Earlier this year we welcomed student and marketing intern Brant Cole. After a fantastic few weeks, we’re now saying a fond farewell – but not before we take 10 minutes to reflect on his time with the team.
Ten minutes with Brant Cole, marketing intern at Appdrawn
Appdrawn has a local presence in Watford and a software development centre in Barcelona, but we’ve always had a global outlook. Brant’s arrival at the end of May marked – unsurprisingly – his first visit to Watford. However, the internship also marked his first visit to the UK.
Before his return to the States, we took 10 minutes with Brant to reflect on an internship of ‘firsts’; from travelling to tradeshows and creating campaigns, to client relations and communication. So…first thing’s first, what led to a Missourian (and a sports-fan whose early career goal was becoming a professional athlete) landing in Watford?
The perfect match
The University of Missouri organises the internship scheme, Brant explains. Via a partner, they review resumes and experience, and match students with companies that’d be the best fit – both in terms of the talent that the student can bring to the placement and the knowledge and skills that this placement can provide.
It’s something Appdrawn have done before and it was nice to be getting back into the rhythm after a couple of years break. Brant’s skills in communication, organisation, promotion and market research were clear from the off. But what was Brant hoping to gain from the role?
Experience in marketing and sales from an international perspective were top of the list, he says. He was also hoping to get involved in promotions, campaigns and B2B sales, building on the experience he already had and gaining an international perspective at the same time.
Appdrawn on the road
Fortunately, the past few months have seen plenty of opportunity for Brant to do just that! As he explains, the internship has involved communicating with prospective clients, creating marketing campaigns and branding, conducting competitor analysis and research, creating a social media strategy and creating digital content, and representing Appdrawn at the UK’s leading transport tradeshow, Traffex.
The trip to the Birmingham event gave Brant the opportunity to talk to customers and prospects one-to-one, he explains. Plus, taking the train to a new city, suited and booted, materials and roll-up banners in-hand was the perfect “business-like” opportunity – something we imagine it’s difficult to replicate with study alone.
Brant did an impressive job of representing the agency solo, especially having only a few weeks of experience under his (suited and booted!) belt.
This was great for the Appdrawn team, but any internship or job role, should be a partnership. As such, we wanted to ensure that Brant would be able to take away valuable lessons and learnings from his time with the team. Reflecting on the past six weeks, Brant highlighted organisational skills and time management, communication with colleagues and clients, and marketing and branding as being top of the ‘lessons learnt’ list – music to our ears!
UK vs US
Of course, the experience gained during any internship or job role does not only involve new ‘skills’ and ‘lessons’. The memories, social interactions and cultural differences can also be important in helping to shape a future path – whether professional and personal. As such, it was interesting to hear Brant’s thoughts on the differences between how businesses ‘do business’ in the UK (or, at Appdrawn at least!) versus the US. There’s more work/life balance here, he says, with productivity in the office a result of personal/professional motivation instead of it being something that’s forced. Office culture is not just ‘business all the time’, Brant continues, helping to create an atmosphere of mutual respect.
Starting any new job can be daunting. Starting a new job in a new country even more so, especially when that job lasts for just six weeks. Over this period, Brant has been an invaluable member to the Appdrawn team, contributing ideas, enthusiasm and one new product line.
Ireland, Scotland and the future
Brant’s time with the Appdrawn team may have come to an end, but he’s still got a few weeks of the great British summertime to enjoy. Onward travel, he says, will land him in Ireland followed by Scotland, before his return to the States and to begin his final year at university.
As to his post-uni future, Brant says he’s looking forward to putting the creativity and skills he’s picked up at Appdrawn into practice. While he no longer aspires to be a pro-basketball player, he does still hope to work in the sports sector – using his talent and international work experience to land a marketing and sales role.