My Work Experience at Bright Digital

The word marketing brings many different ideas to mind, mostly designing cool gadgets, posters and standing in front of the scary looking group, much like dragons’ den. But as I soon came to realise there was a lot more to it then that. This consequently shocked me, impressed me and scared me. When Bright Digital had confirmed that I was able to work with their Oxford branch I knew that this would be a great experience and really put me out in the field of marketing, not only that but it would look really impressive on my university application. It would increase my confidence and ability in writing, which I can definitely see as a career prospect. I thought to myself, even if I am just running around making tea or shopping errands, I would still be surrounded by brilliant brains discussing the ins and outs of various ideas and like a sponge I would sit back and soak it all up. My mind was put at ease though as soon as I met the lovely team I would be spending 6 ½ hours a day for a week with. I took part in many different activities from fixing a table leg to collecting data. I really felt like a member of the team and everyone was extremely welcoming.

I began with some simple things, yet not easy. Searching for images to be used in advertisement campaigns. I enjoyed this even though it took a very long time clicking though pages of images, page after page. Also brainstorming ideas for future advertisements based on a brief specification, I got involved in the finance side of working in a small office by dealing with petty cash (not to mention the spending of the money on shopping trips) where I had to fill out a form and use my (moderate) math skills. I found I had a brand new skill while working at Bright Digital. I discovered I have a talent for writing twitter messages. Seeing as so much advertisement is viewed through the internet nowadays, I was asked to work on drafts for a competition that will run soon. This involved thinking up probably over 100 tweets and making them all about the same subject, but each different and entertaining. I presumed that this would be very simple; however I found that as the time went on, and the tweets increased, it was much harder to come up with new ways of putting things. I was officially tweeted out!

So I went on to collecting data and information, such as travel costs, and putting them into a spreadsheet, and finding the nearest FedEx office. This involved making phone calls and sending emails. Throughout the week I also got involved in collecting information from the internet, about bitly links, and putting that also into a spreadsheet. And as I initially assumed, I did make cups of tea. I was also given the job of choosing a couple of best photographs from a selection (a large selection), which would later be used in campaigns.

Throughout the week I observed my fellow workers as they bravely prepared to meet an impending deadline and it became obvious to me how committed they were to their work. I was inspired by their ability to keep working until 2 in the morning, go home, and then come back in the early morning to start work again. I also felt admiration as they kept calm and level headed throughout all the frustration. I enjoyed talking to them about my future prospects and ideas, and also talking about their own past and got lots of very useful advice. Something which surprised me was how well everyone worked in a team, sending emails back and forth, calling, texting, IMing. Yet they got everything completed and still had time to have pizza at lunch. That was the most surprising thing about my work experience, the communication between colleagues and the warm environment which they created.

The part of work experience which I think I enjoyed the most was the proof reading. Not only did I enjoy reading other people’s work and getting an insight into Bright Digital’s current projects, but to actually get the chance to make a difference and improvements to something which other people, from around the globe, would read was very exciting. I felt like I was helping others improve their own skills, not that they weren’t already excellent, but also improving my own technique and learning from what others have written. Giving my own opinions on the text, correcting mistakes and just making sure it all made sense. I felt this was an important part of the process of getting things done and out. This experience has been extremely useful and has taught me a lot about the behind the scenes work, that most ordinary people don’t have the chance to see.

 By Rachel Yates