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It’s funny how things come full-circle.  I’ve been asked to speak on an Interactive Marketing Panel at an upcoming Industry Focus Night event in Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, where I graduated a year and a half ago and met Jeff Hilimire, Engauge’s Chief Digital Officer.  Rather than posting a summary blog after the event on the 21st, I thought I’d try doing things a little differently.  I have received a list of anticipated questions for the panel, which made me examine and reflect on my time with Engauge and the opinions I’ve formulated about the industry and our company.  Hope you enjoy reading and learning a bit more about Engauge and our industry as much as I enjoyed reflecting!  This has really been a fun learning exercise that I hope will inspire others to give it a shot.

•   Describe your agency.

Engauge is a total marketing solutions agency dedicated to delivering transformational ideas that move someone — to act, to choose, to believe in a brand.  We focus on discovering true insights, developing ideas with real impact, and then measuring that interaction and gauging the results.  Engauge’s three Centers of Excellence combine the disciplines of branding, digital, and direct marketing to partner with clients such as Kraft Foods, Best Buy for Business, Chick-fil-A, The Home Depot, Sony, NGK, and Huntington Bank.  We have offices in Columbus, Austin, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Orlando.

•   Describe what you do (e.g., a typical day).

I am the Executive Assistant to Jeff Hilimire, the Chief Digital Officer of Engauge, who has given me the freedom and flexibility to have my hands in a little bit of everything around the office.  I manage several individuals’ calendars and travel accommodations, participate in the proposal stage of many sales processes, assist in research and social media, and coordinate special events in and out of the office.

•   What skills and personal qualities help you to do your job successfully?

An executive assistant is a problem-solver and time-reliever.  The ability to multitask is the single most important quality to have in my position.  It is something that you can only develop from experience.  When 3 executives run to you at the same time with 5 high-priority tasks, you learn to be extremely organized and flexible.  One must also leave the word “no” out of their vocabulary.  I often have to take on responsibility for tasks for which I have no idea how to complete.  But sometimes in my position, I accept responsibility first, and then figure out how to get it done second.

•   What advice would you give to a student interested in your field (i.e., skills they should be developing, experience, coursework, etc.)?

There are so many different disciplines and backgrounds that make up our agency (along with some really random, unrelated degrees) that the “position-matching” degree isn’t necessarily a requirement.  Personality and culture-fit is more of an indicator of success at our agency than any transcript or coursework.  Immerse yourself in the internet and the social space to stay on top of emerging media.

•   Discuss some of the misconceptions students may have about the industry.

Students may think that we are playing on Facebook and Twitter all day.  And while we may like to position ourselves in that light, we actually do spend a lot of time working.  It just so happens to be more fun to work in an environment where people are tuned in and aren’t patrolling your computer monitors for any dangerous signs of being social.  Because we do a lot of social media work for our clients.

•   What is the job market like for students entering interactive marketing?

When looking at any agency I think you will be faced with peaks and valleys in terms or hiring sprees.  A new client demanding more billable hours than we have the resources to accommodate means more hiring.  I would suggest that internship openings are one of the best ways for undergrads to get their foot in the door if full-time positions are unavailable.

•   How did you get your first job?

I met my employer in the exact same place where I will be joining this panel.  Jeff was actually sitting on an Entrepreneurship panel at Emory in the spring of 2008 giving insight into how he built his interactive marketing agency Spunlogic from the ground up – leading to an eventual acquisition by Engauge.  I spoke up after the event, asking the panelists how an entrepreneurial-minded individual could go about securing a mentorship-type role at a company post-graduation.  Fate worked in everyone’s favor that day, as Jeff was actually looking for an assistant at that time to fill this type of role.  A few introductions and interviews later, and I secured an internship that turned into full-time work for an employer and industry that I love.  All from raising my hand at a panel event

•   How do you currently “network” to stay in touch with contacts, etc.?

In less than 140 characters.

•   What advice would you give to a new graduate about how they can best distinguish themselves on their first job?

Take risks, and be genuine.  Ask for help, since no one expects you to know everything.  Remember that everyone was in your spot at one point in time, so the tremendous expectations that you (should) have of yourself are probably higher than the expectations they set for you.  Take advantage of that to impress your employer and colleagues.

