Intern Reflection

We hated to say goodbye to our fabulous interns last week, but are so thankful for all their hard work this summer. Check out Sarah Hill's internship reflections below. 


By. Sarah Hill
Account Services Intern 

It’s hard to believe that my internship is over, and that I’m going back to school in a few weeks. I have learned so much during my time at the Sells Agency. My days have been filled with writing press releases, conducting surveys, and going on intern tours. Through watching how an agency works, I saw the specific roles of each person. I saw how everyone did his or her job differently, but equally well. Each person caters to his or her clients in unique and effective ways.

I gained experience through developing and conducting the Bank Clarity surveys. I have learned how to present a project to a client and work listen to a client’s needs.  Working with a project from start to finish taught me to look at small details and how to collaborate with others.

Overall I have learned that I still have a lot more to learn, but this internship has given me confidence and invaluable experience in the marketing industry. I cannot wait to use all of the skills I have learned here during my final year of college!

That's a wrap!

By: Alison Bracy
Account Services Intern 

I can’t believe that it is the last week of my internship with the Sells Agency! These ten weeks have flown by. The time I got to spend here has been nothing short of awesome, and I have learned far more through this hands-on experience than I have in three years of college.

My writing has improved tremendously. Emily and Sarah guided me through the process of writing news releases and media alerts, and then let me write several on my own. With their helpful editing, I was able to improve my writing and I am excited to enter my senior year as a more confident writer. 


I loved being able to watch Kristen, Allison and Lauren work with their different clients. Although they are all account executives, they each have a different style of doing business.

Kristen is a great communicator. She taught me the importance of on-going communication with clients. She showed me how to write conference reports, which she writes and sends to clients after every meeting.

Allison is very good with research. She was a huge help to me and Sarah Hill with our Bank Clarity research project. She showed us how to create our survey in a way that would give us an accurate understanding of average bank consumers. When it was time for us to make a presentation of our research, she showed us different ways to structure our presentation.

 Lauren taught me that it's important to pay attention to details. One of the jobs that she does for a client is a very detailed, weekly e-blast. After updating the e-blast, she is always sure to look back over it, checking every detail. 

I’m so glad I got the opportunity to spend my summer at the Sells Agency learning from so many different people! 

Mobile Banking a Compelling Factor for Young Banking Consumers

By: Alison Bracy

Do you rely on a mobile application to check the balance of your checking account? Or have you ever used a deposit image ATM to deposit a check? In the past few years, mobile banking technology has grown in popularity, especially among young adults. According to this thefinancialbrand.com article, more than half of people who recently switched banks are under age 35 and use mobile technologies regularly. Ten percent of people who switched banks at the end of 2011 named availability of mobile banking as one of the top three reasons for switching. This is a significant increase from only four percent in 2010.

According to a recent report from Javelin Strategy & Research, 11 percent of U.S. consumers are threatening to switch banks sometime before the end of this year. With this large amount of people considering switching, it will be interesting to see if mobile banking will continue to grow as a compelling factor for switchers.

Sarah H., Hunter and I are nearing the completion of our Bank Clarity intern project. Throughout our research, we have learned about many different factors consumers consider when choosing a bank. You’ll be hearing more about Bank Clarity next week as we put the finishing touches on our project, so stay tuned!

'You're not special': The best graduation speech ever?

An English teacher in the Boston-area, David McCullough Jr., gave a speech at a high school graduation this year that started a lot of conversations in the media. Bloggers and reporters alike said that this speech is “the best graduation speech ever.”  McCullough told the graduating seniors: "You are not special. You are not exceptional."

But not all of McCullough’s 12-minute speech was depressing. He ended his controversial message by telling the seniors, "Selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself. The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you're not special—because everyone is. Congratulations, good luck. Make for yourselves, please, for your sake and ours, extraordinary lives."

Today, graduation speeches usually pat the graduates on the back and tell them how wonderful and exceptional they have become. I recently attended my sister’s graduation and McCullough’s speech stands in stark contrast to her school’s commencement address. The speech at her graduation encouraged the graduates by telling them how well prepared they were to encounter the big, bad world. As an intern I have seen that although I am almost finished with school there is much more that I need to learn. There are always new ways to improve myself. I am impressed by McCullough’s boldness, and I think that my generation needed his reality check. 

