Ana Adi
Fulbright Grantee
MOJO Ad PR Executive
Sunt experta in toate cele tineresti… si la fel sunt si colegii mei, cei din echipa Mojo Ad. Daca ati sti insa ca echipa Mojo Ad e formata totalmente din studenti (universitari si masteranzi) ai scolii de jurnalism din Missouri, m-ati intreba cu siguranta cum niste studenti pot fi experti. Raspunsul e cat se poate de simplu si de evident: tinerii stiu cel mai bine ce li se potriveste, ce vor si ce le place. Si asa, avem un Unique Selling Proposition ce face oferta Mojo Ad foarte greu de refuzat.
Ce este Mojo Ad? Este prima agentie cu staff completamente format din studenti ce ofera servicii profesionale de comunicare strategica din Statele Unite, agentie specializata in segmetul de tineri si tineri adulti (Youth and Young Adult – YAYA) si care desi integrata in programa educationala a University of Missouri, serveste clienti reali expunand staff-ul studentesc la provocarile lumii in care in curand vor trebui sa lucreze. Mojo Ad este prin urmare un program ce aduce studentii ce se specializeaza in comunicare strategica mai aproape de lumea profesionala, renuntand la teorii si imbratisand practica.
{viewonly=registered,special}A face parte din echipa Mojo Ad nu e simplu, procesul de recrutare fiind cat se poate de similar cu acela al unei agentii reale: pozitiile vacante sunt anuntate la sfarsitul fiecarui semestru, studentii adaugand aplicatiei online un CV, exemple din portofoliul lor, recomandari si foaia matricola. Foarte putini dintre cei inscrisi ajung in faza de interviu si si mai putini dintre ei ajung sa lucreze pentru agentie. Si Mojo Ad este o agentie: cu accounti, art directori si copywriteri, media planneri, manageri de trafic, cercetatori si specialisti in PR. Fiecare dintre ei, o data selectat si confirmat pe post, primeste o fisa foarte detaliata cu sacrinile, atributiile si responsabilitatile ce ii revin, la care se adauga asteptarile echipei de a incepe lucrul imediat de acolo de unde predecesorul l-a lasat, de a adopta comportamentul dinamic si atitudinea orientata spre client a agentiei precum si de a intelege si de a utiliza terminologia atat de specifica industriei de comunicare. Planning meetings, planificari, nopti nedormite, sesiuni de brainstorming si discutii aprinse, toate fac parte din rutina zilnica a Mojo Ad. Si lucrurile merg bine, ba mai bine as zice, merg struna fiindca studentii din staff-ul Mojo Ad o data terminandu-si cursurile academice sunt mai bine pregatiti sa faca fata unui client cu pretentii mari, unei companii de media ale carei preturi si oferte oscileaza si chiar intrebarilor sefului atunci cand nimic nu e planificat dinainte si nimic un a fost parafat de la bun inceput. Studentii din Mojo Ad isi invata meseria descoperind-o si practicand-o in fiecare zi in timp ce trebuie sa se exploreze pe ei insisi, sa-si explice intr-un mod rational optiunile, gusturile, dorintele, visele si aspiratiile si apoi sa le transforme in USP-uri si decizii strategice. Mai mult, Mojo Ad nu lucreza doar la un singur proiect, ci de cele mai multe ori lucreaza la doua sau trei in paralel: o campanie promotionala pentru agentie menita sa anunte noul sezon de recrutari si sa mareasca awareness-ul agentiei si activitatilor pe care le intreprinde in randul studentilor si al profesorilor a facultatii de jurnalism din Missouri; o campanie pentru un client local si inca o campanie pentru un client fie regional, fie national, ambele adresate doar publicului YAYA. Asadar capacitatea de a lucra la mai multe proiecte in paralel, atentia la detaliu, spiritul de echipa si de iniciativa sunt calitati pe care toti membii echipei Mojo Ad le poseda.
