Advertising internship takes flight

Natalie Miller couldn’t have asked for a better internship experience — one that seamlessly blended a personal love with a dream job.

This summer’s opportunity with Clear Channel Outdoor did just that for the Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg professional sales and marketing major.

“I love to travel, so combining my personal and professional interests (advertising) was a no-brainer,” Miller said. “This internship reinforced that I would love to work for an advertising and marketing company post-grad!”

Miller spent three months working in campaign planning and strategy for the global advertising company’s airports division, focusing on out-of-home advertising. Clear Channel Outdoor operates over 60,000 billboard displays and offers advertising opportunities in more than 30 roadside markets and 55-plus airports across the U.S.

“I worked on a variety of projects that supported the team internally,” Miller said. “I was able to fully launch a new process of pulling competitive reports, which included creating a library with over 4,000 images of various types of inventories. From there, I was able to launch this library and new process to the team, as well as create supporting training materials.”

Clear Channel Outdoor is considered a global leader in out-of-home advertising, specializing in digital and traditional billboards, street and transit displays. They offer advertising across various platforms, leveraging data analytics and programmatic capabilities to connect with millions of consumers weekly.

“My other focus this summer was creating a master document across all markets with exhibit space information; specifically, supporting media per space,” Miller said. “This master list will offer support to various teams throughout the company.”

Miller credits her Professional U experiences — especially Bloomsburg’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter and the Zeigler Institute for Professional Development (ZIPD) — in helping prepare her for a successful internship.

“I give a lot of credit to the clubs I’ve been part of,” Miller said, adding her role as business and advertising director at The Voice student newspaper is very similar to her work at Clear Channel Outdoor. “Even though the industries are different, the process of working with an advertiser from start to finish is almost the same.”

Her marketing and sales classes also proved valuable this summer.

“I’ve learned some new industry terms,” Miller said, “but I’ve also been able to directly apply concepts I learned in class to my projects and meetings.”

Many of Miller's business classes have involved group projects and presentations, like creating social media campaigns or acting as a marketing agency to help a small business with its promotions. These practical lessons translated directly into her internship experience.

“I'm grateful to have had the practice of working with classmates effectively to deliver a successful presentation,” Miller said. “I've learned that presentations are a big part of the corporate world, which aligns well with what’s being emphasized in the marketing program (here at Bloomsburg).”

Miller says when she initially saw the internship posting involved airport advertising, she knew it was meant to be. A perk this summer — getting to tour the Newark Liberty International Airport.

“It was a full-circle moment to apply the inventory I've seen on my computer all summer to real life,” Miller said. “I can now appreciate and understand the process of airport advertisements from start to finish, and how much hard work and teamwork it takes.”

She added, “I've also been fortunate enough to make meaningful connections with various leaders throughout (Clear Channel Outdoor).”

Miller was encouraged at the start of her internship to speak with as many co-workers as possible this summer. Advice she says ended up as a major highlight of her internship.

“I pushed myself to talk with people of all levels of seniority at various departments in multiple offices throughout the country,” Miller said. “I gained insights into the company and learned how each department works with one another. In addition, the meaningful connections I've formed with these leaders have truly reinforced how important networking is for my major and future career.”