Agency Tour at Ignite Social Media
Friday, October 26, 2018
Members of Wayne State University’s PRSSA chapter had the opportunity to stop by Ignite Social Media, a social media agency in Birmingham. The visit began with a discussion on the history of the organization, followed by pointers for public relations pre-professionals and ended with a tour of the office.
“Social is still a growing industry, and it changes every day,” said President of Ignite Social Media, Deidre Lambert-Bounds.
Bounds started as CEO of the 11-year-old company. She said she opened the agency’s Michigan location in Birmingham’s Peabody Mansion basically by herself. Since then she has gained staff, moved to a new building and earned a promotion to president.
Bounds said Ignite has worked with clients including Chrysler, Lowes, Nike, Microsoft and Samsung.
In 2016, the organization won Social Media Agency of the Year worldwide. Ignite has been around for so long that they are considered the original social media agency. Bounds said this gives their organization an advantage because they had an investment in social media marketing from the beginning.
Ignite revolves around six core values which appear in picture frames throughout the office. These core values are as follows:
1. Great workplace
2. Collaboration
3. Respect
4. Buttoned up
5. Client Success
6. Always learning
Bounds said a combination of these core values is what makes Ignite Social Media a successful agency.
Along with this, some perks come with working for Ignite, including an annual mystery trip. The agency sets up a secret vacation spot and then sends clues to employees of where they’re going. This idea causes the staff not to know where they’re flying until they reach the airport. Ignite has sent employees to places like Montreal, Paris, New Orleans and the Dominican Republic.
After learning the history of the organization, Bounds answered questions and gave tips for pre-professionals interested in pursuing social media. Tips include:
• Constantly look for what’s next
• Know all the social guidelines
• Read a lot, including all social media sources
• Have relationships with social platforms
• Learn from your mistakes
• Participate in internships
• Job shadow professionals
Following the discussion, PRSSA members walked around the office and spoke with a couple of employees. Senior Media Buyer Victoria Kay-Rogers said she plans and places media. She works closely with social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and more placing ads and working with analytics.
Associate Content Creator Taylor Larson said she shoots photographs for social every day. Community Manager Megan Nash said she oversees planning content, calendar organizing and responding to the brand. Lastly, VP of Finance Debra DeSantis said she handles payroll, hiring, human resources and other areas related to accounting.
Overall, touring Ignite Social Media gave PRSSA members an inside look at a long-standing social media agency. With social on the rise and continually changing, pre-professionals need to be aware of what social entails. Seeing the interworking’s of this award-winning agency was not only educational but also inspiring.
Jamie Bigelow is a senior majoring in public relations and minoring in broadcast journalism at Wayne State University. She has interned at Mort Meisner Associates, WDET-FM and was an orientation presenter for the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at WSU. She is currently the peer mentor for the public relations professor at WSU, the Vice President of Membership Services for WSU’s Public Relations Student Society of America and a server at Buddy’s Pizza on the weekends. She enjoys socializing with new people, reading news articles and relaxing while watching Netflix.
Wayne State University PRSSA 