小优视频

Nicolas Banaitis 鈥�26, an advertising and public relations major, is spending the summer as a marketing intern with L鈥橭real in New York City.听

He first applied for the L鈥橭real internship last summer. Then, in September, he was invited to participate in creating a mock ad campaign with a group of hopeful interns.听

The over 100 applicants were divided into groups of four and had 45 minutes to prepare a campaign and present it as a group to L鈥橭real professionals, with an additional 10 minutes reserved to answer questions.

鈥淚t was very nerve-racking,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was kind of challenging, because you鈥檙e sort of competing with these people, but you also want to make a good impression, because you鈥檙e showing how you can work with the team effectively, but you don鈥檛 want to overshadow, but you don鈥檛 want to be quiet. It was sort of like a tough in-between.鈥�

Almost two weeks after the activity, he received the news that he got a marketing internship within the consumer products division, specifically on Essie, a nail polish brand, on the brand engagement team.

His tasks include staying on top of current trends on social media and what other brands are posting, so Essie can decide whether or not to tap into that. At influencer events, he captures photos and videos of influencers and their nails, and collaborates with the manager of social, who later decides what to post on Instagram or TikTok.

He also assists with influencer marketing, which includes sending out packages to content creators, inviting creators to events, in addition to helping brainstorm event ideas.听

Recently, Essie collaborated with the New York Liberty WNBA team. At the game, there was a VIP suite for social media influencers to spread awareness of the brand, as well as a concourse pop-up, where attendees could win free nail polish.听

鈥淭hat was one part of the job that was really cool so far,鈥� Banaitis said.

Day-to-day, he might vet lists of potential influencers to make sure their content is within brand standards and that the influencer aligns with the company鈥檚 values.

When he has downtime, Banaitis is working on a marketing plan for a new nail polish line that is coming out next year. The plan is expected to include a social media plan, an influencer event and dinner, and potential collaborations with different brands and influencers. He will present his ideas in August to a team within the company.

Banaitis said that the class COM 383, Advertising Creative Direction, taught by associate professor of communication Juliet Davis helped him feel prepared for his role at L鈥橭real.

鈥淚n the class, we were acting as if we were an advertising agency,鈥� he said.听

The students came up with content briefs, demographics and influencer marketing ideas, as well as paid and shared media.听

鈥淚 use that in my daily job here at L鈥橭real,鈥� he said, 鈥渟o I feel like I could take those elements from that class and put it in my job here.鈥�

Davis noted that the class is different from other courses in marketing or communication, in the sense that it is not primarily focused on learning about the client, audience, problems and goals.

鈥淪tudents quickly move beyond those basics to develop empathy with the target audience, 'out-of-the-box' creativity to reach them, and keen sensitivity to language, visual imagery, social engagement, journey maps and environments that will compel action,鈥� said Davis.

Banaitis will return to 小优视频ampa in the fall for his senior year, but he hopes to return to the company after graduation.

His dream is to work in brand engagement with Aesop, a company that specializes in skincare, hair care, fragrance and more.听