What’s it like to work at one of the top ad agencies in Ohio?
No two digital ad agencies are alike. And Cement, is by far, one of the best places to really stretch your chops as a digital marketing professional. Our 2016 summer interns each had a unique experience at Cement. Here, two of them, Rachael and Delaney share their favorite moments and lessons learned. We miss them already and can’t say enough about how much we value our interns. If you are interested in interning at Cement, email jaime@cementmarketing.com and read about our internships and careers here.
“A place devoid of cubicles and rules”
By: Rachael Smith, Ohio University Class of 2017
After a full year in school being taught how to walk, talk, and act business-professional, and having previously experienced an internship in the corporate world, I entered this summer ready to experience the “agency life” I had heard so much about. A place devoid of cubicles, pantsuits and passive aggressive rules. Where you’re not just another chunk of the payroll, at the expense of people whose faces you’ve never even seen.
Let me tell you about the “agency life” at Cement.
There’s open space, exposed brick, vintage furniture and orientals rugs. There’s adorable dogs, hip-hop music, and quirky mugs to choose from when you fill up on coffee– fresh-purchased from the local café. It’s just a block away from that cool new lunch spot downtown that all your friends have been talking about. All conducive to a relaxed, creative atmosphere.
-And that’s all great, but, let me bring it back to three points that I identified when I started this internship. Learn, engage, and connect. That’s what was important to me to get out of this experience.
Did I do all of those things? Certainly, and more than I expected.
I’ll spare you the list of skills and tools. But I will say that at Cement, unlike anywhere else, you don’t have someone handing you an agenda everyday, telling you exactly what to do, step-by-step, and how to do it. And I don’t mean that in a bad way at all. Of course, you have an entire room full of people available to you who are absolute rockstars at what they do. I never once felt intimidated to ask them a question or for their guidance. In fact, having the chance to pick their brains on something and have a conversation, I learned more than I ever could from any agenda or training procedure.
Another thing I appreciated about Cement is that you’re not stuck doing the same job all the time. Sure, somewhere else I could be glued to some chair every day, pounding out spreadsheets, and become really, really good at it. Glory be the day in which I receive praise for pounding out spreadsheets! But really, at Cement, I could be doing my work wherever I’m comfortable, designing a Snapchat filter one minute, or across town at an event, sipping mimosas, engaging and connecting with other (quite remarkable) women in the industry.
At Cement, everyone exudes a “balance”. They know when it’s crunch time and always put their full effort into doing the best job for any client or project– and I’m on board to help with the mission. But I’ve also had the freedom to focus on things I’m interested in, like design, along with jumping into new waters.
I have to say, I’m going to miss Cement this school year (especially sitting through my last accounting class that I will ever have to take ever ever ever.). But I’ll be back in the winter! … I mean, how could I miss out on the best Christmas party in the city? And maybe some work, too.
To be continued,
“Our team works together. Always.”
By: Delaney Swift, Ohio University Class of 2017
Junior year of college at Ohio University presented itself with many challenges in the internship area for me. Choosing the perfect internship, that would give me the best experience was crucial to me, but wasn’t as easy as I had thought. I explored many options – from editorial, to sales, to traditional agency positions. It came to be spring semester and it seemed like all my friends had their summer internships nailed down. But, I still had yet to come across the perfect one for me.
That’s when I discovered Cement Marketing. Everything about it seemed like a great fit.
It hit the nail on the head of what I was looking for – in every aspect – from my first interview with Olivia at Donkey Coffee in Athens to my last day as a Cement intern.
The people impressed me with their kindness and willingness to teach and allow me to help them with real client tasks. I was able to work on projects where I was able to see the result of my work and how it helped the client and the team. And in turn, I was helping myself. I was building my experience and broadening my knowledge within the digital marketing realm.
Finally, I was hearing terms that I had learned in my classes and putting my skill set to work. Sure, it’s awesome to learn in class. But for me, it wasn’t until I started my internship at Cement Marketing that I truly got to learn with hands-on experience.
What it’s like to work at a digital marketing agency like Cement
Our team works together. Always. Sometimes you put in the extra hours to make the work that much better and the client that much happier. But, it pays off. And when you are working with a team like the one at Cement, it’s easy.
The array of experience I received at Cement included anything from SEO, writing blogs for clients, community engagement/outreach on social media, sitting in on brainstorm sessions with clients and the team, claiming and optimizing local listings on Google MyBusiness, email and event marketing and more. Coming into this internship, I wasn’t aware of all of the online platforms I would have to become familiar with. I was able to work with many new platforms such as MailChimp, Moz, Google MyBusiness, Iconosquare, Shopify, and the list goes on.
I was able to see client and team interactions and realize what it takes for those relationships to be happy ones. Sometimes the client and the agency aren’t a perfect match. And, that’s ok. It’s all about what is going to work best for both, so that the work will be the absolute best it can be.
What there is to love about this industry
Every project is different and unique from another. And that’s what keeps it interesting. Getting to work with a broad range of clients is awesome because there are no two quite the same. All sorts of companies come to us needing digital marketing assistance. Whether it’s a law firm, the food & retail industries, a real estate agency, a nonprofit organization, or a travel and tourism association, each new account comes with its own excitement.
I learned a lot at Cement, but the best thing I learned was that the real world isn’t scary and awful…it’s actually fun. I learned that I don’t have to dread post-grad because if places like Cement Marketing exist, then I will be just fine.
“They pushed me outside of my comfort zone to teach me the importance of a hard work ethic as well as teamwork.”
By: Molly Grimes, Saint Mary’s College, Class of 2018
My experience working with the Cement team as an intern was nothing short of an incredible opportunity to learn and grow in my field of study.
Coming in, I did not know what to expect. However, I quickly realized that I, as well as my fellow interns, we’re just as much a part of the Cement Marketing team as the rest of them. They worked by my side to help me understand clients’ needs and what I needed to do to get the job done in a timely manner. They pushed me outside of my comfort zone to teach me the importance of a hard work ethic as well as teamwork. I loved how helpful and open the environment was. I felt very comfortable asking questions and by doing so, I learned more over the course of 3 months than I had in many of my college classes. I am so glad to have gotten the chance to work with this amazing team.