About Genuine
Industry: Digital Marketing
Location: Boston, MA
Company size: 50 employees
What They Do: Genuine is a full-service digital marketing agency devoted to unlocking limitless possibilities for its clients. Genuine has been making inspired digital at the intersection of strategy, creative and technology since 2005.
Website: www.wearegenuine.com
Q&A with Alex Angstrom, Associate Director, Strategy at Genuine
Q. How does the D'Amore-McKim corporate residency program differ from other internships you support?
A. D'Amore-McKim's graduate corporate residency program truly raised the bar for us. We were pleasantly surprised by the abundance of high-caliber applicants. The opportunity to collaborate with graduate students, a possibility previously unknown to me, provided us with a resident boasting a more advanced skill set than we've experienced with other traditional interns.
The six-month corporate residency duration proved to be incredibly beneficial, fostering deeper integration and heightened productivity. While our corporate resident hit the ground running, the longer six-month timeline would have allowed for a month or so to get up to speed, a luxury not typically afforded during a seasonal internship. Her academic background equipped her with valuable skills such as market research, data analytics, and marketing performance management, which played a pivotal role in her success in her corporate residency.
Q. How did your corporate resident bring value to your organization?
A. Our resident brought immense value to our organization through her blend of hard and soft skills. Her proficiency in data analytics and marketing was expected, given the reputation of the D'Amore-McKim MBA program, but it was her adeptness in soft skills that truly stood out and surprised us. As a creative agency, client interaction is paramount, and she seamlessly transitioned into client-facing roles with confidence. She also demonstrated versatility in collaborating with various departments, including account management, project management, and design, demonstrating effective teamwork across the board.
Her involvement also extended beyond data analytics to encompass creative aspects such as writing creative briefs and participating in creative reviews. Her competitive research and industry trend analysis significantly informed our strategic decisions and new business pitches.
Q. How has your corporate resident benefitted your business with short-term and long-term value?
A. Employing a corporate resident helped us manage our team's workload during our busiest period. Without our corporate resident, we would have had a substantial increase to our workload, which would have posed significant challenges. Our corporate resident offered a sway to strengthen our team with much needed entry-level talent.
Q. What kinds of projects did your corporate resident work on and how have they advanced your business goals?
A. During her tenure as our corporate resident, she excelled in handling complex projects, particularly in data analytics. She focused on recurring tasks such as monthly dashboard reporting for digital marketing campaigns and website traffic analytics, as well as one-off initiatives like SEO and keyword research. Her expertise in data collection, analysis, and visualization provided valuable insights for client presentations, facilitating the measurement of ROI on various campaigns.
Her versatility and dedication surpassed our expectations, allowing her to seamlessly transition between analytical and creative tasks, ultimately supporting our team's diverse needs effectively.
Q. Do you plan to hire more corporate resident students in the future?
A. Given the impressive talent pool and the extended duration of residency provided by D'Amore-McKim, I anticipate continuing to work with future corporate residents. Our corporate resident was an invaluable member of our team, and I can't imagine not utilizing this resource again.
