CARDonline asked Samantha Marion, a recent graduate of Mohawk College’s Advertising Program, to share with us her typical working day, her enthusiasm about working with the media and her vision for the future.
What agency are you currently working at?
CP+B Canada (Crispin Porter + Bogusky Canada)
What is your role in the agency?
Media Assistant
How long have you been in this position?
Interned at CP+B Canada for 2 months and have been a permanent, full-time employee for 1 ½ months.
What’s a typical day for you?
A typical day involves making day-to-day changes to current and past campaigns, completing post and pre-buy reports and ensuring that all billing is balanced (clearing make goods and discrepancies). I’m also involved with new media bookings with print, radio and specialty television (both French and English). Every day is exciting to someone who is new to the media world. The fact that I also get to attend some fancy events doesn’t hurt either!
What made you choose to enter this profession?
I was never really sure of what I wanted to do “when I grew up”, but I always knew that I wanted to do something different, something unexpected. In my last year of high school, I stumbled across a movie called “Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber” with Jennifer Love Hewitt. Her character was a strong woman in advertising. She lived a fabulous life and her career was most definitely different and unexpected. I wanted to be that girl! I then researched colleges and decided to attend Mohawk as it was one of the only schools that specifically had an Advertising program which eventually led me into my current media position.
What excites you about working in media?
There are many things that I find exciting and intriguing about media but to me the best part is the fact that I get to be part of something that not many people know anything about. Being in media is like being part of a secret. Everyone knows that there are billboards, magazine ads and commercials on TV but no one ever really stops and thinks about how these ads get there, or the process it takes. It is almost like you are a secret agent in the advertising world!
What advice do you have for those interested in joining this industry? What qualities should this person possess?
The strongest piece of advice that I can give to someone interested in joining this industry is to be yourself. Nothing is better than an honest and down to earth individual. The qualities that a person in advertising should possess are being: friendly, outgoing, strong a multi-tasker, organized, sociable and able to adapt quickly to changes. In being yourself, you can also determine if you fit in this industry as it is not for everyone. Above all, being in media negotiations does require good social skills.
What is your vision of the future for this industry? Where are we headed? What medium/format will dominate advertising in the future?
My vision of the future would still include multi-platforms for advertising. Current trends include seeing the same content move from newspaper, to TV, to online and then mobile all because of evolving technology. Newspapers and magazines are being turned into apps on a playbook and iPad. That being said I think we will see mobile be the highest growth platform in advertising for the future. People are always moving and do not want to be bogged down. They want their resources to move with them – and so will advertising. In return, the consumer will also want more. More access to coupons or promotions will allow our clients to provide value to consumers and thereby earn their place on mobile.
