Even before I’d decided on entering public relations, McCann Erickson was a communications name I knew and admired, thanks in no small part to that famous Coca-Cola commercial. So after account manager Felicity came to give a career talk at my university, I jumped at the chance to experience work in a renowned PR agency. Here’s what I get up to on a typical day.
9:00 I pay the ground-floor vending machine a quick visit before ascending, cappuccino in hand, to the PR department. The office is housed on the top floor and home to more than twenty PR professionals. Mondays see the whole team assemble on the sofas for a round-up of last week’s highlights and an energising look at the week ahead.
09:45 Lauren, account executive, briefs me on a competition campaign for a client. She needs me to build a list of contacts for regional newspapers across the country. Luckily, there’s a handy database to help. Later on, I’ll be calling up journalists and selling in the story.
11:00 The results of a survey for a different client have come in, and make for interesting reading. Given the obvious potential for newspaper coverage, I’m put to work drafting a press release to pique editorial interest.
12:30 Lunchtime seems to roll around pretty quickly here. I head down to the Bistro, joining account executives Gemma, Katie and Zoe. As we tuck into a delicious lasagne, they share some equally satisfying titbits of career advice.
13:30 In response to an earlier email, everyone crowds into ‘The Chiller’ for a brainstorming session. The imminent launch of an innovative new food product calls for an equally attention-grabbing PR campaign. Amid much banter and many amusing associations, numerous creative ideas begin to emerge.
14:00 Selling-in time! Although fine once you get into the swing of things, the process of calling up newspapers and getting them interested in a potential story can initially be daunting. I have a theory that journalists can smell fear, even via a phone line, and so confidence and conviction is what I’m going for as the first contact on the list picks up.
15:00 Phew! Sell-ins complete, it’s time to send off the press releases. Luckily, I managed to get the journos interested, so we can hopefully expect some great coverage for the client. I spend the rest of the afternoon researching key bloggers for a new media list.
17:30 Home-time arrives, and I almost feel guilty to be leaving my desk as the rest of the office taps away busily. As I leave I hear someone call out some good news: a national radio interview is secured for one of our clients tonight. No doubt it will be the talk of the office tomorrow.
