Advertising: Jobs Landed

I am responsible for creating concepts and visuals for ad campaigns. I was drawn to this career for the creative excitement and challenge.

Team Detroit is an agency that is comprised of five different WPP’s Detroit-based agencies, including JWT, Y&R, Wunderman, Ogilvy and Mindshare. The WPP agencies came together to make one agency in Detroit to provide best-in-class talent and more effective marketing partnerships for our clients, the largest of which is Ford Motor Company along with many more such as Bosch, Carhartt and Sports Authority just to name a few.

The best parts of working in the advertising industry is the new and creative ideas, I am always learning, meeting new people and no day is ever the same. I enjoy getting to work directly with our great clients at Ford Motor Company. I have the pleasure of working on both Online Advertising and with the Brand Website teams.

At Team Detroit the atmosphere is very laid back, yet everyone is hard working. There is always something going on in our great office which makes coming to work everyday enjoyable. Along with all the great activities we have going on, we have such a diverse group of people that work at Team Detroit. New ideas are always flowing and everyone gets along great.

I am currently responsible for managing Lincoln brand digital projects. My role is to lead projects from ideation through launch. My projects include websites, enterprise site updates, sweepstakes sites, mobile sites, iPAD sites and game integrations. I work with teams that include: Digital Strategists, Information Architects, Creative Directors, Art Directors, Copywriters, Flash Developers, Tech Leads and Quality Assurance analysts.

One of my favorite things about being a Project Manager is working with such a wide variety of disciplines and subject matter experts. I feel I’ve learned a ton about the digital space during my time at Team Detroit. Since digital is constantly evolving, there are always new things to learn.

I was originally contacted by Team Detroit, (TDI), after graduating MSU regarding a Digital Intern position. The primary reason I like TDI is the people. There is very good collaboration and knowledge sharing between Project Managers and across all disciplines. There is a lot of pride in what we produce, and TDI celebrates great work. The clients I’ve worked with include: Ford, Lincoln, Starfish Family Services, SIRIUS Satellite Radio. I’m looking to continue to grow as a Digital Project Manager at TDI and see where it takes me.

I first became interested in becoming a QA analyst while in college. I had a few courses in Software Testing and one of my teachers was also QA Analyst. I really enjoyed the meticulous detail that went into the job and I really enjoyed all the documentation that went along with it. I have been doing QA for 5+ years now and it is still a very satisfying career. As a Quality Assurance analyst, you are responsible for making sure that all services and products are of quality and meet the client needs.  I was born and raised here in the Detroit Metro area and while I did move away for a while to live in Atlanta, GA. I returned not long ago to finally settle down here. That was always the plan and always my goal. I know there is a lot of skepticism about finding work here in the metro area, but I did not have that problem and I found a lot of work when I returned. I actually found my current job by applying on craigslist.org. I’m working as a Quality Assurance analyst at MRM Worldwide. I have been working here for about 5 months. I really enjoy working here not only because of the location which is in the beautiful city of Birmingham, MI right in the downtown area. But also because of our products. It is very exciting to be able to see and work with some of the most cutting edge technology that we use every day. It’s very enjoyable and I never get bored!

It’s not about who you know; it’s about who knows you! I landed the job through a Twitter connection. One of my followers (we’ve never actually met!) knows a recruiter at Doner. After I graduated from MSU, he asked me if I was looking for a job and if I’d be interested in the Detroit area. I was definitely interested and landed the interview and the job shortly after! I mainly work on logo design, rebranding, and print collateral for clients like ADT, Things Remembered, The UPS Store, and the Detroit Historical Society. I moved to Royal Oak because it’s the center of a lot of activity in the area and it’s not too far from work.

Since I started college at MSU, my goal was to either land an internship or get a job out of college. I ended up landing the job (yay)! I work in the Quality department (or QMS) and we ensure our company is always following and improving our process to maintain our ISO certification. We are also responsible for Technical Training and many other business operations related duties.
 
When I tell people I work at an advertising agency, their minds usually stray to the bustling New York City life so I think it's cool to have such a great agency right here in Dearborn! The thing I like most about this job is the people, which is an important factor I must say! It is a laid back, creative environment, and the Summer Fridays aren't bad either!

I had initially started my collegiate career at Western Michigan University, but after my sophomore year I was offered a job working as a graphic designer in the Metro-Detroit area. I saw the job as an opportunity to gain valuable industry experience while finishing my degree so that I could hopefully land a job of out state with solid agency, so I made the move back home and decided to finish out my degree at Wayne State. It was those couple of years in Detroit that helped me foster a deep appreciation for the city, so when graduation came I changed my focus to searching for jobs in-state and around the Detroit area. It took some time to find a job since I graduated at the peak of the recession, but patience and persistence helped get me to where I am today: Western Creative Inc.

As part of the production team at WCi, I work primarily in the print field creating graphics use in marketing and retail for various local, national and international companies. I enjoy what I do because the world of print and design can be applied to so many different aspects of our everyday lives. One day I could be working to help rebrand a local business, while the next I could be designing a piece of packaging that will be sold in stores nationwide.

