Senior advertising majors Ellie Kohl and Danielle Wright are participating in the Advertising program’s Virtual Internship Program this semester with , an integrated marketing firm headquartered in Chicago.
Kohl and Wright kicked off their internship at the start of the spring semester in January and worked on-site the week of February 17, where they met the CBD team, as well as participated in project-related and agency orientation activities.
Kohl said that she was impressed with the team working at CBD and looks forward to working with an agency in Chicago because she hopes to start her career there when she graduates in May.
"Everyone at the agency is so wonderful,” Kohl said. “Although we were only able to visit for a short week, everyone made sure we felt welcomed and part of the CBD family right away. CBD is a special place, and I am lucky to have been given this opportunity to work and learn from these talented people.”
The two students have the unique opportunity to work with the Chicago agency, while continuing to attend classes on Kent State’s campus. Kohl and Wright will connect to CBD via an online project management platform and will also have weekly status calls with their supervisors at the agency, which will allow them to report their progress and receive real-time feedback.
Wright said she is looking forward to the advantages of working with an agency in Chicago while completing coursework at JMC.
“The virtual aspect of this internship is great because you are able to complete tasks wherever you work best, and it’s very easy to work the hours into your schedule,” Wright said.
Wendy Wardell, Lecturer in JMC’s Advertising sequence, shared the opportunity with the students. Wardell serves as a local resource for the students, collaborates with the CBD team on the overall project and student development strategy, and provides the students with direction, as needed.
The students will work closely with executives at the agency on various projects including research, developing an industry thought-leadership blog series, and completing account service and planning assignments.
Kohl said the virtual internship is a great opportunity for her because she was limited in her search of local advertising internships.
"Personally, I want to go into the account planning side of advertising; however, there are not a ton of planning internships around Kent,” she said. “The CBD planning internship has given me the opportunity to dive deeper into this side of the business and hopefully better prepare myself for after graduation."
The assignment includes giving the interns the opportunity to conduct both primary and secondary research to inform thought-leadership via blogging; online surveys and interviews with industry leaders and executives will help them gain necessary skills to be competitive marketing planning contributors. Kohl and Wright will also be exposed to client service functions and new business development functions.
“We will be sorting through the data to write our blog posts,” Wright explained. “In addition to this project, we will be working on small projects throughout areas of the agency including media, new business, and account services.
“I am extremely excited to finish a blog series that supports CBD’s commitment to presenting insights that can help B2B and B2C companies anticipate the future,” Kohl added. “Also, it will be a great addition to include in my portfolio.”
JMC’s partnership with CBD began last year when JMC graduates Danielle Kilgore, ‘14 and Rachel Miller,’14 were the first Kent State students to participate in School’s first ever virtual internship.
Kilgore contributed research to the white paper , a comprehensive survey of technology innovations and their effects on the customer experience, as well as impacted industries. Miller worked on , a white paper that explores “the seismic shift in the American Dream, and its implications to marketers.”
as reporter Alyssa Raymond from WKYC TV talked with the students about their big city experience and the connections they are making.
About CBD Marketing: CBD Marketing is an award-winning, creative, integrated marketing agency in Chicago. The agency serves national and global clients in manufacturing, energy, food, building products, education, retail and other industries.
Photo: by Sarah Flagg, account executive, PR & Social Media at CBD Marketing
Caption from left to right: Liz Brohan, co-CEO, president; Danielle Wright, account planning intern; Ellie Kohl, account planning intern; Gina Miller, vice president, director of customer experience and demand management; and Bob Musinski, group account supervisor, PR and social media