I cant’t believe my six weeks with Tracy Locke is over. It really has flown by and I am so thankful for all the fantastic opportunities I have been given while working here. I have met so many new people and visited places that I never thought I would and I am really so, so thankful.

Feelings before: before this placement I was both nervous and excited. Like I have said in previous posts, this is (was) an industry I didn’t know much or anything about which was something I thought would hold me back. I was also nervous about meeting so many new people.

Feelings during:  I am happy to say that these were very silly things to be nervous about as I have been made to feel so welcomed by so many nice people! While I have been on placement I really have learnt so much about advertising and marketing and how this industry is run. There are so many different areas such as digital, creative and strategic. This is just to name a few but each area has so many people working for it and each and everyone is important in helping us make that decision while standing in the aisle at the supermarket.

Originally when I have seen adverts for companies, such as Pizza Hut, I had assumed that it was them who would make the adverts, menus etc. However, it is agencies who do this work for them and make the adverts amazing (the latest controversial Pepsi advert was made without an advertising company and look what happened there…)

Feelings after: I mainly just can’t believe it’s over so quickly and that I have spent 6 weeks here. I have learnt so much while being here and the knowledge I have gained could definitely be something I could base a class project or a number of lessons on. I could have different groups in my class and assign them to specific teams, like digital and creative, and make the outcome of the lesson be to make an advert.

I have been able to work on my professionalism while being here too but I have been able to see professionalism in a different context. There is quite a different dress code here as people can wear jeans in the office which is something we wouldn’t do in the classroom, but this does not make anyone any less professional.

Additionally, I have been able to work on my professional language through speaking to a variety of people and also through email. Email is the main use of communication here so you must be able to give a good first impression and have a professional attitude to any work that you are given.

Being here at Tracy Locke has also allowed me to work on skills within collaborative working. For each client (e.g. Pizza Hut, Samsung, Johnson and Johnson etc.) there is a team of people who do the work them which means although people in the team have different roles, they all have to work together and communicate so that a goal can be reached. Additionally, members of the team may work with other people in the company (e.g. strategic directors) if the work they’re doing requires more help.

Have I met goals/audit?: I believe that I really have! In my audit of skills in one of my first posts I stated that my self confidence was at a 2 out of 3. I believe that being here I can now put this at a 1. I have met so many new people that I have felt completely comfortable talking to and I managed to do a presentation in front of the team which they all really enjoyed.

I also rated my computer skills at a 2. While being here I have used a computer every single day and used programs such as word, excel and Keynote which has allowed me to become a lot more “computer confident” and something I will do more often when I’m home.

I wanted to see how advertising affected children and I found a lot of this through reading which I have referred to in previous posts and I will most definitely be able to apply all of this new knowledge to HWB lessons regarding advertising and the effects it can have on us as consumers.

I unfortunately did not get the chance to work directly with the Marcus Graham project due to timing but my attendance in the diversity meeting allowed me to have a good understanding about the current issue in advertising of a severe lack of diversity within its employees.

Now it’s time for a bit of travelling! I am going to Los Angeles this weekend to visit some family friends and then on Tuesday I am going to Ann Arbor in Michigan where I am going to spend a few days in Huron Valley elementary school which will be a fantastic experience as I will be able to compare the education system’s to Scotland’s.

•Investigate aspects of the values and culture of the placement provider and the impact on their stakeholders.

The advertising and marketing industry has been traditionally unattractive to people of colour and has not been encouraging of women to senior positions.

The values of Tracy Locke (TL) are entirely contrary to this and as a company have done more in both of these areas than many in the advertising and marketing industry. For instance, the industry average statistic for women in senior creative positions is 11.5%, whereas TL’s is 35%.

Similarly, TL’s annual intern programme has to consist of 1/3 of placements from diverse ethnic backgrounds. TL also operates high standards and values for all employees offering more favourable maternity and paternity packages, clear guidelines on performance review and pay rises and more personal time off than many other companies in its industry.

Lastly, TL is a company that believes business success should also equate to individual success. a successful year will always result in a financial bonuses for all employees, which will encourage employees to work hard all year round.

In an environment where diversity, gender, ethnicity and sexuality is at the top of many businesses agenda, TL progress in these respects, making it highly attractive to potential clients which leads to incremental revenue. Similarly, it ensures that TL can attract the best talent in the North American advertising industry which leads to optimal creative output.

Lastly and inevitably, companies with positive values receive equally positive attention in their industry, press and media. This has a positive halo effective on TL’s stakeholders.