Author: kendyl_george

After lunch, we met virtually with Abigail Quesinberry, FWV’s Social Media and Influencer Marketing Associate Vice President. We learned about boosting posts on social media, which entails paying companies like Facebook and Instagram to promote the given ad so more followers view it. We also gained insight into the extent of the social media ideas included in a Request for Proposal. Abigail explained how the goal is to impress the potential client while not giving them enough information to execute the idea without FWV. In addition, we inquired about working with influencers, and Abigail outlined the benefits and difficulties that come with influencer marketing. Surprisingly enough, the best influencers to work with have 50-200k followers because they are less expensive, have followers that are more engaged, and more often go above and beyond what is expected from them. All in all, our last day in the office was successfully bittersweet!

This afternoon, we shadowed Emily Brice, an account executive at FWV. She had two meetings that we sat in on: an internal meeting about remodeling a website for new client 4Flow and a meeting with a representative of client Quest Diagnostics. The man from Quest was very eccentric which made a generic call particularly engaging. For example, he explained that he and his friends went to a Van Gogh exhibit over Memorial Day Weekend even though he has no interest in art and only spent 15 minutes in the Louvre. He ultimately revealed one of the fun, uplifting sides of public relations to me and I left today with an idea of how to identify Van Gogh paintings:)

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures with Emily, so here is a photo of Linda and Sonia in a plant nursery that we visited during lunch.

Everyone returned to the office this morning for the agency-wide monthly TTT meeting! The majority of the employees crowded into the FWV kitchen where a PowerPoint was projected onto the wall summarizing account and leadership updates. FWV Chairman & CEO Rick French presented some upcoming surprises including the launch of Iggy Azalea’s fragrance line and the pre-production of Clear Lake, a film following rock’n’roll musician Buddy Holly. He announced that the lead role will be played by either Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, or Shawn Mendes. How cool!!

 

 

On Fridays, the French West Vaughan office is virtual, and the workday ends at 3pm in the summer! Today, we brainstormed some ideas for FWV’s new client, PuppySpot, a leading online marketplace connecting families and qualified breeders. A “deck” outlines potential marketing strategies which are then presented to the company in a Request for Proposal (RFP). Some of our ideas for spreading awareness about PuppySpot include utilizing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or creating a commercial in collaboration with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

This afternoon, we met with Molly Beitz, the Art Director at French West Vaughan. She obtained her BA in Graphic Design at Meredith College and utilizes her degree on the Creative Team by designing websites, logos, and posts for social media accounts. I loved getting to see the extent of her work from the results of her recent photoshoots for Tree Top and Wilmington and Beaches CVB (see below) to her use of Animate and Photoshop. It was also interesting to learn how each client has different expectations and levels of involvement in the shoots and what ultimately gets posted. Molly stated that her preference was for the companies to trust her and give her free reign to conduct the shoot however she wanted.

After lunch, Cassidy, Linda, Sonya, and I were tasked with brainstorming ideas for how to promote the collaboration between Wrangler (a clothing brand known for its jeans) and a disclosed partner (another exciting clothing brand). The brands are working with French West Vaughan in hopes of organizing an event or a TikTok launch for their collection drop at the end of July and in September. We researched upcoming music and art festivals, planned a pop-up shop, and studied marketing strategies for posts on Tik Tok and Instagram. Below is a picture of us working in this cute lobby area! We are looking forward to helping brainstorm on more projects tomorrow!

The first day of our Work Experience Program was from home where we Zoomed in with social media manager Ms. Alaina Ruggery at French West Vaughn, a public relations and marketing agency. She outlined the difference between in-house marketing and agencies like FWV; for example, the in-house marketing department for Lowe’s Home Improvement works solely on advertising Lowe’s services and products while marketing agencies take on several companies at a time. Specifically, Ms. Ruggery works on advertising the Disney Princess Style collection and Tree Top Fruit products, among others, through social media. While Ms. Ruggery’s work primarily falls in line with the Social Media Department, FWV also has an Account Team, a Media Team, and a Creative Team that focuses on different areas of the marketing process. In the end, though, they all collaborate to execute campaigns, design websites, and build brands.

We spent the afternoon digging through a handful of FWV clients’ websites and social accounts. From NC Sweet Potato Commission to Storm Brew (for all of my Carolina Hurricanes fans out there!), FWV helps its clients grow and thrive through the use of advertising and marketing strategies. You can check out even more companies French West Vaughn has partnered with through this link: https://fwv-us.com/work. I look forward to visiting their downtown Raleigh office and learning more about each department tomorrow!