Thanks to BrandLab — a Minneapolis-based organization that seeks to bring diverse voices into the marketing industry — sixteen high school students from Kansas City’s Guadalupe Centers High School recently visited Intouch for their first taste of advertising and marketing. Less than 10% of advertising talent includes people of color, and as Intouch strives to bring ever-more diversity into its own workforce, we were excited to spend time with the students and — hopefully! — spark interest in what we do every day.
Ten Intouchers from a range of disciplines volunteered to talk about what marketing is, share their own stories about how they got into the business and what they love about it, what they do at Intouch, and why diverse voices and points of view are so desperately needed in our industry.
Over the course of the visit, the students got a tour of the office, ate lunch, participated in a brief ice breaker, heard presentations and finished the day with a mock campaign-creation exercise, guided by Intouch volunteers.
By the end of the day, a handful of students said they could see themselves working at an advertising or marketing agency — mission accomplished! — so, of course, they were encouraged to apply for an Intouch summer internship. We sure hope to see them back here when school’s out!
If you or someone you know is interested in a summer internship, check back soon — applications will be accepted starting in early 2020. If you’re interested in working for a company that values diverse voices, check out our jobs page!