Contributed by Ella Jane Dantzler Every company wants great interns. The ideal intern is motivated, ambitious, has a positive attitude, and can execute with equal enthusiasm on a coffee run and a high-level research project. However, achieving this perfect medium is often not just contingent upon hiring the “right” intern, but rather the way you structure your internship program. Here are a few tips from our experience: Communicate your company’s mission and vision FIRST THING.  Just as you wouldn’t hire a high-level executive without first making sure he/she understands and aligns with your company’s mission—you want to bring that same standard to the…

Contributed by Alyssa Peiser In the marketing world - agency, marketing, account manager, account executive - they can all mean 10 different things. So we'd like to break it down for you - what it all means in the context our space - and ultimately, what it means for you, the client. We call ourselves the "anti-agency." The quarterbacks. Heavy-lifters. So, on any given day, to be an account manager means wearing any number of hats. We coordinate your creative brainstorms and negotiate media placement, but we also drop off pizza lunches and help serve food at your Grand Opening.…

Contributed by Alyssa Peiser Do you allow yourself to be bored? I recently ran across this quote: "To simply wait and be bored has become a novel experience in modern life, but from the perspective of concentration training, it's incredibly valuable." You know this feeling - anytime there is a break in interaction (or just as often in the middle of it), we grab our phones. We do this at red lights, when our friend goes to the bathroom at the restaurant, when we feel bored, the moment we feel our minds resisting laser focus. We do this as often…

You might not think that having an ever-changing spokesperson could pay off for your brand - who do the consumers identify with? Who is showing loyalty to the brand? Is constant change for such a big role wise? KFC, perhaps surprisingly, has pulled this off, nearly flawlessly. The "revolving door" of celebrity spokespeople - each playing a different, humorous version of the Colonel, has kept audiences engaged, particularly millennials. And, most importantly, it has boosted sales. Sometimes, it pays to go against the norm - more than just switching it up with a brand change or new celebrity backing, this…

Who doesn't love a good April Fool's joke? Many brands consistently spend creative time and energy to be relevant to the "holiday." Of course, this is an area in which a brand can easily stray and have a major fail if not pulled off correctly - and obviously, depending on the response it gets. Most people probably know (read: should know) that when a brand makes an announcement on April 1 (or a few days preceding, like this year), they should be wary. Most are obvious, and then again, some aren't (like The Knot for instance - tricking couples into…