Social Livin’ - Dreams do come true

Internship should be ending the end of month and with the accumulated fatigue, at some point I did look forward to it. But there little things that kept me going and gave me the energy to keep driving forward. 

The head of our entire PR Department, Andrew, once said during a Floor meeting, to write down the reason why we're here and what we want to learn from this place on a piece of Post-it and put it somewhere as a constant reminder. As everything gets mundane or crazy or overwhelming, that piece of paper will serve as encouragement and reminder about why we should and can keep pushing forward. 

Andrew leading the Floor Meeting, every Tuesday.

I'm fortunate to be in my department and I've learnt a fountain of knowledge and experienced so much. Just last week, I was able to go to the Youtube FanFest to further understand the power of social media and how influencers (social media's equivalent of media) gain their reach and how they work. Most of them, are more often than not, inspirations and example as to how dreams can come true too. 

Being able to attend seminars / webinars have also increased my exposure to how other counterparts of the Ogilvy Network works. These sessions often open up our mind to how strategies, ideas and tactics can differ and work in different regions, countries and industries, in a practical way, when successful cases are referred to and some of them, you can even go to the people involved to find out more information. 

Webinars/Seminars.

I've got great mentors and colleagues, as well as working environment, along with great company (other interns). Which makes this an even greater internship experience.

Working environment with fellow interns.

Our agency's Markies over the years.

My view from my desk.

The social team celebrating our win for the "Markies"

My key learning points of this internship is:

1. PR is always evolving, Traditional PR will still be around and Social Media is up and coming with the sprout ups of agencies specialising in the world. 

<Did I mention that social@Ogilvy won Bronze Award for Social Media Agency of the Year at the Markies? :)>

2. Persistence is important and we should always strive to be better and be creative, because these days, its what makes a brand unique and stand out from the vast availability of information. What is tough now will grind one to become tougher. Learn to never give in or give up! 

A reminder whenever we walk pass... "Never give in. Never give in. Never Never Never."

3. Time management is VERY important, especially in an agency, where 10 things could happen at the same time. Classroom hardly teach you that.

4. PR lessons you learn in class, especially for social media or technology, are hardly relevant in the industry anymore. Maybe because they move and evolve so fast, you'd realise that the industry is so far ahead of the textbooks...

5.  Independence and Initiative are two very important keys to open that door the the fountain of knowledge. Especially in a fast paced environment, expecting to be spoon-fed is an absolutely no-no. Do not behave like an intern if you do not want to be treated like an intern.  

6. Keep an open mind. Be open to criticism and never be afraid to question. If you assume you know everything or close up to recommendations and feedback, the work will never improve. 

One of the meeting room's door

It has been a fantastic experience. And for the reason why do I say, dreams do come true?

I will be absorbed by social@Ogilvy as a Digital & Listening Analyst and will be seconded to one of the world's most favourite brand in weeks to come! :)

Wish me luck! 

Follow AleTheIntern on Facebook & Instagram through my journey! 

Alexa Lim Yuanfen

15806675

Proud intern of social@Ogilvy, Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore. 

PR gets social: “Watching” the audience.

2 months has past since I’ve started my internship here, at Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore, under social@Ogilvy. The workload gets heavier, demands and expectations climbs higher, hours becomes longer and rest hours dwindling. It doesn’t help when I have two other modules in school, which gets more intensive with projects and assignments. Despite all that, the knowledge pool is still filling up and everyday is still a learning experience. It helps to remind myself that, I am afterall, living the dream by given the opportunity to work in my dream company. :)

That aside, I will be sharing more about what I do, being an intern here with social@Ogilvy.  Are you wondering about the subject, about “watching the audience”?  

We are often told that we have to be careful of what we post and express online via the various social media platforms. It has never been as evident as what some of the tasks I’m doing, shows.

Part of our scope for most brands is to manage their brand presence on the digital realm and their social media accounts. This process involves strategizing an approach, planning a schedule, creating the content, monitoring the activities, reacting to responses and so fore.

Conversation Calendars

One of the tasks involved is to plan and create conversations on behalf of them.

On the brand I work on, we create a calendar on a weekly basis, with at least 1 post for Facebook a day, based on three content/message pillars. As the brand I work on is a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods brand (FMCG), we have created an Edgy online persona to make it stand out and create content according to that. We brainstorm on a weekly basis with Creatives to come up with contents, which would likely drive conversation or engagement. It is really exciting to see which posts hit the sweet spot and to watch the “fan base”, “likes” or engagement rates grow.

