Things I’ve Learned in the Agency Life

This semester, I transitioned from my in-house marketing role at BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition & POWERADE to working at a hospitality PR agency in Boston, MA. Here's what I learned as a newbie in the agency life:

1). I have never learned so much than the times I am at an ad agency. So, surround yourself with the creatives there — simply observing them working has taught me more about marketing than any class or online articles. The talented people you work with will only challenge you and push you. 

2). Build from ideas. During brainstorming sessions, I realized the discipline of creative collaboration. My fellow creatives have different ideas for a campaign, partnership, and activation than I do, but the purpose of these sessions is to compare concepts and build off of each other's ideas until you arrive at one that is pretty good, and you go from there. 

3). Half of the time when you over-prepare, it turns out you’re just prepared. Agency life is a fast-paced environment, and you’re working on multiple accounts. One time I presented my press release and my supervisor tore it apart –gently and rightfully. The work begins way before the brief, so be over over-prepared!