The Daily OrangeCorporate campus representatives prepare for real-world jobs
By Ashley Collman
Posted: 11/12/09, 1:53 AM EST Section: Feature
In some larger corporations, student interns find themselves fetching coffee more than practicing their chosen career field. That's not the case for a growing number of students on campus working as public relations representatives.
At Syracuse University and other college campuses across the country, large companies hire students to promote their products among their peers. Some examples are retailers such as Victoria's Secret Pink, aerie, TOMS Shoes and 20 Park, as well as film companies like NBC Universal, Columbia and Sony. Even Insomnia Cookies has student promoters.
While the main goal is to get students involved with their businesses, each company has different expectations of its student representatives. Senior public relations major Naomi Ratner, a campus representative for Victoria's Secret Pink, had to attend a training session in Ohio over the summer for her position. Rebecca Levin, a junior public relations major and brand ambassador for aerie, just received a box in the mail with instructions.
Some companies allow students more leeway when it comes to managing themselves, while others are more tightly run. Levin, who was also a brand ambassador for Target, said that she has less independence at aerie than she did at Target, where she had a budget and was able to organize an after-hours shopping event.
Other campus representative jobs are a bit more demanding.
NBC Universal campus representative Samantha Yanow, a junior advertising major, is responsible for promoting and publicizing her company's films. This can take up a bit of time. She works with market strategies and progress reports while also organizing themed bar nights and campus screenings.
"We just finished doing 'The Fourth Kind,' and we did an on-campus screening for that and I worked with University Union," Yanow said. "Now, with the 'Funny People' DVD release, I'll probably be working a little more heavily than I was with the 'Land of the Lost.'"
At Syracuse University and other college campuses across the country, large companies hire students to promote their products among their peers. Some examples are retailers such as Victoria's Secret Pink, aerie, TOMS Shoes and 20 Park, as well as film companies like NBC Universal, Columbia and Sony. Even Insomnia Cookies has student promoters.
While the main goal is to get students involved with their businesses, each company has different expectations of its student representatives. Senior public relations major Naomi Ratner, a campus representative for Victoria's Secret Pink, had to attend a training session in Ohio over the summer for her position. Rebecca Levin, a junior public relations major and brand ambassador for aerie, just received a box in the mail with instructions.
Some companies allow students more leeway when it comes to managing themselves, while others are more tightly run. Levin, who was also a brand ambassador for Target, said that she has less independence at aerie than she did at Target, where she had a budget and was able to organize an after-hours shopping event.
Other campus representative jobs are a bit more demanding.
NBC Universal campus representative Samantha Yanow, a junior advertising major, is responsible for promoting and publicizing her company's films. This can take up a bit of time. She works with market strategies and progress reports while also organizing themed bar nights and campus screenings.
"We just finished doing 'The Fourth Kind,' and we did an on-campus screening for that and I worked with University Union," Yanow said. "Now, with the 'Funny People' DVD release, I'll probably be working a little more heavily than I was with the 'Land of the Lost.'"
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