Admit it: You’ve been itching to know what it’s really like to work in an advertising agency. Does everyone wear impeccably tailored suits and drink Scotch at 10:00 a.m., Mad Men style? Does the creative team generate the “big idea” while throwing pencil darts at the ceiling, a la Nothing in Common? Now, get ready for a shocker: Everything you see on TV isn’t necessarily true (I know — I was disappointed, too). As an intern at GCG Marketing, I’ve discovered that life at the agency isn’t quite like it is on TV. It’s even better. Sure, we may not have Don Draper as part of the creative team, but we still have a whole lot of characters. Let me tell you about my first day and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to be a new GCGer.
As cliché as it sounds, the first day at an internship really can feel a bit like being a freshman in high school. You’re surrounded by way more experienced people and you have no idea where anything is. Luckily, it turns out that coworkers are a heck of a lot nicer than upperclassmen. Instead of being initiated by being stuffed in a smelly locker, you’re given a handy new employee book to help you learn the ropes. What’s even better is that this manual isn’t a yawn to read — writing wiz Scott Porter managed to make it both funny and informative. I loved this line from the Things You Can Eat section: “Coke Machines: They’re on the second floor, but if you are looking for the pop machine, go back to where you came from.”
But the hands-down most useful section of the handbook was the map. Anyone who has ever visited GCG knows that the place is a labyrinth. I can’t tell you how many times I had to be a tourist and pull over to the side of the hall and check for directions. Even with my map, I got lost several times. (The most embarrassing? When I mistook a coworker’s office for the filing room next door.) Maybe in the next edition of the new employee book, they’ll include a GPS.
Despite my awesome guidebook, I still had a lot of questions when I got to the intern office. Chief among them: What’s with the 3-foot-tall velvet Elvis poster beside my desk? I sought answers from Michelle Clark, Account Services Director and my tour guide for the day. She told me that it’s a tradition to pay homage to the “King” every August 16th, which is Elvis’s death day (and CEO Scott Turner’s birthday). There is also a rumor that several GCGers have moonlighted as Elvis impersonators. (Sorry, I won’t reveal who!)
It goes without saying that we have some real characters on the GCG team. The best part of my first day is that I got to meet every one of them. At GCG, instead of simply being introduced around, new interns go door to door and ask their coworkers interview questions. It’s a quick and fun way to learn the basics, like everyone’s name and title, and some not-so-basics, like which Disney character they would date (FYI, there is serious competition among the ladies of GCG for the Beast).
Not all of the questions were that zany — I also got some amazing advice about how to succeed in the advertising business. Senior Copywriter Becky Johnson advised me to always “try to see the big picture, because today’s crisis can be tomorrow’s funny story.” I’ll have to remember that the next time I’m in a stressful situation.
The new-hire activities were great, but the main reason why my first day was so amazing was because everyone at GCG made me feel welcome. Allyson Cross and the Zag IMC team treated me to lunch at Kincaid’s, and several AEs invited me to sit in on a brainstorming session. And that’s only the first day– I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
GCG, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful internship…
