In a lecture we were told that we had Bright Blue Day coming in the next week for a guest lecture. The lecturer then went on to tell us the exciting opportunity BBD had to offer us. BBD had asked us to design and produce a creative CV and send it to them. They would then judge them and the three people with the best creative CVs would receive an internship with them. So it was pretty exciting when BBD came in and announced that Hojin, Katie and myself had won the competition!

Monday

On Monday morning, we were introduced by our mentor for the week, Annie. Bright Blue Day (BBD) is divided into 4 areas: Content & Social, Integrated Comms, Digital & UX and Strategy & Story.

On Monday evening, Bright Blue Day were having a focus group for their client Pittards to gain a better understanding of their target audience’s opinion on their leather bag range. So our first task was to assist in setting up for the focus group.

We were then asked to create two Pinterest boards. These boards had a theme of the great outdoors and gardening gloves.

BBD also gave us an activity pack filled with tasks to complete throughout the week. Tasks included:

• Logo refresh
• Creating a brand, name and logo for a new company
• Explore and write about three brands
• Write about three award-winning campaigns that stand out to me
• Writing about the future of advertising
• Writing a blog for the BBD website

On Monday I managed to complete the logo refresh.

Tuesday

Every morning we began with a feedback meeting with Annie to discuss tasks for the day and any problems we had.

Tuesday’s task took up the majority of my day. BBD have a series of interviews coming up for a year placement student and account executive job. In these interviews BBD are going to give the interviewers a client brief to work on, so Annie asked us to choose a brand and write an in depth client brief so the interviewees can present their campaign plans.

This was an exciting task, as it was something new to me and gave me a lot of creativity.

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning we had a meeting with Mati (digital executive) about our progress and plans for the day.

I then carried on with the set tasks. I managed to complete the branding for a new tech start-up company, I explored three brands in depth and wrote about three award-winning campaigns.

In the afternoon we sat in on a meeting discussing the client Mind (charity shop). We looked through a presentation for the client to discuss if it was heading in the right direction.

Thursday

On Thursday morning, Mati and I did some market research around Bournemouth and the surrounding areas for Mind. We visited 10 charity stores including AgeUK, Barnardo’s, and British Heart Foundation. We collected leaflets, took photos, browsed the stores and talked to the staff. This gave us an insight into the charity retail business. This took up the majority of the day and I found I had a natural aptitude for market research, partly because I am confident with approaching and talking to new people. When I returned I wrote up all the findings we collected from each store.

Friday

On my last day, I wrote an essay about the future of advertising. In this essay I talked about how technology is learning more about its owner, meaning it’s going to become even more personal than it is at the moment. I choose this subject as I find it fascinating how technology is growing so rapidly, therefore advertising is growing with it.

I then wrote a blog for BBD. Choosing the topic for the blog was difficult, as I wanted to come up with something unique and interesting. I was allowed to write this blog on anything that interested me. The title of the blog was ‘equality in the advertising world’. My favourite section in this was my top five campaigns involving equality.

I expressed throughout my internship that my end goal is to be an account director. So Mati set up a meeting for me so I could talk to the account manager at BBD. I asked lots of questions, including finding out the best route to becoming an account manager.

What being an account manager involves and why it interests me

Being an account manager involves building strong client relationships. You also need to identify new business opportunities and write and deliver client development plans. To have this position you need skills such as leadership, great communication and confidence in delivering pitches. I am sure this is what I want to go into as I think it best suits my personality and a job that will keep me constantly excited. I think of myself as sociable, outgoing and confident, so I enjoy meeting new people and delivering my ideas.

What I gained from the experience

My time at Bright Blue Day has been inspiring. I have learnt so much as I was always very busy throughout the week with a variety of tasks. It was great to use everything I’ve learnt in my university studies in a practical situation. This experience has led me to be certain that I am going into the right career. I am also sure that I want to be an account director. My time at BBD has also made me want to do more work experience in the advertising industry.

Next Steps for me

My next steps involve trying to gain more experience. I’ll start by talking to my lecturers at BU to ask if they have any industry contacts that might be able to give me the experience I want. When looking for a placement year I will want an agency in central London. I want my placement year to be in client services so I can learn more about the career I wish to pursue. With so much high competition in this industry I will try and catch their attention in a unique way, and plan to send them a creative CV.

By Emma Burden, BA (Hons) Advertising