Filled With Adrenaline For Edelman

How a study tour for my university opened my eyes to a

whole new world

Break room at Edelman Atlanta. The panel discussion took place here.

I woke up on Wednesday morning with the excitement of getting a first-hand look at what the public relations agency life is like. I’m taking a study tour with Kennesaw State University to learn more about the public relations profession and what real practitioners are doing. Our class was visiting Edelman,the first visit on our tour, and I couldn’t contain my enthusiasm any longer. As I began to get dressed in my professional clothes, I wondered what agency life would be like. I never have expectations because every experience is an adventure on its own, but I knew how excited I was about the opportunity to be a part of this study tour. I parked and walked into the office building, wide-eyed and full of adrenaline, I was ready to see

behind the curtain.

Edelman, an independent and family-owned company is more than just a public relations agency. This agency truly does it all! Edelman does brand marketing, experiential marketing, media relations, influencer marketing, start-up development, crisis & reputation communications, B2B marketing and data & research analytics. To name a few of the areas they are experts in, and they are involved in so many sectors including food & beverage (Edible), technology and consumer packaged goods which were some of the main talking points that I learned about from the panel of Edelman’s employees.

A few of the campaigns that were brought up during the panel discussion include the launch of the new Porsche Mission E car, Edible’s campaign with Dixie brand’s new serving trays and Gerber’s campaign of introducing the first Gerber baby

with Down’s Syndrome.

The Gerber campaign really stuck out to me because they had mentioned how they got earned media from the campaign, and I remembered seeing the campaign ads play on television, as well as, in the news. It was such a game-changing campaign as a consumer and certainly one that resonated with the public, which shows how Edelman truly values storytelling to connect its clients to their publics.

This company blew my mind out of the water as to what I had expected out of an agency. Everything they do helps such a large audience and makes an impact on society. As one of my guitar idols, Carlos Santana, once said, “There is no greater reward than working from your heart, and making a difference in the world.” This quote holds true for the passionate employees at Edelman.

A Few Observations

The best part about being on the study tour was getting to speak with the top professionals at agencies and hearing from them about what the typical day was like. What I heard from the employees at Edelman is that no two days are alike. You could be working on social media one day and helping to put together a pitch the next. What was really cool to learn was that different sections of the agency work closely with other areas to achieve a cohesive message and achieve goals.

Almost every employee had acknowledged the fact that if they wanted to work on a project for a specific client they were usually given the opportunity to do so. I had originally thought that if you worked at an agency that you would be assigned to one client and boy was I wrong. Each employee had stated that if they wanted an opportunity that all they had to do was speak up and ask about it.

One last thing that I genuinely loved was how the panel all meshed together so well.

This aspect of the culture at Edelman was really cool to see firsthand because everyone seemed like they were old friends even if they didn’t work in the same department. This neighborly aspect was something that I think other agencies should take note of because it made the company appear as a tight-knit group of friends working together in a professional sense.

Wisdom I Picked Up From Edelman

I learned so much that I almost don’t even know where to begin, so….here it goes.

1. The importance of storytelling

As I mentioned above with regards to the Gerber baby campaign, storytelling is an important aspect of everything we do in public relations. Stories bring people together and help paint a picture of a corporate or brand identity. Storytelling is a way to build lasting relationships and the skill of being a good storyteller is much more than being able to tell a story. It’s the ability to connect people in an emotional way

and share experiences.

2. Be open

When new opportunities arise (i.e. an internship for a company that you’re not quite sure whether you want to work for) don’t say no. When you think in a negative way about an opportunity, you put yourself in a box that doesn’t allow you to grow as a person professionally. It’s these opportunities that allow you to gain knowledge about how to do something and to help build your portfolio. Jump at every chance you get to practice what you want to do in life. This will allow you to truly learn your strengths, weaknesses and helps you realize what you do want to do or don’t like to do.

3. Building a network

Reach out to people you meet in your profession and don’t be afraid to ask their advice. They were once in your shoes and are most likely going to be open to talking about what helped them get to where they are. Building your network could help you connect with a person who could become your mentor. I’m not saying, call them up and have a sleepover, but call them and see if they have time to grab a coffee/lunch/phone call. Whatever you do, reach out, network and learn from people who have been in your shoes.

Thank you Edelman for being amazing hosts to KSU! It was an experience that I will never forget!

Standing outside of the Edelman Atlanta office after the tour