MCS

& Peppercomm Twitter Chat

November 12th, 2015 4-5pm CST

Peppercomm Twitter Chat

Thursday, November 12th at 4pm

Optional Hashtags:
#PeppercommChat, #PepperChat
#MCSIndustryChat, #IndustryChat, #MCSCareerChat
#MCSTwitterChat (going with this one for all Twitter Chats)

Questions:
1. Tell us about Peppercomm. What does the agency do?
2. What is the #culture at Peppercomm like?
3. Can you tell us about your #comedy workshops and why you have them?
4. Tell us more about the recruiting process. What is it like for Peppercomm?
5. Is Peppercomm recruiting for any open positions? If so, what are they and do they require a
specific major to apply?
6. Can you describe some of the #intern duties at Peppercomm?
7. What advice would you give to students applying for #internships at Peppercomm?
8. What challenges do you see interns face?
9. How can students interested in a career in #PR & #communications break into the industry?
10. What do you recommend that students interested in #PR & #marketing do to get involved &
hone their skills?

Ideas to promote the chat:
Make a Facebook event and invite fellow College of Media students
Instagram and Tweet in the week leading up to the chatshare the MCS Instagram on College
of Medias Facebook
Make table tents for the Comm Library and Student Services Center
Post announcement on the Digital Boards
Send event promotion in an email
List as an Engage with Employer Event on I-Link; include in weekly newsletter
Record a promo video with Peppercomm; include in all communications
And, a few videos on their website that might be worth repurposing/pointing to:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=xKd6yQnIYWE
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2&v=t5UlMwFjDYE

Event Description:
Join MCS and Peppercomm for a live Twitter Chat using #MCSTwitterChat. Staff from Peppercomm
will be on Twitter to discuss the company, its culture, opportunities and more. Follow @IllinoisMCS
on Twitter and tweet your questions to #MCSTwitterChat.

Peppercomm is an award-winning strategic communications and marketing firm with more than 100
employees, headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and London. Combining the
deep insight of established experts with the entrepreneurial spirit of an up-and-comer, fun,
independent culture allows employees to excel strategically, think holistically, explore creatively,
work nimbly, and continually attract and enlist strategic thinkers from a variety of fields. Learn more
about Peppercomm

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Promoting the Chat

Social Media

MCS sent out a series of promotional tweets and instagrams leading up to the chat. The social
media marketing began the week before the chat, and continued into the next week, with
emphasis on the day before the chat and the day of the chat. The digital board content created for
promotions was used on both Twitter and Instagram. A public Facebook event for the chat was
made one week in advance to provide more information about the chat, and College of Media
students were invited.

Digital Board Content

MCS displayed promotions on digital boards in Gregory Hall, the College of Media department
building.

Email

MCS sent out an email promoting the twitter chat the week of the chat.

Flyers

MCS created table tent flyers to place on tables in the department library.

MCS & Peppercomm Twitter Chat

November 12th, 2015 4-5pm CST

Planned agenda of questions to be asked by MCS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Tell us about Peppercomm. What does the agency do?

What is the #culture at Peppercomm like?
Can you tell us about your #comedy workshops and why you have them?
Tell us more about the recruiting process. What is it like for Peppercomm?
Is Peppercomm recruiting for any open positions? If so, what are they and do they require a
specific major to apply?
6. Can you describe some of the #intern duties at Peppercomm?
7. What advice would you give to students applying for #internships at Peppercomm?
8. What challenges do you see interns face?
9. How can students interested in a career in #PR and #communications break into the
industry?
10. What do you recommend that students interested in #PR and #marketing do to get involved
and hone their skills?

Questions that were asked by MCS

1. Tell us about Peppercomm, what does the agency do?

2. What is the culture of Peppercomm like?
3. Can you tell us about your #comedy workshops and why you have them?
4. Tell us more about the recruiting process. What is it like for Peppercomm?
5. Is Peppercomm recruiting for open positions? If so, what are they & do they require a
specific major to apply?
6. Do interns work on any specific projects? What does their day typically involve?
7. What advice would you give to students applying for #internships at Peppercomm?
8. How can students interested in a career in #PR and #communications break into the
industry?
9. What do you recommend to students in #PR and #marketing do to get involved and hone
their skills?

Participants

13
Peppercomm

Ann Barlow
President
Peppercomm
San Francisco
@ambarlowsf

Samantha
Bruno
@samwbruno

Nicole
Newby
@TheNicole
Newby

Sara Faxon
@SPFaxon

Chris
Piedmont
@cpiedmo

David Jolly
@DavidRJolly

College of Media

Kevin
Austin Herr Dana Hilgers
Schroeder @TheAus93 @thetruedana
@_kevtherev_

Aliaputri
Kamal
@aliaputri

Tiffany Wong
@tiffanywong31

Student Questions

Thank you @Peppercomm! What is something you wish you knew for/about the industry
coming out of college? @IllinoisMCS #MCSTwitterChat

What is the most important characteristic that makes a great intern? @IllinoisMCS
@Peppercomm #MCSTwitterChat

@Peppercomm @IllinoisMCS What makes Peppercomm different from other strategic
communications and marketing agencies? #MCSTwitterChat

.@Peppercomm How does your internship program work? #MCSTwitterChat

@IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm what skills do you look for in your employees/interns?
#MCSTwitterChat

@IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm how does a strat comm & marketing company differ from ad
agencies in terms of work and services? #MCSTwitterChat

What's the biggest difference between strategic communications with B2B and Consumer
accounts? @IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm #MCSTwitterChat

Who should I address my internship application to? @IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm
#MCSTwitterChat

In the digitalized era, how do agencies decide which media vehicle to advertise their content?
@Peppercomm @IllinoisMCS #MCSTwitterChat

What was most engaging?

