Well you aren’t alone; I myself was one of those lucky graduates who was sent into the real world jobless. Many college seniors and recent graduates are on the lookout for a job in Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations and Communications and are stuck in a rut. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has some promising news to share. Employment in media communications fields is on the rise slowly but surely. Does this mean you can sit back and wait for your dream job to fall out of the sky into your lap? No of course not, but if that works let me know. So how do you go about landing the dream position? Well in one word, ENTHUSIASM.

If you stay positive and motivated that’s the key to getting a gig you love. And if you are one of those college seniors or recent graduates seeking something in these fields go off and show your skills as you are applying! If you are applying for a job in marketing do something to differentiate yourself and show that you can MARKET yourself. If you are seeking a creative position at an ad agency do some research on their big clients, if you know you will be working on the McDonald’s campaign why not submit your resume in a “Happy Meal” box? That means get to thinking, develop a brand image for yourself and make it noticeable so employers will have to meet the mind behind that brilliant resume.

Just in case you haven’t been told by every college professor, your parents, friends and the random guy at the coffee shop, you must NETWORK! Okay, go to career fairs, ask dad to talk to his colleague but it also means whenever you meet someone mention you are on the hunt and you never know their Uncle Andy may have a job opening at his PR firm that just happens to be awesome for you!

Now go out there and get that job that will actually make you want to get out of bed before noon!

During the Mad Men hiatus I use cable on demand for episodes I missed or want to see again.  A recent one showed a secretary being hit on and verbally swatted by a group of tipsy account guys.  She walked away with personal dignity; but how did she come back day after day to face the same people and the potential of the same humiliating treatment?  Remember that this TV show takes place in the early ‘60s before there were any sexual harassment laws, before there was any consciousness of the corrosive effect on women’s careers.

Not only was a woman personally degraded by sexual harassment but her career was also degraded.  Who can rise in an organization, who can become a leader if she is seen as a victim, as a potential plaything instead of any type of professional?

These days things are quite different in most workplaces thanks to activists and feminists of the recent past.  However for many men and for some organizations treating women fairly is not done out of a raised conscience but only because of the raised cost of violating new legal standards.

Many organizations continue to diminish women even if they keep to the letter of harassment and equal opportunity laws.  Let’s look at the largest and most influential groups in the world—the Catholic Church.  Women cannot take any post of meaningful leadership, as they are not able to be priests.  And why is this?  Certainly there is no commandment from God or proclamation by Jesus on this subject.  It is simply that the men of the church do not want to share the power and the riches.  And sadly there is no legal, moral or societal pressure to make them share it.  Which not only keeps women out of that workplace, it fosters that attitude of women as “less than” and second class.  And directly results in policies that are contrary to the best interests of so many women.  Birth control except for the unreliable rhythm method is still completely prohibited for anyone for any reason.  As is abortion.

Of course, Mad Men hasn’t got into ecclesiastical gender politics; but it clearly and powerfully shows the historical position of women in the corporate workplace.   And it makes me  feel really good about all the positive changes.  And makes me a raving mad woman about all the organizations, people, attitudes that are still wallowing in the patriarchies of the past.

Saturday I participated in the Detroit Adcraft’s 2009 AdCon event that saw a turnout of over 200 college students who were interested in finding out more about the advertising business. I served on a panel of 6 people which consisted of an account supervisor, a media planner, a strategic planner, and 2 creative directors (including myself). First, It was our job to explain to this group of students and advertising hopefuls who we are, how we got to where we are and what we like about the business.

Then, as we do every year at AdCon, we went through a marketing brief for a particular national brand — this year being Wendy’s. The media and account people walked the students through the brief which consisted of company research, annual advertising dollars spent and facts about target audiences. It was then my job (and the other creative director) to initiate a creative brainstorming session for Wendy’s. It was fun seeing how some of the ideas just flowed out of their brains, without any regard for what something may cost or how the idea would extend into other mediums. I was impressed by some of the quick and witty thinking by these young hopefuls. It was obvious that their minds weren’t yet tarnished by years of client changes and budget concerns.