•   What are the most common mistakes that new employees make at your organization…is it work-related OR a culture/fit issues?

New employees have to pass the culture fit test well before they start at the company.  The most common mistake would have to be looking at the position as just another job.  Employees won’t succeed if they don’t view this as a passion and a career, and put in the extra effort to treat it as such.

•   Please share the best piece of career advice you have received.

“Passion, Intelligence, and Hard Work are the three most important traits of an entrepreneur.”  That was some of the advice Jeff shared when he sat on a panel and I was in the audience listening.  I think those three traits universally apply to success.

Along with the proliferation of DVR’s comes the drive from marketers to use unusual tactics along with different mediums to spread their messages.  This has resulted in product placement rearing its ugly head all over some of my favorite programming, including 90210.

I was able to laugh off the Dr. Pepper signs in the background.  We’re accustomed to billboards, so it’s not that huge of a shock to my brain to have a logo peeking out from the corner of my eye.  But not this.

Reaching into the cooler for a full 2 second shot of nothing but Dr. Pepper’s.  The main characters lauding the importance of Dr. Pepper when it comes to road trips.  And one character even holding the soda can up (with logo facing forward) while engaging in dialog, striking a classic product-modeling pose.  This may have been okay in the vein of the movie Wayne’s World.  The product placement, which included Pepsi, was treated as a hilarious spoof on product placement.  It was funny and effective.  The Pepsi “Pepsuber” Super Bowl ad featuring members of the SNL cast, although less humorous, achieved that nice over-the-top balance of promoting a product in a cool way, because it didn’t take itself seriously.  (Anyone else noticing a trend emerging?)

But part of the problem with 90210 was that there was no context around the Dr. Pepper placement.  Almost as if the show wasn’t sure if it was making fun of itself for ridiculous placement, or if it was pretending like there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.  So it lost on both fronts – I didn’t laugh, and I didn’t feel a subconscious urge to drink more Dr. Pepper.  In fact, I am irritated that the product so blatantly infringed on my enjoyment of one of my favorite TV shows.  And so was the Live Web via Twitter –

On the flipside, it seems like the digital folks over at Dr. Pepper get it.  Their website is a beautiful piece of artwork.  And I’ll spend time with your brand so long as you let me do something like this.  Just, please, stop hijacking my entertainment.

Some days, we get so wrapped up in what we are doing, so stuck in the weeds (a phrase commonly used here) that it’s hard to step back and see the bigger picture. We become so stressed by client deadlines and upcoming meetings that we forget how truly blessed we all are. This past Friday was not one of those days.

On very short notice, we welcomed students from Grady High School to the Engauge Digital offices as part of Junior Achievement’s Job Shadowing Program. A company had dropped out last minute, which left a whole bunch of high school students without a valuable job shadowing experience. Engauge Digital volunteers stepped up big time to welcome these students, taking time out of their days to give students an inside look at an industry that is changing the world.

I said this the last time we hosted a JA Job Shadowing event, and I’ll say it again – I think that Engauge volunteers gain more out of these job shadowing experiences than the students themselves. The least of which is the reigniting of our passions. No matter what you do for a living, you may have done it long enough that you have forgotten how special it is. You may have forgotten what brought you there in the first place. We are in a very special industry.  Whereas to us, the digital space has become normal, day-to-day existence, the students were being exposed to many things for the first time.

Put yourself in the shoes of a student who isn’t certain what path they want to take in their lives. One day, you walk into an office where someone is having a live videoconference with a client in a different state. A computer developer shows you how to create a website. You are given the chance to test an unreleased Facebook application that will reach tens of thousands of people. You learn how social media is combining business with fun, from someone who is being paid to understand the tools you play on every day. You then wrap up your day with a game of ping-pong with a Behavioral Research Lead who recently earned his Master’s degree. This is our reality at Engauge. I’m becoming more and more inspired as I write this blog.

The most simple of things – a single handwritten thank you note – has more power than anything to make you a more selfless individual. It is one of the best feelings in the world. Thanks to the teachers, the students, and JA for allowing us the privilege of hosting you for a day.  Everyone here was truly appreciative of the opportunity.