As a recent graduate I'm excited about beginning my career with Campbell Ewald where I'm looking forward to continue learning about this always evolving industry.  As the face of CE, it's my primary duty to greet employees, guests, and clients upon their arrival. I also assist in the opening and closing of the building, maintaining visitor and employee logs, and enforcing emergency procedure response and badge enforcement of 500+ employees. I decided to come back to the metro Detroit area after school because I was homesick and also wanted to be part of the city's revival. I found my job via LinkedIn after networking with fellow MSU alumni and discussing employment opportunities within the company. The thing I love most about my job is that I'm always getting to meet new people within my industry.

After graduating high school, I watched many of my friends flock for cities like Chicago, D.C., New York, and San Francisco. Cities like these are full of opportunity, amenities like bars and restaurants that you can actually walk or take public transportation to, and most importantly, LIFE! Suffice it to say many of my friends and family are shocked when I tell them I want to live in Detroit.  

Growing up near Detroit, one thing comes to mind, the automobile. So many people have enjoyed a fantastic livelihood by either working directly or associated with the Big 3. I knew eventually, I too in some way would work in the automotive industry.  

While studying at Walsh College, one subject continued to stand out to me: marketing. So when the opportunity to become a Project Manager for Team Detroit came along, I jumped at the chance. Team Detroit has pioneered many incredible ad campaigns and is filled with the most creative people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. Day in and day out, I get to work on one of the World’s largest automobile accounts: Ford Motor Company. I’m challenged daily to work in a team to come up with new ways to excite the brand. As a digital project manager I contribute to the ideation, creation, and maintenance of the websites, social media programs, and the overall digital brand. It’s inspiring to work with a client that is cutting edge in both product and technology.

I am excited about the possibilities of Detroit and all of the positive things that are happening in the city. Every great city needs young people to contribute and that’s what I hope to do. Working for an agency dedicated to the industries and endeavors that make Detroit so unique makes going to work every day an adventure. Team Detroit bears national presence and creative relevance in the ever changing world of media and marketing – this is an organization I am proud to be a part of.

I am responsible for managing releases to the websites we handle for General Motors, per brand. I also manage the site speed data and downstream improvement work the brand development teams work on.

My role as a Digital Production Manager is exactly what it sounds like. I manage the production of various digital projects including websites, on-line advertising, e-mail, and in-market display advertisements for a major automotive client.  MRM has given me opportunities to gain experience in content management, interfacing with international counterparts, project management, web maintenance, collaboration on special projects, and placing me on the cusp of innovative technology. All of which makes me a “hybrid” asset to the company.  

Before starting with MRM, I worked in Florida at Walt Disney World® Resort in Sales and Marketing. When the economy declined, so did my position.  So I moved back to Michigan and into my parents’ house – like many post-grads.  After months of job searching and hundreds of applications, I got a phone call from a recruiter at a new agency in town.  MRM Worldwide pulled my resume from CareerBuilder and were interested in interviewing me!

What I love about MRM (and what I specifically look for in a company) is that they provide an amazing support system to their employees from not only a teamwork perspective, but also from a personal and professional development standpoint.  The management team is dedicated to helping us reach our goals and recognizing those who stand out and perform exceptionally. The perks are nice as well - 24-hour coffee bar, fruit on Mondays, bagels on Thursdays, and more, all while wearing your favorite pair of jeans.  We also have patio parties in the summer, outings/events, and get greeted daily by a sweet concept car parked in the lobby. The “Changing of the Car” is usually an event.  

As an Account Executive for AOL, I am responsible for selling advertising space to General Motors.  I am focused on generating revenue from this strategic account within the automotive category.  I work closely with a team of cross functional departments to drive business, and establish expertise in my assigned product areas of the Automotive endemic space, Behavioral Targeting, and custom Lifestyle built solutions.  I am responsible for carrying out the entire sales process from account identification to close, as well as ongoing customer relations and sales.

I work at Starcom, one of the many specialized advertising agencies for General Motors.  We are the media planning and buying agency of record.  I am responsible for the planning and implementation of digital advertising for GMC on the national lifestyle/branding level.  This includes planning for online media, online video, mobile media, social media, gaming and any emerging media such as the iPad, for example.  Though media is numbers based, it affords the opportunity for much creativity and exploration with new opportunities popping up daily and with the constant advancements in technology.  I am proud to work at Starcom, and I love the people I work with at my company, as well as those people at our agency partners along with the media publishers and vendors we work with every day.  The community is closely knit and very supportive of each other.  I love my job.

As an assistant solutions planner, I insightfully interpret and illuminate data to create a deeper understanding of human behavior. I help discover consumer insights and develop strategies that meet established business objectives.

I am a Digital media planner and a broad overview of my job is to Provide strategic digital media plans for regional Ford and Lincoln Mercury Dealers across the country.