Today is officially my last day in the office, but I will return one last time for the second men’s photo shoot Saturday in a week.
It was an eventful, exciting, but also a pretty stressful time for me. Entering my internship I did not have any expectations. I did not know what to expect, particularly because I have not worked in a marketing agency before and I also have not taken too many marketing classes so far. So I was in store for whatever would come up to me and I would face any challenge and work with it as best as I can. I experienced a whole lot which I will never forget and I believe that I grew from my experiences. It was a good balance between office work - writing and updating lists, and preparing clothing and accessories for the photo shoots – and the photo shoots where I was allowed to assist. Thus I could make some business connections that might be helpful after I am done with my bachelor's or eventually my master's degree and am applying for jobs. What I have learned from my experience at Benner & Partner is that it is important to stay on track with emails and update lists immediately if any changes occur, otherwise, it will end in a big chaos because no one can or will remember everything. It is also important to not only do the bare minimum but rather the maximum since, again, it is better to be overly prepared. Just in case... Being flexible is another important quality one needs to have to succeed in this field of business. By this, I mean that one can prepare everything perfectly in theory, but in practice, it is often the opposite. For example, one can never predict the weather ahead of time and if one is unlucky it will rain the day the photo shoot takes places. The photographer, the make-up artist, the models, etc. are already booked for the day, and one has to find a quick and satisfying solution to pull through the day and get it done. I also realized that working in a marketing agency is not just a boring office job and the working hours are also not as usual, but instead different every day. Some days your work is done quickly, but on other days you have to stay much longer. Overtime is also no rarity. For me, it was particularly rough since I had to drive about an hour fifteen to my workplace. I realized that it is hard to predict the traffic and on certain days it took me more than two and a half hours to get to Munich. If one has an important meeting in the morning and gets stuck in traffic, one is in trouble. Once it happened to me that I was late for work due to this reason, so I always left home early. I also think that commuting for such a long distance for more than the time of my internship is impossible. Last but not least, I want to thank Mr. Benner and the FCB team of Benner & Partner GmbH, particularly Mr. Kurt Lichtblau and Mr. Thorsten Overbeck, for the opportunity to work and do my internship, but also for the time they dedicated to me. Additionally, I want to thank the two ladies from the marketing department of the FC Bayern Munich, Ramona Roje and Theresa Hechtl, who gave me the chance to be part of the many photo shoots and give me some closer insight into their work. Thanks again to everyone who was part of my great experience at Benner & Partner. It was an awesome time, and I will keep a lot in memory! Today we had to carry all clothing rails, boxes, carpets, and all other stuff from the semi to the basement of our office. Katharina, the other trainee, and I had to carry everything by ourselves… We are “just” girls and we had huge trouble to move the stuff up and down the stairs due to the heavy weight. It took us pretty much the whole day to get everything to the place where it is supposed to be. To make things worse, it was about 90 F! After we were done, we both were absolutely exhausted. Luckily, the rest of the day went by quickly and I found some time to focus on my website.
It is Wednesday, and I am leaving the house at 5.30 a.m. It is shooting time again, and I need to drive to Säbenerstraße 51, Munich. The day started at 7 a.m. with the last preparations for the players' shoot. The outfits and accessories had to be ready when the soccer players arrived at the basketball practice courts at 8.30 a.m. Over the course of the day about twelve soccer stars, Philip Lahm, the team captain, Arjen Robben, and Xabi Alonso among others, were photographed in the Men’s and Adidas Collection of the FC Bayern. As I expected, it was a pretty busy day since all models came together, either before or after their practice session. I had to make sure that the shooting list was lead correctly, hang up the clothing after it was photographed and not needed anymore and tided up.
In the end, everything worked out just fine, and I was overly tired when I left. Another ten hour day, but I am certain that I will sleep well tonight! It was really unfortunate though that I did not see much of the actual photo shoots. It was very crowded due to the fact that many stylists, photographers, and assistants were needed and we had four different sets to work at to be more effective and efficient. Unfortunately, this time I was not allowed to take any pictures and post them online due to privacy rights. More and more clothing arrived, I put it all on hangers, and sorted it according to the collection onto different clothes rails. In the end, we had twelve rails full of clothing. I hope I will remember the names of every single one of them for the shoot tomorrow. It was really stressful, and I was only rushing around to check, look, and make sure that everything was ready until 3 p.m. when a semi arrived which transported everything to the Säbenerstraße, the headquarters of the FCB, where the shooting will take place.
