The Ole Miss Marketing Organization (OMMO) has been rebranded and restructured to form the student-led organization, the Ole Miss Marketing Agency, or The Agency for short.
“This is the death of OMMO and the birth of The Agency,” said J.J. Townsend, The Agency’s founder and chief operating officer.
The new organization is structured to build members’ resumes through providing hands-on experience with clients with the goal of preparing students to become competitive professionals. Townsend asks those interested in membership or a staff position to treat it like a campus internship.
“The new name is the symbolization of a new concept on the Ole Miss campus. It’s revolutionary,” said Charlie Tran, The Agency’s chief financial officer.
The Agency is modeled after a company structure, consisting of an executive board, five staffed departments and an unlimited amount of members. It aims to attract students from numerous fields of study.
“I don’t think any other organization can give practical experience to this many different kinds of people,” Tran said.
The Agency is particularly looking for students studying marketing, accounting, art, journalism and integrated marketing and communications or those with experience in graphic design software or copywriting. They will be strategically recruiting all semester and plan to have informational booths set up outside the Union and the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at some point during the fall semester. There is no age requirement to become a member of The Agency, and, just like in a company, there is plenty of opportunity to progress from regular membership to a staff position.
With assistance from its faculty adviser Kathy Wachter, The Agency aims to continue to build.
“I would love to see The Agency become known as an entity of Ole Miss,” Townsend said.
Ed Meek, former assistant vice chancellor for public relations and marketing at The University of Mississippi and founder and owner of HottyToddy.com, said The Agency is a great idea and that there is a market for these services in Oxford.
The Agency already has clients such as the Oxford locations of Domino’s and Buffalo Wild Wings. They also work for student entrepreneurial companies like junior marketing major Darby Fallon’s company Arm Candy and campus organizations such as Food Action Rebels.
Those interested in the Ole Miss Marketing Agency should follow it on Twitter (@OleMissAgency), like it on Facebook (Ole Miss Marketing Agency) or apply for membership online at OleMissAgency.com. Questions about The Agency can be sent to agency.oleMiss@gmail.com.