McCullough reminded the students and the general public that the world does not revolve around them. In a world where students get awarded for meeting required standards, we need a better understanding of our place in the world and how we can improve it.    

New Insider’s Guide Will Be Useful Tool to USA Today Readers

By: Alison Bracy

The Sells Agency just completed the “Insider’s Guide to Northwest Arkansas” for the Fayetteville A&P Commission. The new guide is the largest ever with 44 additional pages and, for the first time, includes a double-sided, fold-out map with the city of Fayetteville on one side and the University of Arkansas campus on the other. The guide makes experiencing Fayetteville and the entire Northwest Arkansas area a snap. And it seems that we’re not the only ones that think Fayetteville is a great place to explore.

Fayetteville was featured in a USA Today online article titled “Explore What Makes Your College Town Unique.” Ranked by College Town Network as one of the 60 best college towns in America, Fayetteville is much more than just the home of the University of Arkansas. The article encourages students to step out of their campus comfort zone and explore the uniqueness of their new home. Heidi Wither, owner of a Fayetteville bakery commented, “Exploring the town you’re living in for four years enriches the experience and is a different way of educating yourself.”

Well said, Ms. Wither. We couldn’t agree more. And with a beautiful and exciting area like Northwest Arkansas to call home, we hope you’ll be enticed to get your copy of the “Insider’s Guide to Northwest Arkansas” at http://www.experiencefayetteville.com/vguide.php and visit soon.

What's In a Name?

By: Allison Drennon

Around our office, we have been known to compare (not begrudgingly) the launch of marketing efforts to birth. Really the similarities are endless:  the emotions surrounding the initial discovery (excitement and shock), extensive planning, then finally an introduction into the world.

Part of the planning is the all-important name. There are many ways to name a baby brand. Perhaps it is something you decided on many years ago. Or maybe it is something you (your spouse, your business partners and marketing agency) have been wrestling with for months. Here are a few tips for naming or renaming your brand:

-       Rely on strategy above emotions. Your brand name should be a combination of art plus science. There are many factors that must be taken into consideration – consumer research, meaning, pronunciation, spelling, connection to an existing brand, visual elements, functionality – but all of that should play second fiddle to your strategic marketing plan. If it doesn’t fit with your plan, it doesn’t work.

-       Don’t be a copycat. Definitely check into the possibility of conflict with names on your brainstorm list. The USPTO is a great resource for pending and registered mark search (http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp). Also don’t forget to make sure there is an open URL.

-       Listen for the Hallelujah chorus. But if you aren’t hearing the angels sing, don’t panic. Consider how many people are decision makers in the process and current brand equity (if any). Revisit the research and the strategy. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

-       Comfort comes with time. You are sure to hear feedback from all angles in the first few weeks after introduction. As people become more familiar with the name, they will become more comfortable with it. We bet that in 1998 there were several skeptics of the name Google.

Need help coming up with a great brand, or need help with your existing brand? Call us. We’re experts at creating and building brand awareness and preference, and we have the research to prove it.

Blogging about Blogging

Over the past few years, months and even hours, social and digital media and the way marketing firms use them has been evolving. A recent study by RSW/US, a development firm that specializes in agency-client relationships, took a look at how marketing experts and agencies currently use and perceive social and digital media.

http://www.rswus.com/images_and_uploads/Changes-in-Social-Digital-Media-2009-2012.pdf

In short, most marketing professionals are more knowledgeable and confident about social media than they were three years ago. With that being the case, agencies are expected to be even more ahead of the curve with the guidance and strategies they provide clients on these topics.

At the Sells Agency, our goal is complete marketing clarity so we won’t ever recommend social media, a digital media buy or anything else unless it helps you reach your ultimate business goals. In our own social media efforts, we want to provide interesting content on a consistent basis. We are hoping to bring a more insightful, thought-leadership approach to our blog in the future. You’ll still be able to find updates on our latest client work and news about fun office happenings, but with more industry insights and opinions from different Sells Agency associates mixed in.

Check back here tomorrow for account executive Allison Drennon’s take on choosing a name for a new brand.