Growing up, Trevor Joseph always wondered about how they got all the "stickers" on the NASCAR cars.
He learned all about it this summer by helping to manage client accounts for Crown Royal, Verizon Wireless and United Postal Service as well as setting up the first internal blogs for Just Marketing International.
Joseph, a graduate student at Ball State studying public relations and former Daily News employee in the advertising department, worked as an intern with JMI Indianapolis this summer as a marketing intern working on NASCAR accounts.
"When I came across the program, what interested me was that it was in the motor sports business," Joseph said. "I liked NASCAR, but I loved trying to understand how they did sponsorship and communication."
Joseph was interviewed by NASCAR and then by JMI. He also interviewed with NASCAR in California but chose to work at JMI in Indiana so he could learn more about the agency side of the business, he said.
Even though he was hired as a marketing intern, Joseph said he got a lot of experience with public relations and was even offered an extension on his internship, helping to build up the social media network at JMI.
"This industry is a very proactive workplace," he said. "It's never the same, and anything can happen. It definitely wasn't a 9-to-5 job."
Megan Burakiewicz, assistant manager of Client Services at JMI, said Joseph was chosen for the internship position because of his charismatic personality. She said his idea for internal blogs for JMI was a great initiative that employees didn't really have time to do themselves.
"He's outgoing. He's a shining star when it comes to presenting," Burakiewicz said. "His level of research and analysis really impressed our vice presidents."
Joseph said it wasn't difficult work, but it was a lot to do. He worked in client services and was responsible for strategy planning and implementing client relations. Day to day, he worked on public relations for three major clients: Crown Royal, Verizon Wireless and UPS. He used a cutting edge software called Cision, which tracked news coverage for various brands and clients. He used this information to create graphs and presentations for clients.
During the internship, Joseph was able to attend two NASCAR races, one at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis and another at Heluva Good! at the Glen in Watkins Glen, N.Y. At the Brickyard, he helped with guest relations for the Crown Royal team and managed brand ambassadors.
"Brand ambassadors are basically the beautiful ladies you see walking around," Joseph said.
The track in New York is named for its sponsor, Heluva Good! sour cream and cheese products. At the Glen, he helped with set up and guest relations and offered pit tours to guests.
"It was an exceptional experience," he said. "In my mind I'm thinking city, but it was rural, and it was an amazing track."
He also met with several celebrities during the summer, including Jared Fogle from the Subway commercials, NASCAR drivers Matt Kenseth and Justin Allgaier and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. Kenseth hosted a pre-race event to promote drinking responsibly called "Safe Rides Home," and Joseph helped transport the vehicles used to drive individuals from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to downtown Indianapolis and Broad Ripple.
Joseph said there were 400 applicants vying for his job at the beginning of the summer, so he felt very privileged to land the opportunity.
"I saw from conception to inception what they do," he said. "That was amazing."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
