What is a week at We Are Social like from the perspective of the placement team? SCA students Clarissa and Khadija joined the We Are Social family for an insight into the world of social. Having decided to stay a bit longer, here is some of their musings from their time at the agency.
A week at We Are Social can’t start without a crumpet. The kitchen is a great spot to meet new people and have a good old chinwag, and for stealing lemons even though we would never do that.
Meeting our first-ever line manager was nerve-wracking but we quickly realised that he is the funniest guy in the office and we can ask him anything. We have learned so much in such a small space of time. What it really takes for an idea to get pushed through, how many people are involved, who does what and where we stand in this pyramid of creativity.
When we first began, we made some embarrassing faux pas, like when Clarissa used her Oyster card to access the toilets, ending up with her getting locked in. Khadija accidentally airdropped a photo of herself to someone on the first day and became the most annoying person ever to approach IT. So now if her laptop glitches, she just shakes it.
On Mondays, we plan out the rest of the week and try to make sure we set goals or intentions. One week this was to sell adidas football boots without any prior knowledge of football. We both know what a nutmeg is now.
On Tuesdays, we are usually knee-deep into ideation mode. Brainstorming with each other, and bouncing ideas back and forth until one of us refuses to budge on a thought. Tasks we’ve been given include linking chips to sustainable farming; chipping in to save the planet.
Khadija meticulously compiles Google decks that are sometimes even colour coded that no one is allowed to touch. Clarissa scribbles everything on paper (letting her loose on the stationary cupboard might be something the company regrets). We combine brain dumps toward the end of the day and see if we think anything has legs, then we pray it’s not a load of fart.
Wednesdays are a mixed bag, sometimes it’s busier and it’s time for a creative check-in. Other weeks we continue to brainstorm and ask a superior what they think of the direction we are heading in to make sure we haven’t fallen down a rabbit-hole of ridiculousness (we usually have but worth it for a giggle). Starbucks is the first and last brand we worked on. Starting small selling stickers and ending big with their Spring campaign. We couldn’t be more excited to see our work come to life next year.
On Thursdays, we have our weekly creative meetings with the full team. We have learned more about adland, refined our henna skills, and now understand the big deal about Warrington. It’s a great time to reflect on things we have seen, thoughts that have risen to the surface, and ways we can be better. Everyone comes into the office so we have made friends across the whole agency. Designers always look fashionable without trying and there’s something cool about everyone in delivery that we just can’t put our finger on (but we want in).
On Fridays, we only need to dress our top halves and start by learning more about what’s going on with the help of The Feed. It’s great to be a part of an agency that credits itself for keeping its ear to the pulse when it comes to trends, socials, and culture at large. It’s what brought us together as a team, a shared sense of pop cultural importance that comes naturally to We Are Social.
Our experience here has helped us realise what we want from a place of work. Fantastic people, briefs where you can be bold and free drinks on a Thursday. We were so sad to be leaving that we decided to stay a bit longer and no, not just for the Christmas party but that is a nice added bonus.
