Management Intern

Busy, Busy, Busy

So all of my friends and relatives keep asking me how I like my summer internship at LS and I tell them it’s great.

I’m excited to be here because I get to do real agency work. We’re not doing coffee runs, or filing or making copies (at least that’s not the main part of our jobs here). Aside from the intern projects we are putting together (a T-shirt and these blogs), I’ve learned, hands on, how to use the MRI research database.

What I like about this agency, and this industry in general, is the variety of projects and assignments you get to work on. You never know what the next week, day, hour or minute could bring. If I had to do the same thing everyday, I think I’d go nuts. You could be having a pretty easy-going day and then be slammed with a new client project. I love how fast-paced this industry is. This isn’t the typical office job that is mocked in Office Space; we get to do exciting stuff. This internship is perfect for me because I thrive on days when I’m swamped - and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Marie D.
Program Management Intern

Flippin' Out

Lately I have been paying extra attention to a lot of the commercials on TV, usually looking for something that immediately jumps out and interests me. There are many outstanding funny ads like the new Filet O’ Fish sandwiches, or graphically stimulating ads like Sprite’s ‘Sublymonal Advertising’. But what I really like to stumble upon are the more subtle ads that use simple techniques to accomplish great audio/visual synergies. Here is a recent ad that makes for a great example of what I’m talking about:



When everyone is competing to be hilarious or technically innovative, sometimes watching a commercial like this can be a breath of fresh air. It sticks to the basics: interesting video footage of spontaneous events – supplemented with feel-good music is all this commercial needed to appease the viewer, but at the same time, get this product’s message across.

Pat B.

Creative Intern

Teaching the Rising Generation

“What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

When it comes to teachers, lets face it – if you’re taking molecular chemistry or even those classic 101 core curriculum classes, chances are you want the easiest teacher you can find. Be honest, I know you’ve all checked out ratemyprofessor.com to find out the teacher with the easiest tests, or (if you’re lucky) who doesn’t even give tests.

Entering my last semester of college at John Carroll University, I have been in school for sixteen years (not including pre-school). Much like any other student, I have encountered some of the best and worst teachers of my life. Now I’ll be honest, molecular chemistry is not my forte. However when it comes to public relations and advertising, I am ready to learn about anything. Having challenging professors within your major is worth the sacrifice of the A- for the B+ if it means you have learned, and are prepared for “the real world.” It is most important to leave a class feeling like you are taking away more than when you started.

The internship program at Liggett Stashower is the best opportunity in Cleveland to learn and experience public relations and advertising at the forefront of the field from the people who know it best. Building brands is Liggett’s motto, however their internship program focuses on building and preparing interns as the rising generation in public relations, advertising, and creative. As Pat said earlier, this is the hardest class I have taken, but the thing is, it’s supposed to be challenging. Being challenged is the best way to learn. Being an intern at one of the top agencies in Cleveland, and the country, there is TONS to learn and experience.

The most helpful and knowledgeable teachers can be found at LS. This agency knows its stuff, and it is impressive to watch and try to soak up all there is to experience. I‘m so excited to be here! I will keep you posted on everything I’m learning and my progress as an intern at Liggett.

Crista S.
Program Management Intern

Insert Catchy Title Here

A finance intern at an ad agency? Aren’t ad agencies for CREATIVE people? I will not lie to you, I have asked myself those same questions. While my fellow interns are researching advertisements, brainstorming new ideas for different companies and sketching ideas for new designs, I am entering credits and debits into journal entries and deciphering between account receivables and account payables. Honestly… I couldn’t be happier. This is my niche; this is what I am good at. Coming up with catchy titles for blogs or designing a poster may not be my forte, but give me some numbers and a calculator and I will go to town.

Don’t let my math background fool you though, I am so excited to be around so many creative people all of the time. With taking on a minor in Public Relations, I feel that LS is right where I am supposed to be. I have sat in on some brainstorming meetings and looked at what the Creative Services department does and I get inspired. LS makes me want to be more creative and makes me think outside of the “accounting” box. Even though it has only been two weeks since the internship started, my creative juices are already flowing much more than before. From working on T-shirt ideas with the other interns to trying take my Mom’s advice and instead of going shopping and getting new clothes, I am getting creative with what I already own to wear to work. I think I am going to fit in just fine.

I am very excited to see what the next six weeks has in store for me and the other interns. In the past two weeks I have experienced and learned so many new things, I can’t imagine that my brain has enough room to hold what the rest of my time here has to offer… but I am more than willing and excited to find out. And hopefully by my next blog I will be able to give you all a catchy and creative title!