The work today seemed even harder due to the fact that it was incredibly hot and there is no air-conditioning in the office. I was literally melting… I was happy to leave work earlier than usual, also because we will start at 7 a.m. tomorrow. The men’s photo shoot is coming up, and I was busy preparing everything just as I did for the previous shoots. I received and unpacked parcels sent parcels with hardware to the photographers and added all new articles to our "newness list." The day ended with a meeting of our team and the ladies of the marketing department of the FCB. We discussed which soccer players will serve as models and who will wear which clothing. I thought that this would be an easy step, and it would not really matter who would wear what, but obviously, it was much more difficult than expected and the final decisions were made by midnight.
Today was pretty much all about preparing for the men’s shoot next week. I checked if all clothing needed is at the agency, as well as in which sizes we have. For the shoot, it is important to have the clothing in the sizes S-XL. I did not only check the new collection but also the last one due to the fact that both will be needed.
I made an accessories list with all men's articles; then I figured out what we have in the agency and what has to be ordered immediately. A pretty stressful day but tomorrow is Saturday and this time I will be off. How cute! Simply adorable. So many little babies and kids and how cute they looked like in the FCB clothing. I had the usual job. I tidied up and helped where I could. Look at the pictures of the day. Those are the ones I like most.
Today I was in the office again, but only briefly since I will be at the baby shoot at Ring Studios tomorrow. It was a pretty stressful day due to the fact that I did not only have to get the clothing and accessories for the babies ready but also prepare parcels of clothing for the lithography. As I was told, lithography is a special method of printing, where ink is applied to a particular image. Then the surface which contains the ink will mostly be printed onto a rubber cylinder, at least for commercial printing.
I also received some more parcels with clothing for the baby shoot. I had to ticket it and put it on hangers, as well as record the goods in our online lists. Last but not least, I prepared and printed off the shooting list and made everything ready for the transport to the location. The day started at 8 a.m. with the last instructions and final preparations for the shoot. At 8.30 a.m. a married couple and their son, the models for the day arrived at the location. The make-up artist immediately prepared the family so the day could begin. I helped prepare the different settings and outfits and put the products away when they were not needed anymore. It was again an awesome day and far less stressful than the previous photo shoots.
The morning started out with a meeting in regards to the previous and upcoming photo shoots. We discussed the photo shoots that happened last week and talked about what has to be improved, what has worked out well, and if there were any suggestions. Kurt also gave the team, including me, instructions for the rest of the week. He then told me what I have to prepare for the hardware shoots happening on Tuesday and Wednesday. After the meeting, I unpacked the clothing and accessories from the kids' shoot and put them away. Then I continued preparing for the hardware shoot. I checked if all products, such as cups, glasses, silverware, pillows, barbecue products, etc., were actually at our agency, packed them into boxes, prepared the clothing and accessories needed and loaded everything into our transporter. Kurt was driving to the location in Poing, in the vicinity of Munich, while I was following in my car. At our destination, we brought all items into the show house and unpacked the products following the instructions of the interior decorator. Now everything is ready for tomorrow, and the shoot can begin.
The kids shoot started at 9 a.m. It is Saturday and I had over an hour long drive to the location in Neuaubing, Munich. This meant that I had to get up pretty early, considering that I had to be there before everyone else to get the location ready and unpack everything. Looking at the pictures it was definitely worth all the hassle. Convince yourself!
Tomorrow, on Saturday, the kids shooting will take place, and we are struggling tremendously. Although we ordered everything in time, much clothing was still missing, and it is already Friday. In Germany, this means that usually, except us, people are only working until 1 p.m. So we were not sure if we would receive the clothing in time. While I was waiting for the parcels to arrive, I updated some lists and searched for the accessories that are needed for the hardware shooting and made a list, so that the missing articles can be ordered on Monday. We were lucky! Everything arrived in the early afternoon, and we could get the clothing ironed, sorted, and packed quickly.