At the end of the session, the students were given the opportunity to ask questions to the panel. One question a student asked was, “What department of the ad agency is the funnest?” I, of course, spoke up and said that creative was the most fun (the other creative director said that creative people get to drink lots of beer and come up with fun ideas). Another question posed to the creative panel asked what interviewers look for in a portfolio and a person. I stated that, for an art director, ideas were number one, followed by computer skills. Another question asked whether a student should finish school and pass up a job, or go for the job and get the experience rather than finish one or two more classes. I told this student (on the side) that you can only get so much “experience” in a classroom and that real experience happens at a job (where you have deadlines and budgets – something that I believe art school still hasn’t taught much about). One student asked whether he should stay in Michigan or if he should look in other states for a career. A media panelist spoke up and said that the “D” was the place to be and that we’d love to retain the most creative people in Michigan, specifically the Detroit area.

The very end of the session we were asked by the moderator to sum up why we do what we do in one sentence. I thought about it for the 3 seconds I had to prepare my answer and summed it all up with this thought about my career at Brogan and Partners: “I get paid to draw pictures”.

Since college, I’ve wanted to work for Brogan & Partners. I heard great things about both their award-winning creative and warm, friendly work culture. Sadly, it seemed as though I had graduated at the worst possible time in our ad community’s history. Then, the clouds opened up and finally shed a bit of light when I was presented with an opportunity for an internship here!

Over the 3 months working here I got back a lot of what I had lost. At the College for Creative Studies ad department, there aren’t many boundaries to what you can do creatively. Then, the diploma is accepted and you’re spit out into the real world (which does not always involve the mind-blasting creative projects you dreamed of). Things tend to get watered down, over-analyzed and put through the appropriate systems.

But, it’s different at Brogan. And working here has reminded me why I enjoy advertising so much and why I wanted to go into this field in the first place. They strive to produce breakthrough, award winning advertising while still meeting the satisfaction of their clients. I’ve never worked at an agency that was able to find a happy medium between the two.

It’s also been fun and educational getting the chance to develop creative for non-automotive accounts. There’s a satisfaction that comes from working on creative healthcare accounts, because you really feel like your helping market something that helps so many people.

I’ve always seen advertising as smart art. It’s not just a place to showcase your creative abilities, but it also needs to be smart, intuitive and effective. This is something that Brogan & Partners helped teach me. I will take many good memories and new insights away from my time here. More importantly though, the experience has gotten me excited about advertising again. And at this point in my career I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Interested in an internship at Brogan?  Let me know if I can give you any pointers!

Media is not something we spent a lot of time learning about in college, so when I came to Brogan & Partners I had no idea what I was in for.  From day one, I realized what my future would hold… invoices, lots and lots of invoices!

After learning the daily operations and being able to input five invoices per minute (I wish), the fun began.  I have found that there is nothing more exciting than being given the opportunity to pick and choose what TV or radio stations should run our spots.  And can you believe we should watch TV for research?! No mom, I can’t help you clean now, I am doing research!!!

Being in the media department has not only educated me on the business of buying, selling and placing but it has also allowed me to be more creative, thinking with a non-traditional mindset.  If there is one thing I have learned, it is that media is ever changing and those that can think outside of the box will pave the way for the future.

As I move on in my media career, I will remember what I learned here at Brogan… to be smart, creative and successful at all costs.  And I can thank the wonderful media team for beating (no, not literally) those attributes into me!

Healthcare. One of Brogan & Partners specialties and what brought me to the internship program. Being an intern at B&P, I was thrown into everyday life right away, which helped me quickly realize what it meant to be in the “account world.” I certainly can say I’ve had real world experience now. Everyday life here is much more exciting than the hit TV show, “The Office.”

As the account management intern, I learned a lot about the wonderful world of advertising.  And now that my internship is wrapping up, I thought it might be helpful to share some insights to those that may come next.

