We sat down with Business Manager, Aislynn Flament, to discuss her journey to the advertising industry. Aislynn puts us through a day in her life, highlighting the rewarding process of completing an install and discussing why OOH remains relevant in advertising today.
How did you get into advertising?
I have my bachelor’s degree in psychology, my master’s degree in counseling psychology, as well as being a licensed counselor in the state of PA. I pursued a career in advertising because Transformation Media has given me a better work/life balance than my previous career. I can be home with my children in the evenings and will be able to help them with homework after school.
I realized that there are more similarities between advertising and counseling than one might expect. From a business perspective, I had to do billing and invoicing work and use different software systems both at Transformation Media and former practices. Typically, people enter a counseling field due to caring for others and helping them achieve their goals. I have come to realize that in the advertising field you need to be able to care for the advertisers, and I need to do everything that is my responsibility to help them achieve their goals, such as making sure that their inquires get the correct accounting executives in their area who can help carry out their visions.
What does a day-to-day look like for you?
My day-to-day can be either slow or busy- just depends on the day. I often take inquires in phone calls, emails, and Facebook. I set up billing for different clients, generate invoices, order finals and schedule installations. I will have the installers send me the final pictures of the installation and send that over to the Accounting Executive to share with the customer.
What is most rewarding about this process?
I like seeing the advertisers’ vision come to life. I’ll get phone calls from people inquiring about billboards for their business, they might be on the fence about it or getting some ideas as far as pricing. I see those contracts come in, and the vinyl I need to order or digitals I need to upload. Whenever I get the completion photos from the installers or see the boards when I am driving down the road, it is nice knowing that their vision came to life.
Why do you believe OOH has stayed so relevant?
I would say just because I see people renewing contractors for a longer amount of time or I see companies that start out with one board and then purchase more. Customers notice their business picking up because of the billboards and I think it is smart to add more to continue to increase that business. It is a form of advertising that is more effective without even having to reach out to other people.