September Recap

Introducing Inigo’s New Faculty Advisors?

Every semester, Inigo gains fresh talent from an impressive pool of students. Unique to this semester, however, Inigo also gained new talent in the form of leadership. We are happy to welcome and introduce our Fall 2023 faculty advisors, Pam Morris and Haley Carroll ! Their industry expertise and insights allow us to gain a fresh perspective on how to produce the best work for our agency and clients.??

Dr. Pamela Morris is the Program Director of Advertising and Public Relations at Loyola University Chicago. Before teaching Principles of Advertising, Design for Advertising and Public Relations, Dr. Morris worked for brands such as Mattel and Universal Studio Tours. With over 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing communications, Dr. Morris has incredible insights and a deep love for the communications industry which she shares with Inigo.??

Haley Carroll has been involved with Inigo for four years as a Golin mentor, but she has now taken on the new role of Faculty Advisor. Carroll is currently the Director of Golin’s healthcare team where she creates content strategies and programs for pharmaceutical and retail health companies. Inigo’s collaboration with Golin has granted us networking opportunities that connect us with internship programs, global communications agencies and a variety of professionals. Carroll has empowered Inigo members to grow professionally from her mentorship program, and Carroll’s passion for Inigo continues to strengthen as she takes a more hands-on role. She offers advice on how to best approach a client’s needs through her real-life experiences, provides supportive feedback on our work and coaches us all to be the best student professionals we can be. We are excited for what Carroll continues to bring to Inigo!?

Inigo has been igniting conversations and sparking results since 2017, and with our incredible leadership this semester, the agency will continue to grow professionally and academically. As students, we are given the chance to learn from our experiences with real client work because of the opportunities our agency provides. We would not be able to be Chicago’s first and only student-run agency without the support from our past and present faculty advisors. We are excited to see where our teamwork with Dr. Morris and Haley Carroll takes us! ?

Kaylee Harrington’s “Do’s and Don’t’s” of Giving and Receiving Feedback ?

To kick off our Fall 2023 semester, a valued Inigo mentor, Kaylee Harrington, M.A. shared her expertise on giving and receiving feedback. Harrington is the Vice President of Health and Wellness Communications at Havas Red, a merged media agency that specializes in PR, social media and experiential. She has been a returning guest lecturer and offers her insights on the value of peer evaluation and feedback in the communications industry.??

So, what are the “Do’s and Don’t’s” of feedback? Harrington shared that feedback comes in two forms: giving and receiving. For giving feedback, Harrington highlighted that trusting the team’s instincts and making the evaluation a discussion are the key components of giving a successful feedback evaluation. Giving feedback is a “show, don’t tell” opportunity to share examples of places for improvement. In Inigo, we create a space for open conversations for students to learn from by creating an energetic environment and having transparent communication with each other. Regarding the “don’t’s” of giving feedback, Harrington emphasized that you should not confuse personal style with constructive feedback. Everyone’s style is different, but at the end of the day, the product should be what is best for the client, not for you.??

Receiving feedback is trickier than giving feedback since it is more vulnerable. The main takeaways from the “do’s” of receiving feedback are to ask clarifying questions, be transparent and learn from the feedback given. The “don’t’s” of receiving feedback are to not make assumptions, react impulsively and avoid it. Receiving feedback may be daunting, but there are many learning opportunities from dealing with the uncomfortable.??

As a student-run communications agency, Inigo replicates the practices of a modern-day communications agency to strengthen our experience and knowledge about the workplace. At Inigo, we value every team member’s hard work and dedication, and we want each member to grow throughout the semester. Peer evaluation, coaching and appreciation are methods we implement in every class, especially when we hand out our esteemed “IniGOAT.” Each week, our team shouts out a team member that put in the work, whether that be facing obstacles with video footage or implementing last minute changes to copy. Our “IniGOAT” shoutouts help build morale within the agency and show appreciation for the hard work our team puts into their client work every week. Harrington’s advice provided us with an inside look into how communications agencies handle feedback. Knowing how this process works before we enter our careers gives us a greater understanding of the professional world. We know we will grow from the feedback we receive, both the good and not so good. As Harrington reminded us, "feedback comes from a good place” and it is important to remember that “pressure is a privilege.”? ?

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The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce “Business After Business” Event?

Another semester, another Chamber event! After the success of last year’s teamwork between the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Inigo, we are honored to work with our loyal client again this year.??

On Sept. 12, a crew of Inigo coordinators from the account, creative design, copywriting and PR team attended the Chamber’s Business After Business event at the glamorous BLVD Steakhouse. The Chamber hosts these events throughout the year for its members, offering them networking perks such as expanding their business to meet new clients and learning more about growing businesses in the Chicago area. To capture the success of the night, the Inigo team gained testimonials from members and shot video coverage for short-form videos. While the PR and copywriting team worked on creating insightful conversations with the Chamber’s members, the design team captured these interviews and B-roll footage for the perfect video testimonial.?

Inigoans jumped right into the action early in the semester, and they handled it like pros! Emma Kammholz , a copywriting coordinator, shared nothing but positive reviews about the Chamber’s invitation.??

Kammholz expressed her gratitude by saying, “I had the opportunity to network with members of the Chamber and learn more about their organizations and their impact on the community! It was such an amazing and enlightening experience, and I am so glad my work at Inigo gave me this opportunity!”?

?Our coordinators learned new skills and adapted to unfamiliar situations, but their determination to satisfy our client’s needs shone through. The Chamber’s invitation to the Business After Business event gave Inigo great learning and networking opportunities that we will continue to use for future events throughout the semester.?

Inigo continues to be grateful for our strong connection with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and we are excited to continue our work with the organization this semester!?