The following guest blog was written by Colin Pennington (BA, Public Relations, 2009), a member of the St. Louis -based public relations team at Brighton.
We’ve all heard the cliché “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” Well I’m going to put a little marketing spin on it. What came first, the ad or the PR story? The answers to the question can vary, but no mater what, it has impact on the marketing industry.
In today’s struggling economy, there are a lot of ideas out there about the best marketing strategies to get the highest return on your investment.
Is there one particular strategy that works best? Probably not. Different marketing strategies work for different companies in different industries. It is, however, important to keep in mind how each marketing function relies on the other to thrive and how different companies rely on those functions. This is especially true in B2B marketing where traditional media is still relied on heavily.
SCAN highlights School of Communications alumni who recently landed jobs in their field. Seville Fletcher(BA, Public Relations, 2009) works as an international logistics and communications manager at Associated Footwear in St. Louis.
SCAN: How did you find out about the job you have?
Seville Fletcher: When I graduated from Webster I was interning at Hughes Integrated Marketing Agency and when that came to an end I began searching any and every where for a position. I eventually found this job through Craigslist.
What helped you most to prepare for the interview?
Running through interview questions with friends and really studying my résumé and thinking about ways I accomplished different things helped me tremendously during the interview. Also, having examples in mind of challenges I’ve faced professionally and how I overcame them is always helpful.
Brighton, a St. Louis-based full-service marketing and communications agency, has appointed Colin Pennington (BA, Public Relations, 2009) to its public relations team.
Pennington’s responsibilities include assisting on and managing various public relations accounts as well as providing client services for Brighton’s agriculture-related accounts. He originally joined Brighton as an intern and contractor in the fall of 2006.
His previous experiences include serving as a media relations assistant with the Missouri Valley Conference and NCAA for collegiate athletic events hosted by the organizations and also served as the lead communications contact for the St. Louis Lions Soccer Club.
SCAN highlights School of Communications alumni who recently landed jobs in their field. Rebecca Sweat (BA, Public Relations, 2007) works as the director of athletic marketing and promotions at the University of Texas — Pan America in Edinburg, Texas.
SCAN: How did you find out about the job you have? Rebecca Sweat: I found the job through networking. An acquaintance told me about the opening and I found the listing online.
Sanjin Alisic wasn’t even sure he wanted to attend.
The 2007 SIGGRAPH International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Technologies was across the country in San Diego, Calif. — an expensive plane ticket for an experience Alisic wasn’t sure would be worth it.
It was the supportive financial nudge from the dean’s office that made the trip possible.
SCAN highlights School of Communications alumni who recently landed jobs in their field. Mandy Ellis (BA, Public Relations, 2007) works as a communications/project coordinator for Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls in St. Louis.
SCAN: How did you land your job?
Mandy Ellis: I started at my internship and then, thankfully, I did such a good job while working for them they offered me a full time position without me having to ask!
Relying on communication skills he learned while competing with Webster’s Forensics and Debate Team, Ryan Louis (BA, Film Production, Public Relations minor, 2003) turned his post-graduation internship at MTV into a 5-year career. SCAN recently caught up with Louis to talk about his current position at MTVN International in New York.
SCAN: How did you come to work at MTV?
RL: My name and a résumé was passed around among professional friends and eventually found its way to a man at MTV Promos. I got an internship there the summer after I graduated, worked my butt off and was rewarded with a job when it ended three months later.
SCAN highlights School of Communications alumni who recently landed jobs in their field. Mandy Tipton (BA, Public Relations, 2005) works as the development coordinator for The Ronald McDonald House Charities in St. Louis.
SCAN: How did you land your job?
Mandy Tipton: After serving as an intern at The Ronald McDonald House in the Spring 2005 (my senior semester), I went on to work at three different organizations. But I kept in touch with my supervisor at The Ronald McDonald House because I knew that if I ever had the opportunity to get a full-time job there, I would want to take advantage of it.
The Galaxy is back and its range is broader than ever.
The student-run radio station after a 2-year hiatus has returned and it’s expanded its scope beyond Webster Groves. The Galaxy now broadcasts via the World Wide Web, meaning its audience can be anywhere around the world.
“You can access it anywhere you have an Internet connection and a computer,” said Promotions Assistant Maggie Noelke (BA, Advertising and Marketing Communications, 2007). “The Galaxy is literally everywhere.”
We’ve all heard the cliché “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” Well I’m going to put a little marketing spin on it. What came first, the ad or the PR story? The answers to the question can vary, but no mater what, it has impact on the marketing industry.
