Initiative wants ‘Australia’s best binge-watchers’ to apply for its ‘Iso-internship’
Initiative is asking university students in their final year to binge-watch a TV show, then explain what marketers could learn from it as part of the media agency’s internship application process.
The IPG Mediabrands business said that while many other agencies have cancelled their internship programs in response to COVID-19, it has instead added three new positions to its virtual ‘Iso-internship’.
“Internship cancelled because of COVID?” asks the internship’s application page.
“Don’t stress – we’re offering THREE WILDCARD SPOTS to uni students in their final year to join our Initiative Iso Internship Program.”
To enter, applicants are asked to “binge watch a show that’s been on your watch list and share three things that marketers could learn about culture from the program”.
“We’re on the hunt for young guns who know more about TikTok trends and Reddit threads, than they do about marketing funnels,” Initiative’s director of people and culture, Scott Laird, said.
“We know that the type of person who is likely to get stuck in a YouTube wormhole will be better plugged into culture, so we’ve tailored the process to apply for these spots specifically to them.”
Laird
The unpaid internships will run for four weeks from 8 June, with the agency choosing three participants from across Australia – since the program will be delivered virtually this year, geographical barriers to entry have been removed – to work on live agency briefs.
CEO Melissa Fein added that keeping the agency’s talent pipeline open is important.
“It’s our ability to infiltrate and interpret culture better than any other agency that drives our success,” Fein said.
“That ability relies on us recruiting a diverse mix of talent with a diverse mix of cultural perspectives.”
Fein
The expansion of the program will see the three successful candidates join a broader internship program that includes 10 positions, with seven of those spots hosted through Initiative’s university partnerships.
Applications are open now, and close at 9am on 1 June. For more information, contact Scott Laird at scott.laird@initiative.com
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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It’s a great idea! A lot of insight that can come from users which will only help brands be more relevant in these spaces
Shame it’s unpaid. There would be cost for internet and hardware incurred by the interns and can they even get a tax benefit if it’s not paid?
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Agencies must be paid to pitch!
Also…apply for our free internship. ??♂️
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@Love the idea – great shout. Any incidental expenses incurred as a result of being part of this internship would be covered by Initiative, of course… Netflix not included 🙂
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Exactly. Well said
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