As a student trying to learn as much as I can about social media, PR and marketing, I embrace every opportunity possible to hear from experienced professionals. The most recent opportunity was at the 11th Annual YouToo Social Media Conference at Kent State University.

To begin, I must confess that this tagline was originally used to convince my college roommate to make irresponsible decisions. This mantra, however, to my amusement, is finding application in our industry today. With marketing constantly evolving, we must be willing to take thoughtful risks with our own brands while simultaneously encouraging our clients to “live on the edge” as well.

Spring Break is here! For some, it means sandy beaches, cold drinks, and nice weather. But for those of you who will live vicariously through social media this year, there is an opportunity to use the time off to get ahead of the curve finding a job or internship.

In 1995, Steve Jobs told Computerworld that he always felt death is the greatest invention of life. "I'm sure that life evolved without death at first and found that without death, life didn't work very well because it didn't make room for the young.

That’s definitely not how the saying goes, “in my own shoes,” what? Okay, give me a chance to explain. When it comes to formulating a strategy, we should always look for first-hand experiences to aid us in creating our plan.

Thirty-five years ago, Ellen McConnell (Blakeman) was – for lack of a better description – my boss. I respected and revered her… and occasionally even feared her. She was the toughest and smartest woman I had met since my own mother, another classic Irishwoman whose intelligence and ferocity defied her gender (and size), which today may not seem like a big deal, but three decades ago was huge.

Our good friends at the Cleveland Animal Protective League, with very little budget, requested Sweeney’s help to meet some big numbers. The Cleveland APL sets out annually to encourage donations that support shelter initiatives. This past summer, Sweeney and the APL worked together to develop an advertising campaign that included billboards, television placements and a digital video.

Last week, team members from Sweeney’s Cleveland office attended a PRSA event at Cinecraft Productions. The event, The Art of Visual Storytelling, was sponsored by Cinecraft Productions and its owner, Neil McCormick, led the conversation about storytelling in today’s market.

To an outsider, marketing can seem like a straightforward task: bring your brand ethos to life and get the word out to relevant people. Of course, we know that this is far from simple in practice, with complex challenges at every stage and with every client.

Taking digital to the next level is a key priority for Digital Marketing Manager Rachel Dill and Digital Marketing Specialist Meg Kruger. “For us, helping Sweeney clients to deliver an exceptional customer experience through digital marketing strategies at exceptional value is the biggest opportunity and challenge in 2018,” says Dill.