Based on Grunig’s Four models of Public Relations, Facebook and many other social platforms are on a two-way symmetrical model, even if on the surface, most might not realize it.  The “fans” can communicate with the brand through messaging, comments or sharing. The comments, shares and likes are monitored to help content creation and communication to the public.  

Reports are generated either on a weekly or monthly basis to give clients and ourselves insights on, the demographics more active or receptive on the page. Through monitoring, it is also a gauge of whether our communications are going through and if the performance on the digital platform has improved sales or whatever objectives it has been set for.

Social Listening

Traditional media have to do media monitoring and for social media, we have social listening. Despite certain similarities, the objective can be quite different.

It can be for research, to start off a strategy, as an analysis tool or as an ongoing function on social media crisis management AKA Listening Post, to catch on to either online News, user conversations or mentions about a brand. This is the part of the work where I feel like a social-stalker. 

Photo Credit: memecrunch.com

We have tools to search based on keywords on the conversations that goes on in the various online platforms and they do go quite in-depth. I started off with a 5-6 thousand mentions on a weekly reporting basis and am also doing a daily monitoring now for that brand with an umbrella of other brands. It is actually quite interesting, just that it is tedious and time consuming. This is the best part, the tool actually captures private users' mentions on the brands as well as backdated "deleted" conversations or contents from, say a blog or a forum comment. Time to seriously think twice about what you post online!


Bulk of my work is shifting to helping for new pitches which is an amazing experience and also listening. I foresee more sleepless nights ahead, however, so far, its been so good. Good news seems to be dropping by very soon, lookout for upcoming updates!

Follow AleTheIntern on Facebook & Instagram through my journey! 

Alexa Lim Yuanfen

15806675

Proud intern of social@Ogilvy, Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore. 

Social Media is cheap, easy and fun PR!... or is it?

A month into the internship now and I feel as though I’ve gained a “digital” semester worth of knowledge. We have touch on technology and social media topics in our modules such as Public Relations (Media) about the evolution of PR. However, in reality, there is so much more that we need to catch on and get in touch with, as that evolution is faster than we think.
Interning in Ogilvy has been intensive thus far, yet immensely rewarding. Being allocated to social@Ogilvy, which specializes in Social Media, I was apprehensive about whether this experience would be beneficial and relevant to my PR internship, which specifies that we should be taking on a PR function. Being a “user” myself, Social Media does not seem like it will be a feat to take on, more like a common sense as I am almost on most of the platforms everyday. Platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – where almost ALL my friends are on it.

The PR Plans that we have produced in school typically includes social media strategies into our plans and our mentality is usually: “Oh, social media would reach a wide number of audience, it will save on our budget because getting an account is free and we can be the “media” ourselves.” – But I was SO wrong.

Peers and classmates, even fellow interns in other departments of the PR arm would constantly think or tell me that my work looks fun, or even easy. Starting off, I would just give them a smile. What it is in reality is really quite far from what they think.

How is it really like then?

Technicalities

Being in the social media department, it seems that there is a certain expectation of how IT and “social-savvy” you are.

I started off with my first task in my first week, keying in data for an application, or an “App” on Facebook for one of our brands. Being users, we enjoy the benefits of the Apps we get on Facebook for free. However, these Apps meant to “engage” users like us costs quite a lot to make, could be a pain to maintain and has certain technicalities and strategies behind it which could have taken A LOT of time for the team to come up with. 

These Apps makes each brand’s page unique and most brands would like and should have them to make their FB page more unique and “fun”.  I was just involved in one process but it was definitely an experience, being able to see the mechanics of things such as thing. Of course, when the App is launched to the public for the first time through the brand’s page, the feeling is indescribable.

Strategies

In my first week here, there was a compulsory Digital belt program, which I have to attend. It was a progressive program, which starts off with the White Belt as an online module, introducing the processes and strategies that social@Ogilvy does for clients and has case studies of past successful cases.  The White Belt is the most basic and all staffs having roles and functions relating to Social Media have to go through. There is a quiz in each section in the module and after completing the sections, there is a final test at the end. Upon passing the test, one would be awarded the “White Belt” and will be “operationally ready”. Once White Belt is completed, following that would be the Red and Black belts, which goes in depth into specifics of analyzing, strategizing and planning.

social@Ogilvy members are all considered Black Belts and the other PR departments generally stops at White.  I am a proud Digital White Belt, for now!

