By Gary Bridgens
On Monday, February 10, the Scripps PRSSA chapter held yet another famous Monday meeting. This meeting was particularly exciting, as Professor Davis’ capstone advertising class accompanied the usual members and were able to here from the talented professionals of MARC USA.
Before the presentation began, there were quite a few updates that you definitely don’t want to miss!
- Sarah Rachul, a member of the Scripps PRSSA Bateman Competition Team, recapped a recent event that gained more than 55,000 impressions on social media for their client, Popmoney. The event was held to help college students plan affordable and safe spring break vacations.
- The Ohio State University PRSSA will be hosting the regional PaRtners Conference at The Ohio State Union in Columbus on Saturday, April 12. For more information on the conference, follow the hashtag, #inspireOSUPR.
- The inaugural Scripps PR Career Week will be held the week of February 24 and registration is officially open! Learn more or register for the Day-of-Competition event here and follow along with the hashtag, #ScrippsPRCW
- There will be an informational meeting on February 19 at 9 p.m. for anybody interested in the upcoming Scripps PRSSA Executive Board elections and/or the long-anticipated annual networking trip! This year the chapter will travel to Charlotte.
- Follow Tessa Austin, the Scripps PRSSA Spotlight Member of the Week, on Twitter! Her handle is @t_austin054.
This week’s featured speaker was Rob Throckmorton, SPHR. Rob is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson and a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources. After serving his country, Rob moved back home to Pittsburgh to work as a human resources professional at Fisher Scientific. He currently serves as Director of Employment and Staffing at MARC USA, an integrated advertising agency with more than $50 million in annual billings. MARC stands for “Marketing, Advertising, Research, and Consultancy.”
Rob covered a variety of topics that addressed both the aspiring advertising and public relations professionals in the room. The main conversation stemmed from a MARC USA portfolio of video and print advertising. Students discussed work done for clients such as The American Heart Association, Build-A-Bear, Cooper Tire, Rite Aid, and The Pennsylvania Lottery. Students were prompted to respond to the effectiveness of the ads and infer how public relations could be applicable in the distribution of that ad.
Rob then addressed the unique style of MARC USA’s work, particularly the assimilated, “marketing generalist” attitude of their creative process. He emphasized that MARC USA is not just an advertising agency, but their services include marketing and full service public relations management. Offering everything from crisis management to social influence/advocacy, their end goal is “…to create a well-rounded and integrated marketing package of PR and advertising.” MARC USA places a true emphasis on the importance of a collaborative, interdisciplinary work environment.
The group subsequently heard from Molly Daniels (PHR), a Penn State University graduate, certified Professional in Human Resources and current Human Resources Staffing and Recruitment Consultant at MARC USA. Molly informed the group of the copious internship and employment opportunities available at MARC USA offices around the country. Valuable networking opportunities are one of the many reasons we love PRSSA so much! Molly and Rob then commented on the recruitment process at MARC USA, which remains undoubtedly impressive! Beyond the typical interview process, MARC USA allows applicants to give a presentation to showcase their performance and experience on a previous project. In terms of tips for the process, Rob prefers to hire people who are prepared to be engaged and hit the ground running. MARC USA offers a very real experience to entry-level employees.
For more information on employment opportunities at MARC USA, check out http://www.marcusa.com/careers/.
Other than that, we’ll see you next Monday!