FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Advertising Agencies and the New Discipline of Project Management:
An All-Encompassing Look at the Field of Project Management in a Marketing Firm
Kristin Thompson, Project Manager at EMA
Charlotte, NC: Kristin Thompson, Project Manager at Eric Mower and Associates, published a multimedia experience explaining the role and responsibilities of project management department in the ever-changing world of advertising.
Titled Why Mad Men’s Pete Campbell Would Never Make it as a Project Manager, the piece details how the role of a Project Manager differs from the role of an old-school account manager, tips for becoming a Project Manager in today’s advertising industry and common pitfalls faced by Project Managers across projects and agencies.
Originally published on ADigitalAttache.com, her blog created specifically for a graduate-level digital media class at UNC Chapel Hill, the piece has been picked up by PMHut.com, a website devoted to project management tools and resources including collections of articles for any projects, templates and project plans from inception to completion.
While writing the piece, Thompson interviewed five Project Managers with a combined 30 years of experience at agencies such as Oglivy, Huge, and Affinitive. From tips on getting a foot in the door as a junior PM to chronicling the pains and frustrations of Project Managers, Thompson’s piece explores project management in the creative services field with an insider’s perspective and personal experience.
About Project Management
Althougn Project Management is not a new field, it is a new phenomenon in the world of advertising. Project management professionals vary by industry from financial services to construction. Many Project Managers obtain certifications as PMP, CAPM or PgMP to denote continued education and experience in their specific industry. Likely brought from and by technology companies to digital ad agencies, Project Managers are now commonplace in most major advertising agencies. Project managers’ responsibilities include developing project plans, creating budgets, managing resources and resource allocation, communicating with client, managing project timelines, resolving scheduling conflicts, monitoring dependencies and mitigating project risk.
“Most of the time a Project Manager is a project owner” said Emily Carr, a Project Manager based in Washington DC. “He or she is responsible for the leadership of the project from inception to completion.”
Donn Deniston, a 15 year veteran of project management who was interviewed for the piece, notes that Project Managers must learn quickly how to negotiate multiple relationships and accommodate differing opinions of key stakeholders within a single project.
About Eric Mower + Associates:
EMA (Mower℠) is an integrated marketing communications agency with specialized expertise in business-to-business marketing, public relations and public affairs, consumer advertising, shopper marketing and digital/direct/relationship marketing. With offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, N.Y.; Cincinnati; Charlotte, N.C.; and Atlanta, EMA serves clients throughout the United States. EMA also serves many of its clients through thenetworkone, the world’s largest independent network of advertising, creative, digital, media and marketing agencies covering 65 countries. EMA belongs to the American Association of Advertising Agencies and IPREX, a worldwide partnership of independent public relations firms. Named #5 on Advertising Age’s Best Places to Work 2012 list, EMA has 250 professionals and estimated $236 million in capitalized billings for 2013. Visit www.mower.com for more information.
About Kristin Thompson:
Kristin graduated with degree in Art History and Marketing from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. She is currently seeking her Masters in Technology and Communications at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her project management experience spans four years as a former digital producer with Myjive, a digital agency located in Charlotte, NC and currently in her role as Project Manager at Eric Mower + Associates.
Media Relations Contact Information:
Kristin Thompson
Eric Mower + Associates
kthompson@mower.com
804.304.1613
Note: I lifted copy about EMA from our corporate website. I did not want to incorrectly portray them and thought best to use their boilerplate.
A Digital Attaché 