Hi there! My name is Jade Landzaad, and I am a second year Communication Science student at the UvA.
From February to July 2020 I had the pleasure of having an internship at HPB (previously Het PR Bureau).
HPB is a creative PR Agency based in Amsterdam that mainly focuses on corporate and marketing PR.
HPB was the first agency in the Netherlands that started to incorporate influencers in their marketing and PR strategies, which in the media landscape of today is impossible to oversee.
As an intern, I was part of the Tech, Media & Entertainment department. This department created both short and long term PR strategies for clients such as HUAWEI, Essity, Harman Kardon, TakeAway and so on. What I really valued during my internship was the diversity of clients, which made each day different. One day I was writing a press release for JBL while another day I was conducting market research for Essity.
On a daily basis, I further created social media and publicity reports for all sorts of clients. These played an essential role in developing strategies since based on publicity rates the team knew what direction to take. Because of this I have mastered several online PR tools and programs. Moreover, another vital feature in PR is to create and maintain good relations with the press. Regularly, I was asked to design pitches to send out to journalists, with the aim of them publishing it in their medium title.
During my time as an intern, I have worked close with my colleagues within my department but I also had the opportunity to support other departments.The company had a very open culture and from day one I felt part of it. All interns were always present during brainstorm and office consultation which resulted in a great feeling of involvement which in turn served as a great motivation to deliver great work.
Prior to the corona-outbreak, I had also the pleasure to help planning and being present and PR events, which was great for networking. Unfortunately, later on, all events got canceled, which was a bummer because I felt this angle of PR perfectly suited me.
Sadly, after 1.5 months into the internship, the corona-crisis broke out and I was required to work from home. Due to this awareness of the performances of the company and the experience in a practical environment decreased.
On the other hand, it is also a very educational process because in a short amount of time I have really learnt to work more independently and to adjust myself to the current situation. Luckily, I could complete the last month of my internship back at the office, through off course following the guidelines of the government.
I noticed from the start of my internship, I enjoyed to do assignments for Harman Kardon because it was a brand that really matched my lifestyle. That is why I decided to base my research on one of their sub brands JBL. I investigated the effect of influencers on perceived source-credibility, brand attitude and purchase intention. HPB has let me work very independently on my research. Conducting research all by myself, has been a great boost for my statistical skills.
Based on my internship experience I now know PR is definitely an industry I have set my sights on. Especially the marketing aspect appealed to me. I wish more study programs at the UvA would require students to do an internship, because not everything can be learned from books and an practical environment is very educational and a good preparation for the future.