The location was absolutely great, the most expensive shopping area in Munich. The old houses there are nicely restored and accommodate luxury stores, such as Gucci, Moncler, or Louis Vuitton. As I learned, photos get better when it is cloudy out. Overall we were seventeen people at the set, four people including me of Benner & Partner, three people of the marketing department of the FCB, three photographers, four stylists, and three models. It was another awesome day, even though it was pretty long, stressful, and exhausting, due to the fact that we started at 6.30 a.m. It was also somewhat challenging since it started raining in the afternoon and we were not finished yet. I assisted the models, helped them to change the outfits, cleaned up, and brought different accessories and clothing when needed. With the photo gallery, I want you to become part of my day and somewhat relive what I experienced today. Enjoy the pretty ladies!
This morning I had to prepare the outfits that will be needed for the outdoor women's photo shoot tomorrow and again make the shooting lists accordingly.
I also checked the clothing for the kids shooting on Saturday for completeness and wrote down the missing goods and sizes that have to be ordered. Then I was sent by car to buy drinks for the photo shootings, and ratchet straps for the transporter Benner & Partner rented to safely secure the clothing rails and boxes. Every one of the team helped to carry everything into the rental for tomorrow. Thanks to everyone's help, we were done pretty quickly. Today was the big day! I was really excited, and my expectations were fully met. It was a great day, and I can not await the next lady photo shooting at the Maximilianstrasse in Munich in two days. Even though I am just a trainee, everyone was really kind and nice to me. I helped get the models dressed and undressed and assisted where I could.
I believe that pictures tell more than a thousand words. That is why I thought it would be a good idea to add some pictures. Here are some impressions of my day. Just look and enjoy ;) Tomorrow will be the women's photo shoot, and there is still so much to do. The accessories and shoes are packed, stored in boxes, and ready for transport to the photo studio, called Ring Studio, located in Munich. I prepared lists for the photo shoot to make it easier for the participants so that they would know the order in which the clothing will be photographed and which pants, shoes, and accessories will be used with which outfit. Finally, I made the clothes rails ready for transport and wrapped the clothing with plastic foil to better protect it. Then everything was ready, got picked up, and was brought to the studio.
Towards the end of the day, I received several parcels with goods and products for the upcoming shoots. I had to add all articles to our lists, put them on hangers or move them into the boxes they belong to. In the morning I packed parcels with goods that should again be sent to the photographers and made the delivery notes accordingly. Then I moved some clothes rails with clothing that is already ironed and ready for the photo shoots to the basement to store them until they are needed. Afterward, I was pretty exhausted since I had to carry the heavy clothes rails downstairs all by myself.
In the afternoon it was time for some more desk work. I updated some product lists on the computer, tagged clothing, and figured out which products and sizes were missing so that I could order them. By tomorrow all products should arrive and everything should be complete for the lady shoots on Tuesday. Hopefully, I did not forget anything! In the morning I helped in the Jelmoli department and checked if the parcels that arrived contained all goods that were mentioned on the delivery notes. However, some products were missing and I had to figure out why they were not in the package and where they could be.
The FCB department also received many packages today, since we ordered the missing sizes for the women’s shoots and again I had to check for completeness. Then I had to enter the data into our online lists to be better able to keep track of changes. Finally, I had to put the clothing on hangers onto the clothes rails. I also had to search for the needed accessories for the women’s and the kids’ shoots and order the missing ones. The day ended with a meeting of the FCB team in which we discussed how we will continue next week and what has to be done urgently. There was not much to do today, so I had more time to focus on my website and add some more information and details.
Kurt Lichtblau who is the head of the FCB department was available today, and he explained to me the concept of the fan catalog we are currently working on. He also gave me some background information about the client FCB, the previous catalogs, and the changes the catalogs and the layouts have undergone during the last few years. Currently, the design is more modern and looks like a professional fashion catalog. Today was much more relaxing but also less exciting than yesterday. I guess it was just a regular day in the office. At 9 a.m. the FCB team had a meeting. We talked about our daily to-do list, as well as the goals and expectations, and the decisions that were made last night after the casting. I was also asked if I wanted to be part and help out at the many model shoots starting next week. Of course, I was in on it immediately, even though some shoots will take place on the weekends. But I am sure, this will be an experience I will never forget. In the course of the day, I updated some product lists, sent products to the FCB headquarters so that the explanatory notes for the pictures can be written. I also had to search for certain products of which special exposures have to be made and put them down on a list. Later, I had to decorate those articles and took pictures of them. My second week started out horrible. Due to a lot of traffic on my way to Munich it took me more than twice as long as usual. When I arrived, I had to pick up the packages of clothing that were sent back from the photographers and unpacked them.
