“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Albert Einstein.
That quote defines working at a digital agency.
You see digital marketing is a fairly new term in the Kenyan industry. It is growing at an exponential rate as corporates and start-ups have found a way to engage consumers, and also market their products through social media in a strategic way using analytical tools.
My internship adventure has been full of surprises. I call it an adventure because it is an unconventional industry with “no clear guidelines”. It is not like working at a bank or a “regular job”. You can check in to work with your pair of converse or have hair as long as The Jackson-Five. Your work is your word and you better stand by it.
Working at a digital agency entails having fun, by creating unimaginable ideas and turning them to reality. It brings back memories of when we were kids and we would have impossible ideas. I am privileged to be working with people who have brilliant minds and ideas. They are able to envision the future of marketing and advertising. When you are working with people and they challenge you every day, then to me you are in the right place to work and grow as an individual and in your career.
Working at an agency is very fun because you work in environment that is full of activities, for example:
- Having a theme of clothes on a particular day, like last Friday we had a vintage theme so you had to bring your old skool game
- Taking selfies every Friday
- Celebrating birthdays every month with a cake
The advantage of such an environment, is that it gets the best out of you, as you grow ties with your colleagues. Some have become more than colleagues, some have even become brothers.
At Bean Interactive we have this saying- ”#KYS” Know Your Shit. Pardon my French but you better know your shit. By being passionate about your work and your ideas. It is like any ordinary job, like if you ask Chris Kirubi why he is successful, he will probably tell you, “I love what I do.”
It is a very competitive industry as there are not so many “hands-on” digital agencies out there. Competition is very high. It is why you have to be good at what you do, by:
- Doing constant research
- Learning trends of consumers
- Interacting with social media.
“Work hard play hard” that is also another quote that people follow. I am amazed by the levels we go to perfect our work so that the client can approve the work, or before the deadline reaches.
But after that we always have “Omera” by our side, as we can order a cold one baada ya kazi
Written by Wayne Njaaga- Content department Intern