Working at Current Digital – A great summer placement!

Hi, my name is James Davies and I’m currently studying Advertising and Marketing Communications at Bournemouth University. For the past six weeks I have been documenting my time here at Current Digital to offer insight into how a dynamic digital agency operates and share my experiences with you.

As part of my degree, a six week placement has to be completed within the advertising/marketing industry. I set about looking for potential placements in larger media agencies based in London. However, after a few interviews I was unsure as to whether or not a larger agency was the best option for me. I then came across Current Digital, a smaller specialist digital agency who were also recruiting for summer placements.

I have always held an interest in digital advertising due to the substantial growth it has received over recent years and felt that learning the trade at a smaller agency would enable me to gain a lot more valuable insight in a limited period of time. After my interview at Current Digital, the idea of carrying out my placement in Bournemouth was a lot more appealing. The team were really friendly and the placement offered me a sense of real involvement in the day to day business operations

Over the past six weeks, the tasks I completed have gradually become more demanding until I was developing search proposals and working with my colleagues to provide online media plans to clients. Carrying out day to day ma nagement of current client accounts and enhancing new business lists occupied my time throughout the week and I was also given the chance to provide some input into the proposals put forward for new business clients.

The most enjoyable part of my placement was working on a new business client, developing relationships with media agents to provide a strategic media plan for the client. Being given such responsibility helped me learn the process of delivering media objectives for the client much more quickly and effectively. I was monitored throughout the course of the process and any decisions were discussed with my seniors. This provided me with responsibility that helped me develop my skills but at the same time not jeopardise the strategic implementation of the clients media objectives.

Having the chance to learn about many of the principles behind online advertising has made me think about my potential career in digital media. I thoroughly enjoyed everything I have done at Current Digital and look to take the skills I have learnt forward into my final year of university.