In afara de exercitiul zilnic de comunicare strategica si publicitate, a fi parte din staff-ul Mojo Ad prezinta si alte avantaje, unul dintre cele mai mari fiind acela al diversitatii echipei in sine, diversitate in interese, nationalitati, personalitati si niveluri de educatie. Agentia Mojo Ad, pentru studentii internationali, reprezinta una dintre cele mai populare oferte de “studiu” ale facultatii de jurnalism tocmai datorita tuturor celor descrise mai sus. La ele se adauga oportunitatea de a interactiona, observa si lucra cufundat intr-un mediu de lucru complet American concomitent cu lucrul pentru clienti ce se adreseaza publicurilor internationale.
A fi parte din echipa Mojo Ad nu e un lucru simplu, insa merita tot efortul.
Vazuta din perspectiva Romaniei, Mojo Ad este un program ce poate fi luat de exemplu si datorita oportunitatii ce o creeaza pentru studenti, aceea de a castiga experienta profesionala inca de pe bancile scolii. Pentru studentii romani ar fi o mare realizare daca putinele scoli de comunicare pe care le avem le-ar oferi aceasta provocare si oportunitate, stiut fiind faptul ca aprofundarea si cunoasterea teoriilor nu ii ajuta in pregatirea pentru ceea ce urmeaza dupa absolvire si, mai mult, nu ii face nici buni comunicatori si nici buni practicieni. Scoala romaneasca de comunicare este lipsita de aplicatie, poate azi mai putin decat in trecut, insa ramane prea teoretica pentru a fi capabila sa ofere industriei absolventi gata de lucru. Imi veti spune ca Romania are o cultura diferita si o istorie ce nu a permis dezvoltatea normala a industriei de comunicare. Nu pot decat sa fiu de acord, insa programul Mojo Ad este fezabil si realizabil chiar si in conditiile romanesti. Este nevoie insa de schimbare si de flexibilitate.
Va invit sa vizitati site-ul agentiei: www.mojo-ad.com , sa-l cititi si sa-l explorati pe indelete. Tot ce e acolo, asa profesional cum arata, a fost facut de la bun inceput de studenti. Si cu toate ca agentia si-a schimbat staff-ul complet de cand s-a infiintat, nivelul de profesionalism s-a mentinut. Ba chiar mai mult, Mojo Ad si-a marit staff-ul si a devenit o agentie mai buna. Iar acum, lucreaza printre altele, la primul sau ghid corporate si co-sponsorizeaza si organizeaza evenimente ce sa permita crearea unui dialog intre studenti si companiile comunicare intr-o incercare de a schimba idei si a stabili legaturi si relatii durabile. Si munca nu se termina aici si continua, continua, continua….
Ana Adi – Am absolvit facultatea si masterul in Bucuresti. Apoi am lucrat in PR si mi-am investit in munca toata energia si creativitatea… Acum sunt inapoi pe bancile scolii, insa de data aceasta in Statele Unite unde am venit cu o bursa Fulbright pentru un al doilea master. Probabil ca va ganditi: “ehe, si-a luat vacanta de studiu” insa scoala de data aceasta nu seamana deloc cu scoala pe care eu o stiam si cu care eram invatata. E mai degraba o constanta explorare profesionala a PR-ului, publicitatii, jurnalismului si cercetatii unde fiecare zi vine cu o noua provocare reala, cu o multime de intrebari de raspuns si cu necesitatea de a veni cu solutii concrete. Scoala e munca mea si munca mea e scoala. Si am din plin din amandoua si nu ma pot plange ca mi-e dor de vreuna din ele, ba din contra pot sa spun ca prin ele am descoperit Lumea Noua in timp ce eu am crescut vizibil, profesional si sufleteste.
Meet the experts in all things young… Want to join the team?
Ana Adi
Fulbright Grantee
MOJO Ad PR Executive
I am an expert in all things young… and so are my colleagues, the Mojo Ad staffers. Yet, I am sure that once you find out that the Mojo Ad staffers are all undergraduate and graduate students of the Missouri School of Journalism you’ll ask me how they can be experts. Well, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that young people know best what fits them, what they want and what they like. And so, you have a unique selling proposition that makes Mojo Ad’s offer hard to refuse.
