Channeling and Championing The Rural Spirit
After a week off, the Hop was ready to flex its strategic and creative muscles once again…and Osborn Barr provided the perfect playing field. One look at their offices and we had no doubt they truly were champions of the rural spirit. Not just a tag line but a rallying cry that sends out a very clear message. No one understands rural America like Osborn Barr.
There is a quiet energy that radiates within these walls and those who work here mirror it. People with heads buried in computer screens or locked in brainstorming sessions looked up long enough to flash us all a warm, welcoming smile as we passed by. The rural motif continues in decor just as it does in spirit. Barn doors, wooden beams, antique farm machinery and ottomans draped in prints reminiscent of the farm life, blend surprisingly well with the old exposed brick buildings in St. Louis. Suitably impressed, we awaited our assignment for the week.
Ad Club STL designed this program to give us maximum exposure and a learning opportunity that would make us well-rounded, employable professionals. O+B definitely delivered on that promise. We were tasked with a research-oriented assignment that led us to explore core principles of marketing and business development. While it seemed a little overwhelming at the beginning, O+B had a solution for that as well.
We were introduced to the world of business development and client pitches under the expert tutelage of their director of business development who helped us understand that it is never about what you’ve done in the past but what you can do for the client you hope to land. The backbone of any company, this is the team that identifies new prospects and brings in clients that keep the business profitable. After all, awards don’t pay the bills.
The company structure alone reveals their commitment to the cause. At least half their employees here have a rural background. Growing up in a community that is also your target audience has its advantages. If you already know what they listen to or what they want, it is easy to communicate with them. In an agency, you need to know your client’s audience better than they do.
The past five weeks have been intense. We’ve all grown within our individual role while developing skills that complement it. We have three more weeks to go with this internship and a lifetime of learning ahead of it. We want to give a big shout out to the people from the advertising community here in St. Louis for all the love and support that they have given us.
Have you been following our journey here?
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