Most retweets (1)

Thank you @Peppercomm! What is something you wish you knew for/about the industry
coming out of college? @IllinoisMCS #MCSTwitterChat

Most favorites (3)

@IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm how does a strat comm & marketing company differ from ad
agencies in terms of work and services? #MCSTwitterChat

Highest # of replies (4)

What is the most important characteristic that makes a great intern? @IllinoisMCS
@Peppercomm #MCSTwitterChat

Student Tweet Timeline

Tweeter

Tweet
Time
Kevin
Thank you @Peppercomm! What is something you wish 4:05
Schroeder you knew for/about the industry coming out of college?
@IllinoisMCS #MCSTwitterChat

Kevin
What is the most important characteristic that makes a 4:10
Schroeder great intern? @IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm
#MCSTwitterChat

Austin Herr @Peppercomm @IllinoisMCS What makes
4:11
Peppercomm different from other strategic
communications and marketing agencies?
#MCSTwitterChat

Dana
.@Peppercomm How does your internship program
4:12
Hilgers
work? #MCSTwitterChat

Aliaputri
@IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm what skills do you look
4:21
Kamal
for in your employees/interns? #MCSTwitterChat

Aliaputri
@IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm how does a strat comm & 4:29
Kamal
marketing company differ from ad agencies in terms of
work and services? #MCSTwitterChat

# of
Replies
3

Kevin
Schroeder
Kevin
Schroeder

Tiffany
Wong

Tweet

2 (From
same
tweeter)
3
1

What's the biggest difference between strategic

communications with B2B and Consumer accounts?
@IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm #MCSTwitterChat

Who should I address my internship application to?
@IllinoisMCS @Peppercomm #MCSTwitterChat

4:30

4:40

In the digitalized era, how do agencies decide which

media vehicle to advertise their content?
@Peppercomm @IllinoisMCS #MCSTwitterChat

4:47

Frequency & Responses

Tweeter

# of Tweets

Kevin Schroeder
Aliaputri Kamal
Austin Herr
Dana Hilgers
Tiffany Wong

4
2
1
1
1

Ave. # of
Responses
2.5
2
1
1
1

Insights

Kevin and Aliaputri, who tweeted the most during the chat, received more responses per tweet
on average than students who tweeted less. In addition, by tweeting multiple times throughout
the chat, Kevin made himself known to Peppercomm employees and gained more responses.

Kevins first two tweets may have also gained more responses because they were tweeted at the
beginning of the chat before the amount of questions being asked increased.

Storify

The MCS & Peppercomm Twitter Chat Storify shows the progression of the twitter chat
throughout the hour. Although most tweets are in chronological order, some questions and
answers have been moved closer to each other so that the Storify is easier to read. Click here to
read the Storify.

@IllinoisMCS Tweet Analytics

Impressions
3,684

Link clicks
10

Retweets
7

Favorites
27

Replies
16

Number of Tweets
21

Top Tweets (2% + engagement rate)

Tweet

Engagement rate

@Peppercomm Tell us about Peppercomm. What

does the agency do? #MCSTwitterChat

7.4%

.@Peppercomm What advice would you give to

students applying for #internships at Peppercomm?
#MCSTwitterChat

2.5%

.@Peppercomm Great! Can you describe some of the

#intern duties at Peppercomm? #MCSTwitterChat

2%

.@Peppercomm How can students interested in a

career in #PR & #communications break into the
industry? #MCSTwitterChat

2%

.@Peppercomm Last question: what do you

recommend students in #PR and #marketing do to
get involved & hone their skills? #MCSTwitterChat

2%

Summary

Students primarily want to know:

What Peppercomm is about.
How they can apply to the internship program.
Career tips for getting into the industry.

MCS Self-Evaluation
We achieved

We can improve on

v Consistent student use of

hashtag #MCSTwitterChat
v Significant student
engagement

v Consistent MCS use of

hashtag #MCSTwitterChat
v Creating a system of
guidelines for what should
be retweeted, favorited,
and replied to during
twitter chats
v Creating a list of
suggestions for employees
to have participation of:
o Top level
executives
o Alums
o Past interns
o New hires
o HR/recruiters
o Have the chat
coincide with
hiring timeline

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Appendix
Summary 2
Promoting the chat 3
Agenda of Questions..... 4
Participants. 5
Student Questions... 6
Student Tweet Timeline.. 7
Frequency of Responses,
Insights, Storify, MCS Analytics 8
Top Tweets... 9
MCS Self-Evaluation 10
Appendix 11

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