Perfect Search Media Internviews: Winter 2017 Part II

Already finished Part I of our Winter 2017 internviews and ready for Part II? We won’t keep you waiting any longer. Get to know Anushka, Lizzy, and Luke!

Anushka Patil, Junior Analyst, SEO & Content

1) Where are you from? Describe one of your favorite places to visit when you're home.

I'm from Cupertino, California. If it sounds familiar, that's because it's the default weather location on your iPhone (and Apple headquarters.) Silicon Valley was a very interesting place to grow up - there were always tech tourists taking pictures in front of company buildings.

My favorite place to go when I'm home is a short drive out of the city to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. It's California's oldest state park, and camping there is like entering another world.

2) What are the most surprising things you've learned about digital marketing so far?

The most surprising thing has been how much Google knows about you. I mean, we've all read the alarming articles about data collection, but it's not until you're digging around Google Analytics, targeting increasingly specific behaviors, that you have that "um w o w" moment.

3) How would you explain your internship to your grandparents?

I'd tell my grandmother that I help companies present themselves better. She is a sass master and would probably tell me I'll never get engaged if I don't present myself better.

4) Which historical figure do you think would be great at digital marketing and why?

David Bowie. He'd be the king of viral content.

5) What three people (dead, alive, fictional, you name it) would you have over for dinner? What's on the menu?

Linda Sarsour and Roxane Gay, who are some of my political and literary inspirations. Also, the gorgeous Alan Cumming, for entirely superficial reasons.

On the menu would be my mom's incredible, inimitable egg curry. The chances of me conquering that recipe are about the same as the chances of me getting all three of these people to accept the invite.

Lizzy Michan, Junior Analyst

1) Where are you from? Describe one of your favorite places to visit when you're home.

I’m from Fort Worth, TX. People usually recognize us from our great airport, DFW, but that’s where our fame ends.

I have a park right across from my house that I walk around every time I go back home! It’s a beautiful park with a waterfall about a mile in and growing up my best friend and I would walk together with our dogs and my family would do longer walks in that park on the weekends. It’s such a beautiful place and so relaxing, I didn’t even realize until now that it was my favorite place at home, so thanks for the question!

2) What are the most surprising things you've learned about digital marketing so far?

Going into this internship, I had heard various snippets of PPC and SEO but had never had any real experience with it. All the detail and small nuances of digital marketing really surprised me.

I hadn’t realized how many different aspects there were to consider in both PPC and SEO and how ultimately all the little changes impact the campaign and business as a whole. Learning all of that was really interesting (and at times overwhelming).

Also, the main thing that surprised me was how crazy smart Google is. They seem to be the god to those in digital marketing because they are just such wizards and have so much power!

3) How would you explain your internship to your grandparents?

Oh goodness. Well, first this would have to be in Spanish so that would be a little tricky and my grandma probably doesn’t even know what search engines are…So this would probably be an extremely fun conversation to have with her. She still has a TV with an antenna and no computer at home.

I would say that on the internet there are search engines that help people access certain information they are looking for. For my internship, I have learned the different techniques in trying to help companies be the first ones to show up either through advertisements or by optimizing their web pages.

4) Which historical figure do you think would be great at digital marketing and why?

Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson (aka the women from Hidden Figures). These women seem like they could really do anything. They are so intelligent—which is pretty obvious since they worked for NASA as mathematicians.

Because they already worked with computers, I think they could really get the hang of all the details that come with digital marketing. They were also just incredible women and I feel like they could do anything.

5) What three people (dead, alive, fictional, you name it) would you have over for dinner? What's on the menu?

Wow, so many people came to my mind, why just three? If I really had to choose: Hermione Granger (goes along with who I want to be friends with; this could be the kick starter to our friendship), Michelle Obama (I feel like this is obvious because she is a powerhouse of a woman), and Trevor Noah (cute and smart, always dreamed of having a conversation with a late-night host).

The menu would be roasted veggies as an appetizer, chicken tortitas (my mom’s breaded chicken with tomato sauce), and for dessert some lovely strawberries and cream. The dessert is also my mom’s creation; it’s just some strawberries with some Mexican cream, but you can't stop eating it because it's that delicious. Also, some red wine (Malbec, maybe?) and butterbeer because I feel like we would all enjoy that. 

Luke Piatek, Junior Analyst

1) Where are you from? Describe one of your favorite places to visit when you're home.

I grew up in Homer Glen, IL. One of my favorite places to go actually isn't in the HG, but I love getting Plush Horse Ice Cream in Palos Park. Seriously, the best ice cream you'll ever have.

2) What are the most surprising things you've learned about digital marketing so far?

I think one of the most surprising things I've learned is how fast-paced this industry is. It's such a relatively new field and industry-wide changes in best practices and standards seem to happen regularly.

I think you gain an even greater appreciation for novel ideas in this industry, too. I’m thinking of the A/B tests that can incrementally grow a business. The ad that goes viral and increases traffic tenfold overnight. It’s the constant evolution of the field pushes people to want to be better than they were and rewards ingenuity.

3) How would you explain your internship to your grandparents?

Close your eyes. Imagine you were in your favorite candy shop you used to go to as a kid. You couldn't decide what you wanted but you knew you wanted something chocolate-y, so you ask the cashier, "What's the best chocolate bar you sell?" 

The cashier knows what makes a candy bar taste good. He also knows what you would probably like based on what you and people like you have bought in the past. On top of that, he makes sure he doesn't tell you about ones you wouldn't like.

You pick the chocolate bar that sounds the best and hold it in your hand. You feel the wrapper and the weight, you look at the colors and read what the ingredients are. This is exactly the chocolate bar you've been looking for!

My internship is teaching me how to best make sure that cashier tells you about that chocolate bar AND that you buy it.

4) Which historical figure do you think would be great at digital marketing and why?

I believe to be great at digital marketing you need to be conscious, influential, goal-oriented, logical, and most importantly: to be able to understand people.

Many could identify with these traits, but I think the one who exemplifies it most would be Martin Luther King Jr. He understood the magnitude of what it was he was fighting for and influenced a generation. Someone like that could make waves in digital marketing.

5) What three people (dead, alive, fictional, you name it) would you have over for dinner? What's on the menu?

Gandalf the Grey, John Lennon, and Malcolm Reynolds (from Firefly). They would all have such interesting stories to tell about their lives and the adventures they went on!

As for dinner, we would have steak and potatoes. Probably boiled or mashed. Maybe in a stew. For dessert, we'd have Mrs. Fields Strawberry cheesecake cookies.