Verizon adfellows -Alumni Spotlights highlight the success of success of THF interns with Verizon AdFellows, a Gold Level Diversity Partner and long standing supporter of the Foundation.
Des’Tini LaGrone (Final Talent Pool Member ’18)
Tell us about the Verizon adFellows Program.
The adfellows Program is an immersive 8-month long program with Verizon’s partner marketing and advertising agencies.
What did a typical day look like for you?
9:30 – 11:00 : Arrive to work , Attend meetings and Client Calls,
Noon – 1:00 : Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 : Monitor client social media channels for popular conversations and moments of opportunity for us to interact with consumers
3:00 – 5:00 : Work on monthly social report for client ; Search for new trends and insights within the hospitality industry
5:00 – 6:00 : Social Listening Software training ; Weekly Wrap Up with Manager
Which agencies did you work with as a part of your rotation?
- MRY – Full Service Social Agency
- Rauxa – CRM Agency
- Verizon- Client Side
- Momentum- Experiential Agency
What did your duties include as a Verizon adfellow?
My duties as an adfellow included updating content calendars, serving as a community manager for Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, finding influencers for surprise and delight campaigns, participating in War Rooms for campaign launches, live tweeting, participating in activation location searches, and conducting market research for competitive analysis.
What was one of your best experiences as an adfellow?
My favorite experience was when I had the opportunity to work with the social teams from Verizon & R/GA for the launch of Verizon’s #AllOurThanks campaign during the Super Bowl. My job was to monitor all competitor tweets for trolling or 5G announcements . And also sponsor twitter pages for retweetable content.
What did you like most about the adfellows program?
I liked the opportunity to continuously learn new skills within the industry. The Support for Successes and rotations really helped grow my skill set.
What were the most rewarding and challenging parts of your adfellow experience?
The most rewarding part of adfellows is making genuine relationships with so many amazing people. The most challenging experience is rotating. Once you become settled at an agency and have your schedule solidified, its time to start all over again and rotate to another agency.
How has the Verizon adfellows program made an impact on your career?
The adfellows program helped me truly find my passion within the marketing and advertising industry. Before the program I didn’t know the many facets of social and how it can truly make or break a company.
Because of my social track through the program I have learned how to code, organize social posts, respond to consumers in the brand voice via 5 different social channels, and how to use social listening/data tools.
What advice would you give to THF interns as they being summer internships or careers in media?
Advice I would give to build genuine relationships. The relationships you build within this industry will take you far. Therefore, its important to always be genuine with your intentions, personable and knowledgeable. Once you build those connections your work and character will speak for itself.