Getting Involved

One of the most important things I’m beginning to learn here is the importance of the process of how things work. This is really my first job in an office setting, and I was pretty clueless on how things actually work around here. I understood there were multiple departments working together to accomplish the same goals, but how this was all done efficiently was something I was having trouble understanding.

That’s when I was able to get involved with a few different projects. I was brought in the circle of one project just to see how things were decided upon, and how these decisions were relayed to everyone working on the project. If changes needed to be made, I was there watching how these changes came about. It was really interesting to see how a project could go from its beginning stages to its final component. The best part was shortly after this experience, I was able to participate in a few other projects. The participation was at a beginners’ level, but it was great to actually jump in and get my hands dirty right away instead of just watching other people do it.

This is one aspect that really makes this internship stand out. I’m not just watching other people work, but I’m learning how to do what they are doing, and then attempting to complete projects on my own. I feel this is the best way to go about learning, and I’m excited to see what skills I’ll be able to develop in the next few weeks.

Scott A.

Our First Field Trip!

I am pleasantly surprised to find the Liggett Stashower internship program to be unique from most other intern programs. Liggett Stashower believes it is very important to expose us to various companies in order to experience what different environments are like. To achieve this, they take us on several field trips around the Cleveland area. Yesterday, we went on our first field trip to the Plain Dealer.   

As the afternoon rolled around, we were all very excited about going on our trip. With our luck it started to rain just as we were leaving to walk over to the building.  Some of us were prepared with umbrellas but others were not as lucky and got quite wet. When we got to the Plain Dealer we met Ted who is the reader representative for the paper. Ted gave us a tour of the building explaining the basics of the company and how things are operated.   

He took us into a large room filled with people working at their cubicles. This room was called the newsroom and is where the editors and writers work. We continued our tour by sitting in on an editorial meeting where several editors joined to discuss the news that would be presented in the paper. It was neat to be behind the scenes and see how articles are created.  

The day went fast and before I knew it our field trip was over. I enjoyed myself very much but was anxious to get back to the office and continue working on my projects. The trip added a new excitement to our day and I am looking forward to the next one we take together!

Katie W.

So Far, So Good

After completing my first week as a Liggett intern, I must say I still feel welcomed by all of the friendly faces I come across daily. Everyone seems happy to be here. I’m thrilled to work and learn in an environment where people are amicable and enjoy what they do.

Everything about this place is exciting. Each morning feels like a new adventure waiting to unfold. As soon as I walk through the elevator doors, I know today will be unlike yesterday and different from tomorrow. Whether it’s attending a meeting, researching blogs or simply being taught how to do something new, each day here is anything but monotonous – and I love that.

Being apart of a team of interns is exciting as well. We have a great group full of different characteristics and personalities. It’s amazing how we were thrown together and get along so well (so far at least!). We’ve all become fast friends. Keeping up on each other throughout the day, we are all curious to see what everyone is working on. Through each other, we interns can get a taste of each department of Liggett.

I’m looking forward to the rest of my summer here at such an accomplished agency. I feel my “real world” experiences will be anything but boring. Privileged to be here, I am eager to find out what lies ahead of me this summer at Liggett.





Kristen N.
Program Management Intern

Hobbies Come in Handy

Week numero dos at Liggett Stashower has been exciting so far! I am literally astounded how much client work I’ve actually been able to contribute too and hope it continues for the rest of the summer. I have yet to be asked to go get coffee or to make some copies and have gotten to work on some great projects. To recap my week briefly….

Monday was my first Client Review from the Agency side. I have sat in on client reviews, but I had only ever been on the client side and this was a whole new experience. The review went great! The client loved it and we headed back to the office to make some changes, but not before stopping at Red Robin for a Guacamole Burger. Yes, it was phenomenal.

Last week I had the opportunity to tag along for a video shoot for a client and this week I was actually involved in the editing process a great deal. We headed back over to meet with the client for a reshoot of a couple lines (I got to use the fancy camera, lapel mic, light boxes, etc.) before I dumped it into FinalCut and spent the rest of the day fixing it up.

