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By: Steven Coulombe
Major: Junior
Duluth, GA
“There is nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot” – Scott Adams

For Mr. Scott Williamson “any day in Athens is a good day.”  Williamson, a Grady graduate and the Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at the Coca-Cola Company, came to the PRSSA meeting yesterday to speak on the complexities of corporate public relations and, specifically, the steps taken by the Coca-Cola Company to ensure a consistent brand identity across many different communication forums and outlets. Williamson also discussed the Coke summer internship offered every year to two lucky Grady students. Carly Nash, Colleen Murphy and Daniel Youman, last summer’s interns, also talked of their experiences and all that they learned from the program.

Williamson made the point that every day people make decisions about what they’re going to drink.  Coke then, is a potential candidate that, every day, runs for the office of your drink of choice. The question is then how does Coke go about separating itself? The answer is a 360-degree approach to public affairs. 

The 360-degree model says there isn’t one avenue of public affairs/relations that is more important than another or that there is one avenue that effectively reaches all invested or interested publics.  Coke has many facets to its business including, but not limited to, government affairs, community affairs, internal affairs, business affairs and the mass media. Each of these branches needs specific, specialized attention. There is no one stop shop, no one press release that will get the job done.
_In fact, it is extremely important that you meet audiences where they are. Williamson gave the example of Coke Zero. The target audience for that particular product is young men. An extensive amount of the branding takes places on the Internet and other media that is commonly consumed by that audience. 

Another important part to Coke’s success is their attention to the social good – what Williamson called Coke’s social license to operate. In short, this idea is concerned with a community’s affiliation with the product. Does a community appreciate Coke’s presence in their neighborhoods – how has Coke contributed to the betterment of their lives? This is an integral part of corporate PR and should not be overlooked. 

As for the internship, Williamson shared a few tips on how to approach the application process. First he offered that – as a general rule of thumb – when a potential employer asks for writing samples that you supply one piece that applies to the job and the work you will be doing in the position you are applying for. Then include a second piece that you feel is your best writing – a piece that you are the most proud of.  In this way you show your versatility as a writer as well as demonstrate your particular interests.

Williamson wouldn’t volunteer any specific interview questions, but he did say to know your resume. Williamson said he would ask you to walk him through your resume – what you feel your biggest accomplishment is and where you feel you could grow.

Williamson went on to say that the applicants that get the internship are often not those that have the most spectacular resumes or much prior experience. It is often the applicant that demonstrates – through their writing pieces – that they have an affinity and skill for writing, displays an eagerness to learn and work hard and simply want/need that one shot. 

For specifics on the Coke internship and how you can apply visit the UGA PRSSA website under the tab Resources (password: Drewry).

 


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