What department did you work in during your summer at WildTangent and what did you do?
I worked primarily in the Marketing department, but also did some work in Ad Operations.
I performed data and performance analysis on advertising initiatives for both of these departments.
What does that entail?
My goal was to try and find patterns in the data and make suggestions on where we could improve our advertising initiatives. I also worked to try to identify areas of opportunity, such as which genre of application is most profitable and should be capitalized upon.
What first got you interested in interning at WildTangent?
I’m a native Seattleite, so WildTangent is in my backyard.
At school, I heard that WildTangent’s Chief Revenue Officer, Sean Vanderdasson, was looking for an intern. I talked with him and was really impressed. I interviewed and enjoyed the process
When they offered me the position, I snapped it up.
Now my summer internship is over, but it is one I’ll never forget.
Describe the WildTangent vibe in 3 words.
Relaxed. Busy. Cooperative.
Let me explain.
By relaxed, I mean that everyone is laid back, but also very driven.
People aren’t just sitting around, though. People are always working and downtime is very rare. Everyone is BUSY.
Additionally, it is a very cooperative environment as everyone visits each other’s cubicles and works together. They talk to each other all the time.
What was the most surprising thing you learned while working at WildTangent?
Just how much thought goes into every decision. For instance, before I interned at WildTangent, if I saw an ad on my phone, I didn’t think much about it. As a consumer, I tapped it if it interested me or I ignored it if I wasn’t.
Now, I understand just how much goes into those ads. The team discusses every minute aspect of the advertisement. How big should a button be? Should it go on the right or the left?
It had never occurred to me that someone was behind these ads and considered all these details and really thought them all through.
It made me realize how much goes into our daily lives that we take for granted as consumers.
What will be that one story you’ll tell at parties after your internship is complete?
The first day of a job is usually orientation and job shadowing. After I got my introductory packet at WildTangent, they sat me down and told me they’d send me a worksheet to look over.
I got an Excel spreadsheet with multiple tabs. One of those tabs was over 60,000 cells long!
For all intents and purposes, I was thrown into the deep end, and this is when I realized that I was going to be doing real work.
There was no orientation; this was trial by fire.
Because of this, though, I learned A LOT.
What would you tell future interns about spending a summer at WildTangent?
Be ready to be overwhelmed… but not in a negative way.
If you haven’t had any experience in this industry, everything will be new and feel a bit daunting.
You’ll get lost, but that’s also how you find your way.
Don’t be scared to ask questions. I asked a lot and, in hindsight, wish there was time to ask some more.
The people around you and the tools you’ll use are fantastic resources so don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you ever need it.
Future interns will definitely like it here and walk out the door with some great experiences.
Thanks for working with us all summer, Adlai! It’s been fun!