The funny thing is, I never imagined I’d be working with video as part of my career or internship – or anything like Flash or Photoshop. I always imagined myself more on the project management side, those programs were just hobbies. Guess I was in the right place at the right time for the video project. It goes to show you that your experiences outside of the classroom can come in handy: your hobbies, your involvement on campus, etc.

I’d love to write more, but downtime is at a minimum – they’re keeping most of us plenty busy. Oh, and tomorrow we tour the Plain Dealer headquarters and sit in on an editorial meeting. Should be a swell time!

Ben M

If I said “JK, LOL” to your face, would you look at me like I was crazy?

This past week I did a little of this and a little of that, some filing, organizing, writing, editing, talking, meeting. I also did some learning (imagine that!).

One lesson in particular stands out. It is a lesson that encompasses both advertising and life. It is nothing new but just needs to be relearned from time to time in this Internet age.

As the interns were talking after work the other day, some of us mentioned that we probably would never have been friends if we went to the same school. We all have different interests and different personalities, but put together as a group of Liggett interns, we get along great. We laugh and joke and have a good time, and we all work hard. When we advertise ourselves as “intern” we all realize that we have the same fears of the future, and the same sense of indecisiveness regarding what we really want to spend the rest of our lives doing. Heck, some of us are worried about marriage, and one of us is already engaged!

Yet, at school we wouldn’t necessarily be friends. Why? Because our effectiveness at advertising ourselves the way we want to be perceived gets somewhat jumbled in college. It is interesting to me that by taking away Facebook and parties, and adding personal communication and Liggett Stashower, we all are forced to evaluate the way our peers advertise themselves in ways that are foreign to us in the Facebook generation. No longer can we look at pictures of our fellow interns in Halloween costumes, peruse lists of our peers’ interests and favorites, and pass judgment based on something that could or could not be true. At least, we haven’t yet…

While Facebook can be an effective way of advertising yourself and/or a product, nothing is trustworthier than a good old face-to-face conversation when trying to foster a relationship. Here at Liggett, new avenues of cutting-edge advertising are constantly being explored, as they rightfully should. However, sometimes we need to forgo the distanced communication methods of email, and even telephone, and just sit down with a person and have a face-to-face conversation. So much more can be accomplished when you can see a person’s mannerisms and expressions. Maybe I’m an old timer, yet I just can’t help but notice that nothing beats a good personal relationship, be it an agency-client relationship or an intern-intern relationship.

In which case, I have re-stumbled upon a very important lesson of life…and advertising.

BBL!

Ashley H.

Getting the Ball Rollin'

After my first full week at Liggett, I can honestly say I have already learned more about new developments in the tool and office supply industry than I have in my entire life. Liggett threw me right into work as a copywriter, making headlines for a construction client’s new product on the very first day. It was refreshing to get started right away and to have my opinion valued right off the bat.

Another thing I am realizing is just how much blogging is affecting the advertising world. It seems like instead of wasting time sending out surveys and asking peoples opinions around the office, you can do really high quality product and industry research by just looking through some of the millions of blogs that are out there. It gives a quick and relatively accurate representation of what the world thinks about every topic you can think of.

As nice as blog research is, nothing is like the real thing- and that is just what I got the chance to do this past Friday. My mentor, Mark, who is the director of Brand Voice at Liggett, Katie, the graphic design intern, and I went to do some top secret research for a potential new client. We walked around noticing what would be needed to make our client’s product the one that would jump off the shelves and into peoples’ carts. After the research, Mark took Katie and me to an authentic Polish restaurant to see the side of Cleveland you wouldn’t see if you weren’t a local. Being from Connecticut, I know about as much about Cleveland as I do quantum physics, so it was nice to see a little tour of some of the areas I had never seen before. Clearly Cleveland has a lot more to offer than one particular northeasterner would imagine. The Polish restaurant was fantastic, but Katie, who is at least 50% Polish chickened out, or should I say turkeyed out, and got a turkey sandwich instead of the authentic pierogies and other Polish delights. Sorry Katie, I told you this would show up in the blog.

