This is a guest blog written by current BA (Hons) Marketing Communications with Digital Media student where she shares her placement experience at Sony.

It’s easy to go into a placement year with a bucket full of expectations. However, the past year as a Public Relations intern at Sony has taught me to enjoy life’s surprises and let those expectations go.

From a young age I’ve dreamed of working in music, specifically in Artists & Repertoire, so when initially looking for a placement, I gave myself a pretty narrow scope.

I spent months, at the beginning of my second year, sending speculative cover letters to any record label I could find. The only problem was that most of these companies don’t offer internships or placements, and the latter that do exclusively run from Jan-Dec. So, it looked like I had to let my expectations of working in a record label go (for the moment anyway!).

Later in my search, I came across an opportunity at Sony as a Public Relations intern. Studying BA (Hons) Marketing Communications with Digital Media at uni meant PR wasn’t unfamiliar to me, but I had never considered it for placement, particularly at an electronics company like Sony.

However, I put my initial plans to the side and applied. I went through a 3-stage application process, and I was lucky enough to get the role.

10 months in and what I’ve learned so far has been invaluable. My main role involves liaising with local PR markets across Europe. I help them plan and execute PR campaigns across a range of products, months before launch to the very end of their product lifecycle. Whether it’s working on viral TikTok campaigns with influencers or with traditional media outlets spreading the news about Sony’s latest products. Everyday twists, changes, and business requests have definitely kept me on my toes. I’ve even got to work on campaign collaborations with PlayStation, Sony Pictures, and Sony Music, which I’ve loved.

One of the main challenges I’ve faced has been maintaining confidence whilst juggling a wide range of responsibilities. I’ve found that when working at a household name like Sony, it can be easy to shy away from speaking up.

Yet thanks to an incredibly supportive team I’ve always been pushed to take the reins on a variety of projects and presentations, and I’m always involved in discussions regarding future developments in the way they’re currently working. This has been really interesting and continuously pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Some stand-out moments for me have been the various PR events I’ve attended, as well as writing several global press releases for Sony’s most recent audio products. These experiences have allowed my confidence to grow, especially in professional networking and formal writing. It’s definitely impacted my personal projects such as the blog I run.

I’d recommend letting go of your expectations and to be open-minded as to what your placement journey can bring you. Give every opportunity fair consideration, as often the best experiences are the ones we weren’t expecting!

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