Top 5 Insights from a B&P Account Intern:
1.    Photo shoots are not all glamour. It may seem exciting and glamorous (it is very cool), but let me just tell you it is a LOT of work and a LONG day. (Especially when it’s an 8 hour shoot at 3 different locations and 90 degrees out!)
2.    Communication is key. Learning the way to interact with clients based on their various personalities is important to sustaining a good relationship. It also helps in making sure everything goes smoothly and everyone is happy!
3.    Practice makes perfect. Or close to it. The first time I tried binding I messed up.  And then I just got better.  I can now proudly say I’m the fastest binder in town (or at least at B&P). But this along with everything else I learned all began to come with ease after a bit of practice.
4.    Smile often. Sitting by the back door to greet everyone in the morning is underrated. How nice it is to have a steady flow of smiling faces bright and early! It makes the morning much more enjoyable…and brings some joy to my co-workers.
5.    New Business is your best friend. When I was first asked to start developing a new business database, I felt a bit out of my element.  But after doing a ton of research, finding good new biz opportunities, and helping create the new biz letters, I realized how important the task was.  I can’t even tell you how awesome it was when one of the letters I sent helped result in a NEW CLIENT!

Leaving this internship, I’ll take with me a whole set of new skills/experiences, a greater interest in healthcare marketing, and a ton of memories. Will my next job be as challenging and rewarding? Hopefully! Will I enjoy myself as much with the people and environment? Fat chance.

Are you an intern or looking for an internship?  What other insights can you share?

The creative gang bang. Don’t fret, it is nothing that would land me in a sexual harassment lawsuit. It is a Darwinian approach, common at most agencies, where the best work rises to the top through creative team (writer/art director) competition. Only now, with the proliferation of the internet, the concept is going global. Clients can post their creative brief and creatives do the assignment pro bono hoping they can win a grand or so for their time and effort. Is this a good idea? For a one-off, perhaps. Or for clients who have no relative brand identity. Or for clients that burn through agencies because they hate trusting anyone besides themselves. But while a former art director partner of mine is worried about the ramifications of such trends, this creative director is not. Great work comes from great relationships. Shared passion for the brand. Greater insight working together from strategy to focus groups to production. I would think clients would want an agency who was 100% invested and cared about the work working, the phone ringing, the web hits rising. And I’m glad I work at that kind of agency. So if you want to work with us, we’ll pitch you some great ideas. But we won’t pitch them through the internet.

What kind of marketing partner do you want?

A while ago a group of my friends and I started a Monday tradition, Michigan Mexi Monday, or M3 for short.  It’s something we all have in common – a love for Michigan and Mexican food. 

Basically whoever hosts the dinner has to spend $10 of the grocery bill on Michigan products. 

We were inspired by an article on mlive that talked about the need to keep Michigan money in MI.  The Michigan Department of Agriculture chief was quoted within the article saying, “If every Michigan household spent just $10 of their weekly grocery budget on local foods, we would keep more than $37 million each week circulating within the state.”  Yes, you read that right, $37 million each WEEK. 

I’m also trying to incorporate the buy local idea into our company.  We just signed up for a local farm share program and anytime possible we use vendors and materials made here.  But I need more ideas - what are you or your company doing to keep money in Michigan?

Speaking of - if you are in the market for a local ad agency, I know just the place ; )

For the Mexican city of Puebla, victory is sweet. And 147 years later, the celebration is still going and has extended to the United States. An excuse to indulge in margaritas, mariachi and mole? I’m there.

So are both offices of Brogan & Partners. Today each office will celebrate this victory with Cinco de Mayo festivities. The celebrations will culminate in a toast that is virtually shared by both offices.

Whether you’re celebrating with co-workers, family, friends or even by yourself, here are five great ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo like it’s 2009.

1.) Organize a Piñata Contest – Everyone could use a little stress relief these days, and what better way to get out those pent up frustrations than on a candy-filled paper mache donkey?

2.) Indulge in Margarita Madness – Invite some of your more festive friends over for a make your own margarita bar. Flavors abound, and what better day to sample a few? For a little extra fun, check out margaritas by sign and try the signature drink for your sign. Hypnotiq Margarita, anyone?