Facebook.com made it easy for you to remember everyone’s birthdays. In the process, Mark Zuckerberg unwittingly created an unreasonable stress in the expectation that Millennials would never forget another birthday. Not a single one out of those 690 friends. Thanks, Mark.

Login to Facebook as you do every morning and your friends’ birthdays are staring you in the face. A simple wall post and you are done. But here’s the catch: I rarely login to Facebook anymore. And not because I am protesting Facebook’s crimes against Lindsay Lohan. I am hooked on my iPhone’s Facebook app. And there is one major downside to the iPhone that I haven’t heard a lot of people talk about. Much like a car’s back-up camera, I have become dangerously too reliant on a novel technology. Granted, it’s probably slightly more dangerous for someone to neglect their rear view mirrors. But dicey nonetheless to forget a friend’s birthday. Rather than supplementing my Facebook experience, as was likely intended, the app has become almost completely my sole touch point. Logging on to my computer just takes too damn long when I have Facebook right there in my palm. This also means that I no longer have a News Feed with today’s birthdays staring me in the face. What’s a forgetful, lazy iPhone user to do?

Rather than waiting for the app to add a birthday function, I applied the features of competing web companies to make the net work for me. It took a little trial and error, sure, but by adjusting my settings to integrate the services of Google, Facebook, and 3rd party application developers, I never have to worry about disappointing my friends and family again. I just won a $20 bet.

Here’s how I get daily notifications of my friends’ birthdays on Facebook without ever logging in:

1) If you haven’t already, create a Google account to access your Google Calendar

2) Get this application and follow the setup instructions: http://apps.facebook.com/fbcalendar/

3) On the same page, click “Get Your Calendars Now”

4) Click on Google Calendar under “Subscribe to your friends’ birthdays” (you can subscribe to your Facebook events, as well)

5) Once the birthdays/events show up on your Google Calendar, click Settings under the “fbCal” Other Calendar option

6) Click Notifications next to “fbCal Birthdays”. At this point, you can choose from a number of notification options, including text messages and email

There you go – text message reminders for your friends’ birthdays! Now, think about the potential business applications. If you are a marketer, doesn’t this scenario seem like a great opportunity to reach a lot of people?

A couple months ago, I discovered the joy of LOLcats. The buzz generated by the LOLcats brand of humor is a case study on the power of the internet. The best way to attempt to explain it is that Lolcats is the internet version of an inside joke, a really really cute inside joke. You just need to see it for yourself. But I digress.

I have subscribed to 5 different mailing lists offered under the “I Can Has Cheezburger” brand, including “Engrish Funny,” “ROFLrazzi,” “FAIL Blog,” “Loldogs,” and “Lolcats.” This means that every day, I recieve emails containing hilarious captioned pictures and links directing me to the website for more silliness. The business model behind these emails is simple: Click the link, comment on the picture, and spend time on the main website … which enables the website to charge higher advertising fees justified through higher traffic.

In the interactive field, iPhone apps are a constant topic of discussion. And, of course, we are supposed to be defining the potential applications of emerging technologies. But at what point does “being on the edge of cool” stop justifying new ventures that don’t seem to contribute to the bottom line? This is where Lolcats comes in.

My daily emails began promoting the “I Can Has Cheezburger” iPhone app. As a consumer, I was all over that app. As a business-minded individual, I found myself wondering how the app contributes to the revenue model. In some cases, applications may send you to the website, encourage you to spend time/money elsewhere, or, of course, charge a fee. The LOLcats application really does none of the above. It simply provides entertainment to the users. In this case, an iPhone app is actually counterproductive. You see, as any logical person would do, I have unsubscribed from my daily Lolcats emails. No more inbox flooding. No more going to the website. All that remains is one click – I pull up my iPhone app, and I’m instantly entertained.

I am a big believer in the value of brand equity – usually, when a consumer is spending more time with your brand, it’s a good thing. But if they are spending more time with your brand, while driving less money to your brand…the math simply doesn’t add up. I would pay for this iPhone app. I might link to the website to comment. But please don’t tell the Lolcats. They’ll turn me into nomz