What is Mojo Ad? Is the premiere student-staffed professional services strategic communication agency in the US specializing in the youth and young adult market, integrated in an academic curriculum, serving real clients and exposing the student staffers to the challenges of the real world in which they will soon need to work. It is therefore a program that brings strategic communication students closer than ever to the professional world, abandoning theories and embracing the practice.
To get into Mojo Ad is not an easy task at all as the process works pretty much the same as a company recruitment with several selection steps: the available positions are announced every end of the semester, students apply submitting their resumes, work samples and recommendations accompanied by a transcript of records. Very few of them make it to the actual interview and even fewer end up working for the agency. And Mojo Ad is an agency: with account executives, arts directors and copywriters, media planners, traffic managers, researchers, web designers, TV and convergence production people and last but not least PR people. Each one receives a detailed job description upon joining the team and is expected to hit the ground running while picking up the ongoing projects, adopting the agency’s businesslike behavior and dynamic and client oriented attitude as well as understanding and using the industry terminology and technical vocabulary that differentiates so much the communication industry from the other ones. There are scheduled meetings and agendas as well as sleepless nights, brainstorming sessions and heated discussions. And it all works fine, actually, to correct myself it works perfectly as once graduating college and saying good bye to the agency, those students are better prepared to face the world because of having had to face a demanding client, a media company with changing rates, of answering the boss’ questions when nothing is planned ahead and nothing was sealed from the beginning. These students learn by doing but also perform while having to explore their inner-selves and rationalize their choices, tastes, desires, dreams and aspirations and turn them into unique selling propositions and strategic decisions. Moreover, Mojo Ad does not work on a single project only but most often times on two or three at a time: a self-promotional campaign aiming to announce the new recruiting season and to increase the awareness of the agency’s activities among students and faculty of the Missouri School of Journalism; a campaign for a local client and another campaign for a regional or national client targeting only the YAYAs (youth and young adults). Needless to say, multitasking, attention to detail, team spirit and initiative are qualities that all Mojo Ad staffers have.
Besides the day-to-day advertising and strategic communication exercise, the Mojo Ad staffers have also other advantages, one of the biggest ones being the diversity of the team itself, diversity in interests, nationalities, personalities and education levels. Mojo Ad is for the international students one of the most popular offers of the Missouri School of Journalism specifically because of all the advantages shown before. Added to them is the sole opportunity of interacting, observing and working immersed in an American environment while serving clients that address international publics.
Being a Mojo Ad staffer is not an easy job but it is worth all the effort.
Seen from the Romanian perspective, Mojo Ad is a program that can be taken as a example and as an opportunity for students to gain professional acumen. It would be great if the future students of the few communication schools in Romania will be given this challenge and opportunity, because knowing the theories well does not prepare any student for the after-graduation work nor does it make her/him a good communicator and practitioner. The Romanian communication school lacks application, maybe less nowadays than in the past but nevertheless it is too theoretical to be able to offer the industry ready-to-work graduates. Yes, you will argue that Romania has a different culture and nonetheless a different history that did not allow the communication industry to evolve as it should have and I will only agree with you. But this is a doable project and a feasible idea; it only requires change and flexibility.
Take a moment of your time and go www.mojo-ad.com , read the website, browse through it and see what a professional job the agency did and it was done from scratch. Moreover, the agency’s staff changed almost completely since it started and yet the same level of professionalism was kept. And Mojo Ad grew and got better. It is working now, among other things, towards creating its corporate guide and towards co-sponsoring and organizing events that would bring the students and the communication companies together in a new attempt of changing ideas and building strong connections. And the work goes on, and on, and on….
Ana Adi – I graduated my BA and MA in Bucharest. Then I worked in PR and put all my energy and creativity into it… Now I am back in school, this time in the US for a master’s part of a Fulbright scholarship. You’d probably call it a “study holiday” but school this time is nothing like school, is more of a constant professional exploration of the PR, advertising, journalism and research worlds where every day comes with a practical challenge and tons of questions to answer and many results to deliver. My school is my work and my work is my school. I have plenty of both and I cannot complain that I miss any, on the contrary I can say that I have discovered the New World and improved the old me. {/viewonly}
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