A little late to leave the starting line on blogging about my experience here in the graduate rotation, but here it goes. I was fortunate enough to receive the opportunity to stay on at Edelman on the graduate scheme after a 3-month internship with the Healthcare team here in London.  What can I say? Opportunities are opportunities and I took a leap fully knowing I’d have to leave my comfort zone and face the challenges ahead.

Digital Versus Public Affairs

Everyone keeps asking me which I prefer, Digital or Public Affairs?  I don’t think I can give a straight answer to that because I honestly don’t have one. It’s like asking someone if they prefer their hands or their feet, which I can’t begin to rationalize. What is fair to say is that I felt like a fish out of water to begin with in both Digital and Public Affairs – but I think that actually heightened my experience. Overall, I was amazed at the range of projects I had the chance to work on. Certainly no shortage  in that department.  There was always plenty of research to collate – much of which would go directly to clients or be used in new business pitches. During my time is these teams I managed to help with online audits, social media content development, supporting events and even had the chance to attend a few client meetings and events. What makes both of these teams exciting groups to work with is that the different clients represent a whole spectrum of industries including education, energy, consumer brands, pharma companies, automakers and even a tourism board. And if I forgot to mention it before, people in both the teams were beyond amazing to work with.

Now to reel back to the work I had the pleasure of doing. Even though I was only in a given department for five weeks at a time, it was such a sweet treat to see what became of my hard work. Whilst in Digital, I managed to increase online blogger coverage for Levi’s Shape of What’s to Come (a community of inspiring women networking and sharing life experiences) live webcast with Shingai Shoniwa, the singer of the Noisettes, who also recorded an amazing track for the campaign. During my time in Public Affairs, I had the opportunity to reach out to a number of MPs and invite them to an educational campaign on alcohol awareness sponsored by Diegeo called ‘Smashed’. I must admit that both these tasks required a fair bit of diligence and really hinged on people’s interest. In the end, blogger coverage for Levi’s Shape of What’s to Come went great and there were a number of MPs interested in seeing the theatrical education programme firsthand! One Labour MP, Jonahthan Reynolds, appreciated ‘Smashed’ so much that he even shared his account of the programme’s ability to engage with young people concerning the use of alcohol. Both of these teams were incredibly unique but I think it’s fair to say that they are driven to continually reach out to public interest – that is PR after all!

Topping up on News

Besides being one step ahead of the curve, there is a real sense that people are very much on the same page. Digital for example, are on a need to know basis with all the latest trends in social media. While over in Public Affairs, there is continual play-by play coverage of Westminster’s surfacing agendas. News of the day is on constant flow. The folks from Digital are continually dipping into the likes of Mashable and TechCrunch for fresh inspiration, while over in Public affairs people keep a constant eye on topics and opinions unfolding on Parliament Live TV and checking the annals of They Work For You and Write To Them.

Lasting Impressions

What really stands out here at Edelman is seeing the wealth of resources that the company creates. This isn’t just a matter of exclusive speakers coming in here or there (which they most definitely do!), or the excellent training programmes and courses occurring year-round. People here are committed to setting a precedent and an agenda. It’s not just about being the best communicators possible, but making communications resonate by setting standards for being real and engaging. I’ve had the chance to help out with events like the Crystal Ball and the Trust Barometor that make this place feel as though it’s on the precipice of what comes next. Both of these events packed the room with heavy weight thinkers from the government, the media, and non-profit groups. Whether looking at Big Society in 2011 or understanding the impact of trust within global industries, Edelman as a company makes a habit of starting good conversations.