Eight weeks ago I began my STEP placement at R&D. It has been a journey that has continually changed throughout my time here, resulting in evolving objectives and personal development whilst producing a fair bit of work along the way.
As a second year marketing student my role was to provide the R&D Unit with a branding and marketing strategy integrated throughout their communications. It was a perfect match! I have finally been able to use the theory I have learnt over the past couple of years and put it into practice.
Getting Stuck In
My very first task – creating a branding strategy. This involved producing a colour scheme, font and logo design. This consisted of me spending hours designing and doodling – putting my GCSE art skills back into practice! It didn’t take too long to finally decide upon a simple logo due to its links to R&D and the DHSC. The ‘CARE’ colours have been added into the background of the logo to represent the related values of both R&D and the DHSC – committed, appreciative, respectful and excellent
I present to you …
Finally my vast experience of social media, developed during summers spent aimlessly scrolling through Twitter and Facebook, were going to be put to good use. My next task was researching social media sites and how they can be utilised to increase brand awareness and communication. After this, I chose to set up a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account for the unit. Seems simple right? Apparently not. After being locked out of our new accounts – multiple times, may I add – we finally had an online presence! One thing I learnt when researching social media was to not waste any opportunity for a shameless self-promo, therefore…
Go check out Research and Development on Twitter and Facebook at @ResearchIOM!
After integrating the branding with the social media accounts we were all set up and ready to start creating some posts. Building on current content and communication with our stakeholders, we began creating an Academic Blog. I created a professional looking and easy to use website for our blog, including an opportunity to subscribe and inbuilt email system. Yet after all that, the most difficult decision was coming up with a name that was suitable for the audience we wanted to reach and engage with. After much deliberation and an afternoon researching Manx Folklore (don’t ask!), we realised that this blog is aimed at other researchers and people with a profound interest in the field. Keeping it professional and simple we launched… The Research Blog, but I suppose you’ve already figured that out!
Throughout my time at R&D, I have learnt a lot of important skills such as communication, IT skills and leadership which I can implement into future employment.
My time at R&D has not only been useful and educating but also enjoyable, allowing me to experience office life and have creative control over my work.
- Olivia Bell
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