Nearing the End

Sadly, I now only have 7 days left here at Bailey Gardiner. Luckily, unlike a lot of intern stories I’ve heard from friends and family, I am actually sad about this fact. I have had such an unbelievable experience here at Bailey Gardiner and will truly miss the people and overall atmosphere that I have been a part of for the last 3 months. I came in not knowing much about this industry apart from what I learned in school and will come out with triple, if not more, the experience. The ad team graciously took me under their wing and taught me things that will continue to benefit me throughout my career.

During my time at the agency, I have learned quite a few valuable lessons:

1.              Don’t forget your chap stick on the first day. But if you do, Rite Aid will assist you in whatever you need.

2.              Thesaurus.com doesn’t just come in handy for college papers.

3.              When they tell you there are enough mugs and you can use the Keurig whenever you want – they mean it. I brought my own anyways, but still.

4.              I’ve added a few new acronyms to my AIM handbook. EOD (End of Day) and DND (Do NOT Disturb) and brought back an old favorite – BRB.

5.              Beware of the toaster. You might think it’s on light when it’s actually on BLACK.

6.              An errand to Hazard Center that takes 15 minutes total could easily turn into 45 when you return to find ZERO parking spots.

7.              You can never own too much leopard print. Or argyle.

On a more serious note, I have obtained more experience than I could ever imagine. I have attended multiple client meetings, including a focus group, where I was able to witness first hand the interactions between clients, the targeted demographic, and the team here at Bailey Gardiner. I performed hours of research for clients – both new and established – including everything from suicide to birth control to San Diego casinos to seed embedded paper. Have I mentioned they have a very broad spectrum of clients here at BG? I researched naming rights and trademark information for new brands and campaigns. I’ve also had the opportunity to assist in putting together a media plan for a new campaign by researching the area’s publications and even negotiating rates for future spots and inserts. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my less glamorous intern days – filing collateral, walking back and forth between Seaport Village and the Convention Center – in heels (still have the blisters to prove it), braving the streets of both Hillcrest and Downtown San Diego with fellow intern, Jen, to put up flyers for one of our client’s events, having my fingers cramp up while tabulating results from surveys, and the inevitable newbie initiation – candy cart. But even tasks such as these have been a learning experience that will benefit me later on.

Throughout all of this, I’ve been able to improve my communication skills through email with people in the office, potential vendors, and many more. I’ve been a part of projects that have yet to hit the mainstream market. I even got to flex my culinary muscles for the Halloween potluck. I’m putting the past 3 months in a very special place in my memory and consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to call myself a Bailey Gardiner intern. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to send in my resume in response to a job posting on Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid someday.

Fingers crossed.