Kelly M.
Finance Intern

Cleveland is the city...

People don’t give Cleveland enough credit. The media outside of Cleveland always seem to put down Cleveland sports and it seems like so many of my friends always say they’re moving away from Cleveland as soon as they graduate. And I often wonder, what’s so bad about Cleveland anyways?

Sure, the winters are frigid and summers are hot and humid. But aside from the weather, I can’t find many other reasons to complain about the area. There’s always something going on and something to do, either downtown or in the nearby suburbs. There are sporting events, museums, cultural events, music concerts, theater productions, restaurants, shopping, and recreation areas. Take your pick; these are just a few.

Along the same lines, since beginning my internship at LS, I’ve increasingly noticed and took interest in some of the initiatives and events that organizations within the city of Cleveland have come up with to try to help “slow the brain drain” of people leaving Ohio and to attract more young professionals and recent college graduates. Some of these events can be found here.

LS is an agency made up of a fair amount of young people and individuals who are active in the local business community, and many of them are involved in these organizations. Another cool program that LS participates in is the Late Out/Late In program, which I had never heard of since I started working here. It’s just another way to help attract young professionals to Cleveland.

In short, I think Cleveland is a pretty cool place to be living and working this summer. Sure New York and Chicago are advertising capitals of the world, but I’ve quickly come to realize in the week that I’ve been working here, that I can have a great agency experience, benefit from the work that I am doing, and even have some time to explore and enjoy the many things that Cleveland has to offer. After all, Cleveland is the city.

Jessica M.
Program Management Intern

Agency Life: A Little Bit of This, and a Little Bit of That

As a soon-to-be senior at Kent State studying public relations, I have admired this agency from afar since I heard about it my freshman year. After talking to some employees at LS, shadowing the interns for a day last summer and applying for a PR intern position last fall, I scored my dream internship. And now, all that I learned in my lecture classes are finally taking form. I am able to see the agency use all the tactics, writing styles and strategies I studied at Kent.

One of my favorite experiences so far was brainstorming with the fellow interns and an account coordinator for ideas on how to generate publicity for a potential client. I think it says a lot about LS that they look to the interns for new and fresh ideas and take the time to help us experience real-life agency situations. But that was just one of the fun jobs I have been a part of my first week (and three days) at Liggett.

At Kent, the public relations major is a part of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication; hence, it is writing intensive. I’m silently thanking all my past professors for assigning writing project after writing project to prepare me for this internship. Last week, I was assigned my first writing assignment: Writing two case studies about a client that builds open-air malls. What more could a girl ask for?

Each day I am confronted with a little bit of everything: From putting together press kits and writing case studies to sitting in on teleseminars with the Program Management group and organizing ad clippings for a decking company. It’s something new every day, and that is what I am beginning to love about working at LS. Give me a nice big cup of java, and I’m ready to take on the world.

Olivia M.
Program Management Intern

Where am I?

Being one of the few non-Cleveland area interns I found myself asking this question on a daily basis. I come from a small town with two stoplights, so you could imagine the difficulty I was having with downtown Cleveland when I first arrived. A week has gone by now and I have become one with the streets of Cleveland. Prospect Avenue to Huron Road, no problem. Mayfield Road or Overlook Drive, been there drove that. Carnegie Avenue and Hessler Road, the list goes on and on. The sad thing is, I don’t even live in downtown Cleveland or even the surrounding suburbs. I guess you can say I’m just a man on a mission to drive the streets of my new summer home, Cleveland.

This lack of sense of direction carried over to my first few days at Liggett. The Liggett Stashower office is larger then it first appears in my defense. Even after a tour of the building I still had troubles finding my way to the bathroom for the first time. When I tried to find one of the meeting rooms I ended up in the employees lounge. At the end of my first day I felt like I had the Liggett office down, then I couldn’t find the exit. I even managed to park my car and forget where I parked it. I felt like Ashton Kutcher or Seann William Scott when I caught myself saying, “Dude where’s my car?”

Throughout my lost journeys here in Cleveland and Liggett Stashower I have been pleased to be surrounded by so many helpful people. When I was lost on some random street in Cleveland I rolled down my window and a complete stranger gave me detailed directions to get back on the highway. When I was couldn’t find my parking lot, a person on street pointed me in the right direction (after a very thorough explanation of how I managed to lose my car). Here at Liggett every employee I have met has been so helpful and kind. They don’t mind fielding my everyday questions. As you could imagine I ask lots of them. As they all say, there is no such thing as a stupid question.