The philosophy of “LaFamiglia” is reflected in the employees having lunch together. This time Katharina and I prepared lunch for everyone of the FCB and the Jelmoli department. It was very humid and hot, so we decided to make a salad with chicken, egg, pepper, cheese, and tomato. It was delicious, and everyone really liked it. Maybe we should do that more often. Today was also the lady casting for the photo shoots in the next few days. I welcomed the models, showed them the different clothing what they should wear during the casting, gave them some instructions, and introduced them to the committee that ultimately decides which girl will be the lucky one and get the job. It was good to see that not all models are tiny and unhealthily skinny. It was also great that I could finally speak English again since some of the girls were from outside of Germany. Generally speaking, it was an exciting day for me. This morning I worked in the Jelmoli department and helped them to unpack the clothing for the photo shoot for the main catalog, checked for completeness, and prepared the different outfits with all accessories. What a big hassle! Many parts were missing, and others were sent instead but did not really fit in.
I was also allowed to take part in the capacity meeting which should help to better organize and optimize the workflow in the different departments and relieve some employees who are currently very busy. The so-called “KaPa” planning should also help to judge if freelancers will be needed and for how long. Usually, the plan is made up to four weeks in advance. However, changes have to be constantly made, since the deadlines and due dates alter. Thus the department heads and the digital media designers meet up once a week on Friday to modify the plan and talk about the upcoming tasks and possible struggles. Lastly, I prepared booklets for Jelmoli and model set cards for the FCB lady casting on Monday. My work day began with learning more about Benner & Partner and the different jobs the employees have. I met up with Petra Borchert, the accountant of the company. Since I took accounting in spring last semester, it was very interesting for me to see how the theories that I have learned can be applied to real-world problems. Benner & Partner utilizes the services of “Datev,” which is a common accounting software in Germany. Petra, among others, also focuses on the bookkeeping for some partner companies of Benner, such as “pe.er | events,” Eat GmbH, and “Kinder von Gestern.” Then I spent some time with one of the digital media designers, Christian Pickhardt, who showed me his daily work and what he is currently working on. Due to the fact that the FCB fan catalogue will be launched at the first home match of every new season in August, the department now focuses on setting up the catalog, getting the media design and photo shoots done. I never knew, or rather I have not realized how much work it is until the design and the retouching is finished. Occasionally, the clients occasionally have unrealistic wishes and decline every suggestion from the designers. The other intern, Katharina Renner, and I worked on writing delivery notes, sending products and clothing back to the FCB headquarters (see photo), and writing labels for clothing that will be used for the shoots in the next few weeks. My second day at work started at 9 a.m. It mainly focused again on me becoming more familiar with the company, its employees, and their tasks.
My day started out with another meeting with Carina Glowacka. This time she showed me the department she is working in and its duties. She and her team mainly focus on the client Jelmoli and its projects. Jelmoli is a Swiss daughter company of Otto and Heine catalogs, a well-known company in Germany that sells different clothing brands and their fashion through catalog and online websites. Benner & Partner mainly focuses on the creation of the over forty covers of the catalogs and flyers. As Carina told me, the graphic designers present two different options which are then forwarded to Jelmoli. The employees there decide which one they like most and what changes have to be made to receive the best result. Until the project is completed, it takes about two to three weeks, but usually, there is always some time pressure. Later I met up with Stefanie Butt who is the personal assistant of Mr. Benner. She told me about the “Kinder von Gestern,” a charity organization that was founded in 2013 and is strongly supported by Mr. Benner. This organization fights poverty and loneliness in age and has thus established a “Jugendzentrum fuer Senioren” in Munich where elderly people can meet up every afternoon, spend time together, have fun, and get food for free. To keep “Kinder von Gestern,” which means kids from yesterday, running, Benner & Partner and some other companies that are involved, do many charity events to raise money. Of course, Benner & Partner does the marketing for “Kinder von Gestern.” Last but not least, I helped to create some product lists of the FC Bayern Munich’s new fan catalog that had to be sent to different photographers and added instructions for these. I also had to check if the articles needed are available in our storage. |
My Duties:
Goals/Expected Learning Outcome - Learning more about what is important and matters in marketing - Getting a deeper impression of Benner & Partner and the company’s structure - Becoming part of everyday’s work life and events - Improving communication skills - Improving teamwork skills - Improving organizational ability - Contributing to the company’s success, particularly of the FCB team Archives
|