3.) Feel the beat of Mariachi Music – Head over to a local restaurant or venue to enjoy one of the finer aspects of Mexican culture—mariachi. While the origin of the word is still being debated by musicologists and folklorists, there’s no denying this cultural revolution encompasses the best of Mexican music and traditional dress of charro suites.

4.) Concoct a Culinary Delight – On Cinco de Mayo, skip the traditional taco, enchilada or quesadilla. Instead make an authentic dish from Puebla.

5.) Create a Masterpiece – Spark your creative side and make some decorations for the day. Papel picado (pah-pell pee-ka-doh) is a traditional Mexican art form. Create your own papel picado by cutting detailed patterns into brightly colored tissue paper. Animals and flowers are popular patterns. This just begs for some leopards hanging around the agency.

Let the fiesta begin. Do you have any creative ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Any favorite Mexican recipes? Send any suggestions (and guac) our way.

There are few things closer to my heart than college basketball. In college, I studied abroad in Australia and spent many afternoons skipping the beach to watch games on my computer instead. And I vowed never to leave the country in the spring again. You get the idea … I’m an avid fan. Being a UNC alum, I follow the Tar Heels religiously, watching as many games as my cable plan will allow. And I am not a minority … every Tar Heel fan I know is just as obsessed.

So when one of our agency partners, Scott Werner, suggested we make a wager on this year’s NCAA championship game between Carolina and Michigan State, Brogan’s North Carolina office said, “Bring it on!” We know our team’s abilities, we know what happened at Ford Field on December 3, 2008, and most importantly, we always back Roy and the Heels. The stakes: the losing office had to dress in the opposing team’s apparel while munching on that state’s most famous cuisine and donate a basket of goods to a shelter of the winner’s choosing. The results: Duh. The Heels trampled the Spartans, and our Birmingham, MI office donned Carolina blue while enjoying some North Carolina BBQ and Cheerwine. That doesn’t sound like they lost much, does it? Yeah, we don’t think so either.

Marcie Brogan’s age-old philosophy: happy employees are productive employees, which in-turn results into good work and happy clients.  But the state of our economy is in and layoffs happening throughout most Michigan companies, it seems hard to imagine offering any perks. But really, this is the time that most employees need the extra boost.
So, what are some ideas to keep your employees walking in with a smile each day? 
Here are some of my favorite Brogan ways:

1. Dogs: who doesn’t love a dog?  Every day I bring my furry friend, Mac in with me.  He thinks it’s his job to walk up and down the hallway and greet each person with a little tail wag (I’m sure all of the treats he receives is payment enough for him). 
2. Music: It’s one of my favorite perks – Bruce Springstein always brightens my day.
3. Exercise: Although I’m a bit lazy, some of us work-out during the lunch hour.  Employees bring in workout videos, take walks, or lead classes.  Those with kids love it because it’s one less thing they have to think about after work.
4. Agency breakfast: Everyone loves food – period.  So, we have a monthly agency hosted breakfast, to supply fuel for our brains : )
5. Group activities: Anytime I (or a co-worker) sees a good networking event that would be FUN for all, we try to get each other involved.  It gives us a chance to chat out of the office, have some laughs, and meet hockey players!

What is your company doing to keep employees up in this economy?  Share your ideas – so I can copy them and perhaps others can implement them. 

Want more ideas – read this article - it’s a great starting point:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4820999_improve-employee-morale.html

Oh my, I just read a blog about President elect Obama having to give up his beloved Blackberry.  National security says that the Blackberry is a no-no.  And think about how it would look to have the leader of the free world in an important meeting with fellow leaders and sneaking peeks at that irresistable little device.  I guess it is yet another sacrifice he will be making for us. 

Check out the blog at www.cioinsight.com

Could YOU give up your Blackberry?  Do you think that there are security issues that affect YOUR business created by Blackberry use?  What policies are in place with your company for Blackberry use?   And the MOST PRESSING INQUIRY:

What is YOUR most embarrassing Blackberry moment?  Come on, spill.  I know someone out there has checked their Berry at an inopportune time or walked into a wall while texting.  No prize for the best story, just the glory.