One week has passed since my internship has started and I am happy to say I have found my place here at Liggett. I even managed to find my car.

Adam F.
Program Management Intern

My Top 3

I've put together a list of the Top 3 things I've learned and experienced during my first week as an intern.

1. One of my highlights from the past week was the opportunity to sit in on a photo shoot. I realized the tremendous amount of work that goes into the making of a print ad. It's unbelievable how many people and how much time, money and talent it takes to create one of those ads you see in a magazine.

2. There are many uses for duct tape. From creating picture frames, dresses, and flip-flops to hammocks and ipod cases - the list goes on. Who knew that you could easily hem your pants or rip cactus thorns outof your skin with a little handiwork and duct tape? Not me. The reason I now know all of this useful information is because on Sunday afternoon I volunteered for a festival put on by one of Liggett's clients. My job was to man the fashion tent. Fashion design studentscreated duct tape dresses with the theme - "countries of the world". My instructions were pretty simple, answer any questions and make sure nobody rolled away the giant 8x8 ft duct tape globe. Since it wasFather's Day, I decided to splurge and buy a genuine duct tape wallet for my Dad. Now, thanks to me, he's the most stylish guy on the block.

3. Adjusting from college life (taking a daily mid-afternoon nap) to work life (waking up at the crack of dawn) was a bit of a struggle for me. After one week of working in the "real world", I witnessed all ofthe responsibility, hard work and creativity it takes to make LS run smoothly.



Linda F.
Creative Intern

We're not in Kansas Anymore

This past school year, my part-time job was to nanny the cutest one-year-old boy (if you want to see him, I’ve got pictures all over my cubicle). The dress code for this job was yoga pants, t-shirts, and a spit up cloth for my shoulder. My breaks consisted of doing homework, checking email, and watching TV while he napped for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

After leaving my nanny job in Cincinnati in May, I figured I was in for a rude awakening when starting my internship at Liggett in June. The yoga pants and t-shirts weren’t going to fly, and the days of two-hour TV breaks were gone. Yes, I’d have to wake up at 6am like the rest of the working world, not to mention I’d have to go to bed between 10 and 11pm like my parents. Going to bed between 10 and 11pm is certifiably insane for college students – we’re used to going out at this time on any given night (yes, that includes weeknights). I’d have to finally become a coffee drinker, and sit in traffic, too. I’d have to do all those “grown-up” things that I dreamed of doing as I watched my mom go off to work when I was little.

Since I’ve started my internship at Liggett, the awakening hasn’t been as rude as I thought. Yes, I had to replace the yoga pants and t-shirts for khakis and button down shirts, but it’s really not all that bad (except for ironing…I try to con my mom into doing this for me…but it hasn’t worked so far). Waking up early and getting into a routine has probably been the hardest, and I’m still getting used to the 830-5pm work schedule. And yes, I don’t get two-hour breaks in the mornings and afternoons, but we do get a lunch break. Today, actually, all the interns are going out to lunch together. I don’t know where yet, but at least we’ll feel really cool and grown up being around the professional “lunch crowd” in downtown Cleveland.

So, welcome to the real world of coffee, traffic, button down shirts, heels, dress pants, deadlines, conference calls, and meetings galore. This is the real world interns - we’re not in Kansas anymore.

Marie D.
Program Management Intern

Experience: The Hardest Class I’ve Taken Yet

After a month-long head start here at Liggett Stashower, I am finally joined by the rest of the interns. And as far as “learning the ropes” goes, I’d say that I’m swinging from them like Tarzan. Or Kong. Or even the curious blue-nosed mandrill from Western-Central Africa.

While studying for a degree in Graphic & Communication Design, I did not think that there was much more I could have done to prepare for a career in advertising. Yet when I arrived here, my opinion changed. I was introduced to the exciting chemistry of the agency, including group projects, 24­-hour deadlines, and flawless execution. It was a stark change from the lax 2-week-long projects I mastered in school.

Complete with presentations, process binders, team intern projects, real client projects, odds and ends around the office, and, as a creative, the constant study of popular culture, fine art, literature, and history, this internship is easily the hardest class I have ever taken. But the challenge is the reason I’m so passionate about beginning a career in advertising and I would have to say that's why everyone else at this agency does it, too.

Pat B.
Creative Intern

Summer Intern Class of '07

Our new interns started yesterday.

Check back soon for updates.