Megan Falvey ’14 graduated from Davidson with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French. Upon graduation, she completed a four month internship with Grey Group, a worldwide Marketing and Advertising agency. At the completion of the internship, Megan was hired full-time as an Assistant Account Executive.
While at Davidson, Megan set her sights on gaining experience that would benefit her career in the advertising world. She served as a PR Assistant in the President’s Office and also as the Director of Public Relations for SGA. She studied in Paris for one semester and completed an internship with Capstrat. Keep reading to learn more about Megan’s experience with Grey and how Davidson helped her prepare.
Q: What attracted you to Grey?
A: Unlike most large agencies, Grey places a huge emphasis on creativity. In speaking with people working across departments, I realized how important the work was to the company’s success. About 10 years ago, Grey was struggling because the agency wasn’t encouraging clients to push boundaries. With a renewed focus on creativity and digital, Grey won agency of the year in 2013 and Network of the Year in 2014, and can still boast of clients like Pantene, Covergirl, Gillette, and DirectTV. It’s pretty rare to find a creativity agency with such big brands.
Q: In what ways did your time at Davidson uniquely prepare you to be successful at Grey?
A: Being able to craft a concrete argument is a huge skill in advertising. I was an English major at Davidson, so I had a lot of experience with gathering evidence to make a literary argument. In Account Management, you have to be strategic about how you present work to clients—from formal presentations, to weekly check-ins. Davidson prepared me for that type of work.
Q: What do you love most about your job?
A: I love how advertising balances business with creativity. Every day my team is faced with a new marketing challenge, and we get to solve it through creative thinking. Since I work on a global account, I also get to work with regions around the world and see how campaigns change based on local insights. No two days are the same. At times it can be overwhelming, but I enjoy what I’m doing and being busy.
Q: Are there any myths about your job that you would like to debunk?
A: For all those who have watched Mad Men, Account Management gets a bad reputation. I have never taken a client out to talk business over martinis. People also tend to assume that because we’re not in the creative department, we only occupy ourselves with the business side of things. In Account Management, I contribute to all stages of creative development, which means that my job actually requires me to be creative.
Q: What advice do you would you give to students applying for this internship?
A: Use your connections. Unfortunately, advertising is a very competitive industry, and if you blindly submit your application online, chances are it will never make it to HR. For Grey specifically, the work is really important. Look through Grey’s portfolio or scan AdWeek and Ad Age to find work that speaks to you, and be prepared to explain why you think it’s effective.
Megan and Grey Worldwide are participants in the 2014-2015 Internship & Job Challenge. To view the Summer 2015 internship description, visit WildcatLink. The application deadline is February 20, 2015 at 11:59pm.