Diving into the point, I have learnt that Social Media is not just part of a PR Plan. Within its own, there are so much to consider, the different phases and processes, which I have learn just the tip of the ice berg after being put to do up Social Media Playbooks, which are essentially guidebooks, one for Twitter and one for Instagram after attaining the White Belt. Each book felt like a Curtin module, semester’s worth of report, holding an average of about 25 pages of information and strategies and to be at least drafted within 3-5 working days. That research gave me so much more insights as to the business/PR functions of social media, which left me thinking about how much more could there possibly be, for me to learn on social media.

Learning points thus far:

• Social Media as a job function can be fun, but there is a lot more to it than just being able to stay online on Facebook all day.
• Social Media is evolving everyday and to be able to stand out in the digital realm amidst all the other brands and available information out there, requires a lot of strategizing, creativity, planning and consistency.
• Using Social Media as a PR tool or strategy might not necessarily be the cheapest. However, if budgets are used in the correct places and strategies are well planned, it will definitely reap huge benefits and values.

Tell me how you think about it! Would love to hear your opinion about Social Media too. Do feel free to ask me any questions as well. :)

Meanwhile, here's an article by eMarketer on the importance of brands to retool their approach for real time age - which is jumping on the Social Media bandwagon.

Follow AleTheIntern on Facebook & Instagram through my journey! 

Alexa Lim Yuanfen

15806675

Proud intern of social@Ogilvy, Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore. 

Journey on the Ways of Ogilvy

It’s blogging time! Coping with internship and modules proved to be, not an easy feat, at ALL.

First of all, hi everyone, I’m Alexa, studying in the Singapore Campus and doing my internship this semester with Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore under social@Ogilvy, the social media arm. Along with 2 other modules, namely Public Relations Corporate and Public Relations International, this semester has a lot in store for me.

Starting off from how I began my journey; when we were told about the internship, it was a mix of excitement and apprehension for me. We have all heard wonderful and horrid things about the industry, or forewarned by our lecturers so to speak, be it for in-house or agencies. However, venturing into the unknown always sets off the adrenaline rush and thus, the extremity.

CV/Resume sending was a nerve wrecking experience. As ambitious as I am, I researched on the top few agencies and renowned ones in Singapore, so that I could get the most out of this internship experience. We have always heard and used some of their cases in class so it was not that difficult. The usual few names came up: Edelman, Fleishman-Hillard, Burson Marstellar, Weber Shandwick, Hill & Knowlton and a few others. Of course, amongst all of those, there is Ogilvy.

Aside from tweaking emails and checking my CV/Resume over and over again and getting people to proofread them a million times, some tips to getting an internship:

1. Give yourself TIME.

Essentially, this is of the utmost importance, aside from your CV. You need time for research, get to find out more about what YOU want, what the company is about, how they seemingly operate (their culture so you can write and email which “fits”) and finding the right contacts.

Time is also crucial, as they never do reply immediately, or “within a few days” as you think. My experience while internship searching was much crazier because our bunch decided that we will have enough time after exams to look for one. We just got lucky; we did not have enough time.

2. Be humble, professional yet personable… and PERSISTENT.

So persistence here has a limit, but is important to show them how much you want it! They might not reply your first email application, or even a second one. Drop in a call, send a follow up email, and find another contact. I have gotten some of their emails through phone calls to their reception directly. Sometimes, a phone call is all you need to know that you are not wasting your efforts, due to differing internship period, vacancies and so on.

3. BE YOURSELF.

Yes, you may think it is a little contradictory from point 2, where you have to be all that and be yourself. However, you do have to do that. You need to have a personal touch and get a feel of how you might fit into that organization from the point you start corresponding with them. This is especially so during the interview. Most of us her try to fulfill an at least 3 month internship, thus you would want your time doing your internship enriching and fun, not miserable.

I hope that my experience will help anyone looking for an internship, or even a job. More to come on my internship journey! Do feel free to let me know if you would like to know more about any areas, if you have any questions at all or if you would simply like to discuss and share you experience and opinions!

Follow AleTheIntern on Facebook & Instagram through my journey! 

Alexa Lim Yuanfen

15806675

Proud intern of social@Ogilvy, Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore.