Similar to our meeting yesterday morning with Mr. French, this morning we had the pleasure of doing a Q&A session with the Senior Vice President of FWV, Ms. Barrie Hancock. We asked her about the biggest challenges that come with her job, as well as, what accomplishments she is most proud of. She relayed to us the difficulties that come from”client service” work as the job is never truly “done”: there are always new projects. Evidently, this is a gift and curse in the marketing agency world because it causes stress but also lots of versatility. She also expressed that her favorite aspect of her job is getting to watch younger employees flourish under her and her coworkers’ mentorship.
This morning Kendyl, Linda, Sonia, and I had the pleasure of meeting with the chairman and CEO of French West Vaughan- Mr. Rick French. During this Q&A session, he so kindly explained his extremely versatile career path. We asked questions about where his curiosity in pubic relations stemmed from, what his interests were at our age, and how he maintains a good work-life balance with all of his involvements. Mr. French discussed with us his time as a journalist and professional tennis player before founding the agency. He stressed the importance of enjoying one’s “involvements” so they don’t feel like work. Evidently, his work as a producer for Prix Productions, owning a minor league baseball team (the Daytona Tortugas), serving as a national trustee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and countless other astonishing achievements do not feel like work to Mr. French. Despite these countless other commitments, Mr. French adamantly prides himself on the integrity FWV has upheld for the past 25 years! The four of us greatly appreciated the time he took out of his busy schedule to sit down and talk with us!
selfie with Mr. Rick French in his office after our meeting with him!
This morning was the company’s monthly TTT meeting (I don’t remember exactly what it stands for) but basically, the entire staff meets in the kitchen downstairs and has breakfast together while discussing the newest updates on current or prospective clients. Leaders of each team, for example, the head of the Wrangler account team informed others about the current status of specific clients. This month’s TTT was particularly exciting because it was the first back-in-the-office one since Covid! Some examples of new and important information from today’s meeting include FWV’s involvement in the PR for a new movie, as well as with Iggy Azalea’s new perfume, and a luxury spa (originating in Europe) that is coming to NYC!
the kitchen where everyone piles in for the TTT meeting!
FWV works remotely on Fridays and during the summer the hours are shortened to 9-3. So, today we had a shorter workday, but Kendyl, Sonia, Linda, and I met (virtually) to brainstorm some ideas for the Puppy Spot RFP! In doing so, we came up with a few ideas for directing consumer attention towards the website, as well as, keeping an eye out for potential competitors. Some of the potential competitors we found are sites like PetFinder, BFPA, or Adopt a Pet. Additionally, some of the ideas we brainstormed to bring more attention to Puppy Spot are to highlight the Make-A-Wish/Puppy Spot partnership via a commercial, hold a “play with puppies” event, or broadcast an interview showing some of the success stories! If you’re looking to find a puppy of a specific breed (from a reputable breeder) https://www.puppyspot.com/ is the place to go! 🙂
After our lunch break today (durng which I tried matcha for the first time… not my favorite haha) we sat in on a zoom meeting about one of FWV’s newest clients: Puppy Spot! Puppy Spot is an online marketplace that connects certified, reputable breeders to families looking for puppies. The meeting was cool to listen in on because it provided contrast on how the company starts off their relationships with clients, compared to their ongoing relationships with clients like Wrangler. This brainstorm session discussed various unique and exciting ways to make the company more well-known and accesible to everyday consumers!
my iced matcha from lunchthe zoom meeting discussing puppy spot
This morning once Kendyl, Sonia, Linda and I arrived at the office we met with Senior Account Executive – Ms. Hollyn Page. We shadowed her all morning and got to sit in on various meetings/conference calls discussing the agency’s oldest (and one of their largest) clients: Wrangler. The most interesting meeting, in my opinion, was one between her and Ms. Lauren French going over their notes from “Market Week”. This hectic week consists of conference calls with magazines and other publications discussing their potential interest in featuring items from the newest collection. We even got a sneak peek of the look book for a collab between Wrangler and a popular clothing brand (one we all love clothes from but cannot name since it hasn’t launched yet), so we got to see the unreleased collection!
notes from last year’s “market week” after meeting with Associate Fashion Editor – Danielle Flum of Cosmopolitansonia and I with a wrangler sign – George Strait
Today was our first day going into the office in downtown Raleigh! Once we arrived at the office this morning Ms. Alaina Ruggery gave us a tour of the building and introduced us to some of her coworkers. We got to sit in on a weekly “creative status” meeting: members of the creative, social, and account teams all debriefed on finished/upcoming projects for clients, as well as, discussed due dates.
creative status at the glass table
Afterward, we met up with Senior Project Manager – Erin and Senior Producer – Deegan. They discussed with us where their interest in the field stemmed from: senior producer, Deegan, did not originally go to school for production and videography but fell into it and loved it at a previous job. Our discussion also led to a riveting conversation about the lack of women in production, videography, editing in this male-dominated field.
sonia getting her headshot taken by the infamous brick wall!
After getting our headshots taken, we took a lunch break, and when we returned we had a debrief with Ms. Alaina Ruggery before continuing our shadowing experiences with Senior Account Executive – Rachel. Rachel discussed with us the differences between her job on the account team in comparison to those on the creative team. She highlighted that what she loves most about the job is how every day is something different and exciting due to the versatility of the agency. We learned this does come with the flipside of the difficulty in juggling the wants and needs of different clients across the US and the globe! After loading her with questions specific to her job and regarding different FWV projects and clients (such as their work with Wrangler and the V Foundation), our first day in the office came to an end! Tomorrow, Kendyl, Sonia, Linda, and I look forward to shadowing more company employees in different areas of the office!
selfie with george strait – wrangler advertisementour work space up at the front!
