Home for Hope – Hope for the Future
I am interning at BOCO Digital Media this summer. BOCO focuses primarily pharmaceuticals, and though I have learned a lot particularly about that field, I also have discovered from interning here exactly what I want to do with my degree when I graduate.
One day at my internship, my coworker shared with me a video that made me instantly realize how I want to utilize all the skills I’ve learned. Knowing that I am an avid dog lover, he showed me a video that he saw on Facebook about a campaign that certain Ikea locations were participating in. The campaign was for programs like Home for Hope, which helps to provide homes for homeless dogs. Photographers took pictures of dogs that are up for adoption in the areas surrounding the participating Ikeas. These photographs were turned into life-size cutouts of these dogs. On the cutouts are QR codes and when scanned, takes the user to discover more information about that particular dog.
These cutouts of the dogs were placed in all of the showrooms in Ikea. The point that Ikea and Home for Hope was trying to convey was that every home needs a dog, and every dog needs a home. Out of all of the dogs that had a cutout, every single one of them was adopted.
You can see what I am talking about with this video:
The video brought me to tears. I knew at that moment that I wanted to apply everything I’ve learned through my studies as well as my internship to help those in need, especially those who can’t speak up for themselves, like these homeless dogs. I am happy that my coworker showed me the video. I am also happy that even though I am working with pharmaceutical elements at my agency, I am gaining general knowledge of how an agency works and being exposed to subjects that I want to pursue.
Before I saw this video, I wasn’t sure what to tell people when they asked me what I want to do in advertising. Now I know what to do because of this campaign shared with me. This discovery is as valuable to me as anything else I have learned so far, because I can mix my knowledge and skills with my passions.
I love how you shared this experience with us because finding an internship is not always fun or easy. It’s almost like you get turned down a million times before you get a yes. The best way to succeed in the advertising world is to network, network, network. I love your determination and honesty in this blog. Congrats on that intern and keep striving.