City of Dreams and Design

Strategic Design and Innovation Fellows took New York City in November, after visiting 5 companies I found myself with a greater understanding of what I want in my own professional career.

On November 1st, Strategic Design and Innovation Fellows departed from Greenbelt station to start the journey to the hub of marketing, New York City. The annual trip to the Big Apple offers the opportunity for students to meet advertising and marketing firms, familiarizing students with the industry and possible internships.

This year was no different, with 30 students doing site visits to 5 different companies and an alumni-networking event, this jam packed schedule gave students a taste of why the city is known as the city that never sleeps.

Trips like this was major incentive for me to join Design Fellows. I absolutely adore New York, from the moment I stepped into it as a high school student to now, Broadway and the city lights always drew me back. So when the opportunity arose, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to return to the city and learn how I could build my life as a marketer there.

The companies were 87 am, Horizon Media, CBX, Pearlfisher, and Oglivy & Mather, and much to my surprise all drastically differed from one another. I had assumed that one firm would handle all the marketing I had learned about in the classroom, channel distribution, campaign design, package design, etc. However, each company had their own specialization in marketing. The companies that made the biggest impact on me were CBX and Oglivy & Mather, each for different reasons.

CBX: Small firm, big ambitions

CBX is a small branding firm, which primarily works in packaging design. The overall feel of the company was communicative and creative, with the small office being packed full of character with giant blow up flamingos and garage doors. Each wall in the office space was being utilized, acting as display space for different design possibilities even outside the art department. The company culture is summed up by their own motto, “Creative minds, dirty hands, straight talk, and good manners”, which reflects the open and ambitious manner of the firm. Due to the size of the company, everyone on a project is expected to have multiple roles and there is no same day-to-day schedule.

Oglivy & Mather: A large agency reputation, not without flaws

Oglivy & Mather is an advertising agency that differs drastically from CBX in size, hailing over 18,000 employees in the New York City office alone, with multiple other locations across the world. With a reputation for excellence, the award winning company holds large accounts with major clients, the company divides employees into departments which are often are confined to the responsibilities of that field. While the company is working to break down the silo culture between departments, the company continues to create persuasive ads that bring new value and attention to the products they promote. However the many employees complain that there is very little work life balance in the agency, overworking employees to meet client deadlines. This is often the case in these big agencies.

The Bottom Line

What I personally took away from the trip and talking to different companies is what I am looking for in a job. My ideal position would be working in a cross-discipline environment, acting in both a creative and administrative role in either a branding or advertising agency. For internship opportunities this would suggest that my best opportunities would lie in small firms, but I still find myself drawn to the prestige of large agencies. With nearly limitless resources and incredible reputations to back up the work being down, these agencies offer more growth opportunity. As a young professional, I would be ecstatic to work at a company any size doing advertising or branding work, and I will likely seek out internships in both of these environments to figure out which size fits my personality the best.

Photo: Wix Stock Image, 2017