First Day - 06/10/2014

June 10, 2014

My first day at Frozen Fire was the perfect experience to commence my time there, and I learned my first lesson within minutes: professional attire.

Of the three goals Nikki had me set for myself, one was to acquire professional etiquette, both in behavior and attire. For a Pitzer student whose wardrobe consists mainly of high-waisted shorts, clogs, and cut out Ts, this is actually more challenging than one might think. I’m sure that once in the habit, dressing to make a good impression will become more routine though.

Anyway, for most of the day I sat at my shiny, white desk and observed the Frozen Fire website and blog, as well as the company’s various social media profiles. This may sound simple and unvaried, but I learned so much just sitting, reading, and observing. After reading the blog posts written by the Frozen Fire employees, I started to notice a trend - most of the blogs were advice from Frozen Fire to their clients on how to digitally market themselves better - they had a very how-to and DIY feel. I took their ideas and practiced going onto websites such as Dunkin Donuts and their social media platforms and observed how well, if at all, they were implementing Frozen Fire’s tips. (Something else I noticed about the Frozen Fire blogs was that they were taking sips of their own medicine -- they were keeping a “conversation” with the client via the blog, yet maintaining a somewhat authoritative and all-knowing face. They were also telling the clients how they can digitally market themselves better, however, since the clients lack the tools and skill sets, Frozen Fire can plant these ideas and then swoop in when a client decides they want something.)

In summary, I learned a lot just from doing research on my own. I took note of the blog, how the use of bullet points made it quicker and easier to read, how each entry had a small introduction to pull the reader in, the use of their mission statement at the end of each post, etc. I noticed the overall visual scheme, reflected by their website and office space - a clean, minimalistic look that gives the sense of ease and simplicity (which translates into fast, easy results). I also read the blog post called “The White Background” about Apple’s genius idea of using a simple white background in their ads to create the same sense of simplicity that Frozen Fire abides by. I also noticed Frozen Fire’s media platforms all contained the company’s mission statement, however they did not give much else information -- just a link to the site. I thought this was quite a good idea - give people a taste of the company, using a certain aspect (YouTube = videos, Facebook = personal, etc.) yet leave them wanting to know more about the company, drawing them to the actual website.

In all, a great way to begin this internship! More on Thursday! (See goals below)

• Goals
• Acquire professional etiquette: both in behavior and in professional attire (something that I have already pushed a little)
• Learn more about marketing, which I got a taste of at the Balcom Agency, however I would like to see it integrated with film since I have a passion for both. (I also would perhaps like to start a digital marketing company like Frozen Fire one day, but we shall see!)
• Become more proficient in writing for other people, rather than the language and syntax I use while blogging for myself. Basically, I would like to learn how to write more professionally, yet in a way that still allows me to integrate my personality into the writing without making it too personal/sarcastic.