Scripps PRSSA was more than pleased to welcomed Maggie Ellison, Vice President of Event Marketing Strategies to Athens to speak about experiential marketing and professional development.
Maggie graduated from Otterbein University and quickly rose through the ranks post-grad to her current position as VP. Event Marketing Strategies is located in downtown Columbus, OH and serves clients including Nationwide Insurance, AEP Ohio, Pepsi and Allegiant Airlines.
Here are some takeaways from her visit:
- Experiential marketing is a quickly growing branch of marketing.
- When a brand is face to face with the consumer, connections are built stronger and made to last.
- It takes a lot of creativity, organization and planning to work in experiential.
- The world of experiential marketing operates on any budget, but if your budget is low, implement digital strategies.
- The future is integrated and PR, marketing, advertising, digital, social media, experiential and journalism are colliding like never before.
- Remember that your employers grew up at a different time, a time in which phones were put away during the 9-5 workday. Culture has evolved to different norms in the workplace, but it’s important to be aware of what the norms are wherever you end up.
- The most important part of a resume has nothing to do with what you’ve ever done. It’s all about the format.
- Vary your verbs and watch your verb tenses when writing your resume! Attention to detail is important.
- Understand what position you’re applying for and get to know who’s interviewing you beforehand in order to be as prepared as possible.
- Have your elevator pitch perfected. Making a great first impression helps you stand out!
- For those with type-A personality and a habit of being constantly busy, it is important to understand the power of no!
- When you’re ready, reach back. It is so important to seek mentors to help you grow, but equally as important to support those coming behind you as they grow also.
p.s. This was Maggie’s first time in Athens!
Cade Fleming is a junior Journalism-Strategic Communication major and current Scripps PRSSA VP of PR. Keep up with him on Twitter @cade_fleming