But moving on, the first week at Liggett was exciting, with every day bringing something new to the table, and I look forward to the remainder of the internship. Already, it feels as though the seven weeks we have left will be over far too fast.

Dan F.
Copywriting Intern

Greetings

I would be remised to skip a formal introduction before I discuss my first day as a public relations intern at Liggett Stashower. My name is Marc Feher and I will be a senior this fall at The Ohio State University. I am a double major in journalism and political science with a minor in philosophy. I have interned at various nonprofits and news stations. I also write features for Uweekly (uweekly.com), a Columbus independent newspaper, on a free-lance basis.

Coming to a mid-sized firm seemed daunting, initially. But it’s the equivalent of going to a large university, the bigger the firm, the more opportunities to learn and network. I applied for an internship at LS because I was impressed with its case studies and the intern program structure. How many interns go on field trips? Not many. Also, the mentoring program shows just how serious LS takes developing interns into future professionals. Working one-on-one with a public relations expert allows me to hone my skills while increasing my knowledge of the industry.

On my first day, I jumped into action by creating client clip binders, making press kits and researching biotechnology conferences. Grabbing coffee was not on the agenda. Getting use to time sheets and the firm’s sheer size are the most difficult tasks that lay ahead. With that said, I am looking forward to a productive and challenging summer.

Marc F.

"intrain"

Two workdays down, thirty-seven left to look forward to. I already love this place. The Listerine in the bathroom was pretty exciting and the LS block of post-it notes is definitely going home with me on August 8th. After the first day, I bragged to my friends about the pool table, the Zen Room, and the location. Progressive field and Panini’s are just down the street. I also called my mother, gloating about how excited I am to be working at such an interesting agency with seven other college students.

We’ve gotten all of our training done now. Soon I can start entering real job codes into my timesheet as opposed to the 7.5 hours of “intrain” I've been acquiring daily. I’ve gotten familiar with Lotus Notes, the intranet, and the fancy phones. Every minute has offered something new, from corporate genie games to alphabetizing hundreds of papers. I got to update the monthly reports and use the financial software. I look forward to driving downtown and dodging the maze of poles in the parking garage to be here.

I work in the finance department. My mentor just had a baby and I have yet to meet her. However, Monica and Steve have kept me quite busy. I’ve learned so much already and I can’t wait to learn even more. I enjoy finance at Liggett because I can play with numbers all day, but there's a wildly creative side just down the hall. I actually have an “arts and craft box” at my apartment. My friends and I make t-shirts and picture frames for every occasion. So I do get a little jealous of the creative interns. They always seem to be doing something adventurous.

The general vibe in the office at Liggett is youthful, fresh, and involved. The employees are happy to be here. It’s a very welcoming environment. The other interns are awesome. We had our first intern meeting today and we pretty much figured out what we will be doing for our t-shirts and “fun-day Fridays.” However, that information is very confidential. I’m eager to spend my summer here.

Angela B.

Here we go....

Well I’m through my first day, and I can say it was a success because I was invited back to work on Tuesday. After about 8 hours on the second floor of the Halle Building, I can finally find my way to the bathroom and back without having to ask for directions.

I must admit I had no idea what to expect while I wandered around downtown at 7:30 in the morning since I arrived a little too early. However, I was relieved after meeting my fellow interns, and even more relieved when I began meeting the people here. Everyone I met was so nice and welcoming, which made it so easy to transition into the work environment. It’s always a nervous experience when entering into a new job because you don’t know what to expect, or more importantly, what’s expected of you. This nervousness disappeared throughout the day as I met more people and become more comfortable with my surroundings.

After a great lunch at the Lizard, I got straight to work. I was very pleased to find out my mentor played as much golf as I do, and this common thread made it easy to talk with him. My first job of the summer was to bind a marketing plan using a machine that seemed to be here since the 1970’s. Despite the age of the machine, I was able to complete the small task and still have time to spare to hear Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open … again.

I enjoyed my first day, and I think this is going to be a challenging but equally fun experience for myself and the other interns as well. I'm looking forward to the upcoming 8 weeks.

Scott A.

The 2008 Interns start on Monday

So we should have some new posts coming next week.