Hi there! My name is Ipeksu Keles and I am in the final year of my Communication Science bachelor at the University of Amsterdam. I had the opportunity to do my internship at Dentsu in Istanbul during the first semester of 2020.
First, let me explain what Dentsu is about and what they do: Dentsu is the largest advertisement agency in the world. It is a Japanese agency, so I would highly advise it to students who are interested in experiencing the Japanese work culture ( not as formal as you might think). Dentsu is very well adapted to the digital age and creates data-driven campaigns for several important brands such as Coca Cola, P&G and the lists goes on (and on). They also have a huge focus on data marketing and employ a company platform M1 the make their analysis (which, fortunately, was easier than SPSS, so I promise that it gets better)
I am working with the strategy team, where my responsibilities ranged from preparing presentations to doing research for several target groups. I knew nothing about this job and had close to nothing of a work experience before starting my internship. To all the students out there stressing about the same issue, there is nothing to worry about! After your colleagues explain to you in details the tasks you have to perform, it becomes all about practice and adaptation. I have to admit that it was a relief to find out that they use market research and not academic articles for collecting information ( it was my longest break from Google Scholar). I am also conducting research during my internship, which I wish I started sooner since it takes a greater time than I expected.
Lastly, I will share a workday during the internship so that you can have a better grasp into the professional life in an advertisement agency: I usually get up around 8 AM to prepare myself for a long workday. I come to the agency around 9:30-10:00 AM and start working as soon as possible. Today, I am preparing a presentation about the gaming industry for clients for the company, I do extensive research on the subject and analyse recent market research to gather the most accurate information. Around midday, it is time for the lunch break, which lasts around one or two hours. I spend a great time with my colleagues and we usually go out to eat in a close café. When we come back from the lunch break, I start working on the design of the presentation, which I have to say is completely different from what we are used to preparing (definitely more than 5 slights). I also prepare graphs if it seems necessary. I work on the design of the presentation for the rest of the day and get off from work around 5-6 PM.
P.S: I should not forget to mention for wanderlust students that working at Dentsu can open several doors, more specifically 143 doors, since it operates in 143 markets and working abroad opportunities are high.