Meet the Interns: DDB Chicago's Lauren Phillips

Tell us about your internship, what are your main responsibilities?


As an account management intern on Jeep, I have been overseeing a lot of communication processes and helping out with research. For example, I conducted a deep dive into the social space of Jeep and Jeep’s competitors in order to better Jeep’s own social platforms. Additionally, I attend all meetings, internal and external, to really learn and grasp the entire campaign process. I have gotten to see the full process, from brief to creative review. My main responsibilities as the Jeep intern have been to help out with any and all tasks that we are given by the client, to be assertive and aware of my surroundings, to seek advice and maintain open communication with my supervisors, and to manage and solve problems.
Additionally, I have been a leader on the intern project this summer. My main responsibilities for this include organizing all meetings, making sure the team is productive, being a point of contact for client (DDB) and our mini-agency and streamlining that communication, as well as providing a point-of-view on creative work under evaluation.


Do you have a dream account or brand you’d like to work with? Which one?


A dream account I would like to work with would be Blue Moon. I believe Blue Moon would be a great account where I could do my best work in that it is a brand that I personally love, so I would be extremely motivated to push the best work for the company. I understand the target market, so I would be able to solve and manage any problems relating to that. The company is young and fun, and I feel like it would be an enjoyable experience to work with them. On a broader level, I think working on a CPG account would be very interesting because I like figuring out why people buy what they buy, and why they are loyal to certain brands, even if it is as simple as a beverage they like or a type of cleaning product they buy.


Talk to us about the culture in your office, how has it impacted your internship?


The culture in the office is very open and friendly. With the open floor plan, I feel like I can talk and collaborate with everyone around me which is something I love. Everyone is very approachable and happy to help with anything I need. There are a lot of activities that occur around the office that are interesting and spur my creativity. Even though people work on different accounts, I feel like everyone is united under the common goal of creating great work and representing DDB well. This type of culture has impacted my internship in an immense way as DDB has become a place where I would want to stay or want my future workplace to be like.


What have you learned about the advertising industry that surprised you?


One thing I have learned about the advertising industry that surprised me is how many revisions occur in the creative process. An idea can be so manipulated and transformed that it becomes barely recognizable to what it once was. Adding to this, I was also surprised to see that creative work does not only come from the creatives. So many people oversee the creative process, from client to agency, and have different views of what they think the advertisement should look like, so it becomes a very collaborative idea. This is something that pleasantly surprised me as I believe in collaboration and that the best ideas are often those that draw on the views of multiple people with differing backgrounds.


Choose a current popular advertising trend and tell us what’s interesting about it.


A popular advertising trend that interests me is the emphasis on social change. Advertising influences our behavior as consumers, but it can also have the power to shape our dreams and reinforce our values. Social media has changed the world we live in today. Companies are shifting away from delivering monologues about products to engaging in conversations and transforming the relationship between brand and consumer. This transformation has made brands more human and relatable. Values-based advertising is important because it gets people talking and sharing, which in turn is great for the brand.


Imagine your dream job, where are you, what does a day-to-day look like?


At my dream job I am at an ad agency, working with a group of peers that all respect one another. It would be working on a team that collaborates well together and understands each other in order to create the best work. My day-to-day would be busy but manageable, allowing for a work-life balance. I would be constantly around other people and communicating with clients.


Are you considering another internship, or looking for jobs now? What are your next steps?


I am currently looking for jobs now. I thoroughly enjoyed my internship here at DDB and would like to continue doing what I am doing, so any jobs I pursue will be in account management. My next steps include seeing what is available, first here at DDB, and then at other agencies in the area.


What is your favorite ad of all time?


My favorite ad of all time is the “Fearless Girl” statue at Bowling Green Park. The sculpture is iconic, representing female leadership in business – something we do not see enough of today. The statue serves as an inspiration to my generation, as well as the future generations of women to come. From a creative perspective, I love that this is a statue - so it is timeless. Most people when they think of advertisements think of quirky commercials that made them laugh, but an advertisement can be so much more than that.