Description

af&co. is a dynamic communications agency located in downtown San Francisco that caters to the hospitality, lifestyle, and restaurant industries. We work hard and we love what we do. Hey, we’re in hospitality! We offer our clients a variety of services including: Public Relations, Marketing, Social Media and Concepts/Strategy – and are looking for Marketing, Social Media, & PR interns for the upcoming semester to roll up their sleeves and join our passionate team. Visit our website for more information (www.afandco.com) and follow us on social media (@afandco). 

The internship will be very hands-on in helping our agency achieve our goal of providing outstanding service to our clients. Specifically, the intern role will focus heavily in supporting our programming, marketing, social media and public relations efforts. You’ll be involved in drafting public relations and marketing materials, social media content creation, programming assistance, helping with the coordination of projects and events, plus research and occasional data entry. The perks include attending some really great events if the timing works out.

We don’t pay in monetary terms, but we do compensate you with something even more valuable –experience and skills to get you to the next level in your career. This is a fantastic learning experience for a highly motivated individual. If you are interested in understanding the inner-workings of public relations, marketing and hospitality, then we want to hear from you!
    
Sounds like a great fit? We’d love to hear from you. Send us a copy of your resume and a brief cover letter stating why you’re the ideal candidate for the role to: internmngr@afandco.com.

Responsibilities

• The more you put into, it the more you’ll get out of it: You’ll learn a lot, but in return, we ask that you participate. We’re looking for someone who has passion for the hospitality industry and interest in learning more about public relations and marketing. 
• Commit and show up: The internship lasts for about four months (some flexibility in making it shorter or longer) with varying hours in office. We’re flexible in terms of working around school and work schedules, but do require a minimum of three work days per week so you get the most out of the internship.

Requirements

• Current students
• Enrolled in course credit hours as this internship is unpaid and receiving school credit is a non-negotiable
• Able to participate during the entire school term 
• Well-versed and confident using Google Docs/Sheets/Microsoft Office, social platform reporting and Google analytics a plus
• Great communication and strong writing skills
• Self-motivated, proactive, creative in problem solving
• Highly organized and detail/task-orientated, strong follow through

af&co., based in the heart of San Francisco, is a full-service integrated communications agency with a passion for the hospitality industry. Our clients include restaurants, hotels, food and beverage brands and special events. We specialize in public relations, influencer relations, marketing, social media and launch strategy, as well as concept development and operational consulting through our partner, Carbonate.  Our goals are to provide personalized and expert guidance, build brand awareness, and generate results for our clients. We work hard and we love what we do. Our approach for each client is fresh, direct, creative and stylish. We inspire people to love our clients as much as we do! For more information, please see our website at www.afandco.com.

We’re Growing!!

Seeking a Passionate Media Relations & Marketing Account Manager

Here’s the scoop:

Job Title: Account Manager

Department: Media Relations & Marketing

FLSA Status: Full time, Non-Exempt

 

Account Manager

This position requires three to five years’ experience, with strong media relations and marketing expertise, complemented by sharp communication and leadership skills. Account Managers are responsible for achieving and maintaining client satisfaction. A passion for food, restaurants and the hospitality industry, as well as a desire to learn more about marketing, media relations and brand strategy, are key to success in this role.

af&co. Fundamentals:

We are looking for someone excited to share their media relations and marketing expertise with our team and clients.

This role is for you if you:

• Possess a strong portfolio of secured local and national media coverage, particularly focusing on the hospitality industry
• Have excellent relationships with a long list of San Francisco Bay Area and national media, specifically those that cover hospitality, food and beverage
• Have experience managing social media accounts, including community management, content creation and advertising
• Are knowledgeable of Bay Area food, beverage, travel and lifestyle influencers
• Are detail-oriented, very creative, empathetic, resourceful, tenacious, strategic, an assertive goal-setter and excellent communicator
• Possess a keen interest in and passion for food, restaurants, cocktails, travel, and the hospitality arts and culture in general
• Have excellent writing skills, which can be applied creatively and effectively to anything from a press release or pitch to a case study or client newsletter
• Are a natural networker and team player with strong social skills who can juggle multiple projects with finesse
• Are a born story-teller with strong persuasion skills
• Serve as a knowledgeable mentor to account coordinator(s) and intern(s)
• Foster a fun, friendly, open, drama-free and efficient work environment
• Enjoy new business outreach
• Bring strategic rigor and a high quality of work to every account or project
• Are naturally friendly, courteous and attentive to client needs
• Are highly productive and efficient in time management
• Are adaptable and respond quickly to internal and external communication

 
In this role, you will be the central point of communication for six to nine clients. You will build confidence with the client that strategic solutions, project details, process steps, billings and deliverables are well organized, communicated and managed. Additionally, you will ensure all correspondence, materials, presentations, proposals seen by prospective and existing clients are error-free, of highest quality, relevant to the client’s business challenges, and reflective of af&co.’s approach.

 
Media Relations Responsibilities

A successful candidate will be able to:

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with traditional media
• Lead the creation of creative media relations initiatives that drive relevance and revenue
• Secure earned media features, mentions and round-ups for clients on a regular basis
• Ideate, write, edit, and execute press kits, pitches and press releases that achieve goals for clients and agency
• Build and oversee the creation of targeted media lists for client pitches
• Manage editorial calendar and HARO opportunities for clients, including tracking deadlines, sharing opportunities with other account managers
• Measure ROI and utilize data to make informed strategic or tactical recommendations

Marketing Responsibilities

A successful candidate will be able to:

• Lead client’s integrated marketing communications planning, identifying objectives, strategies and tactics
• Manage content for digital platforms (social media, blog, website, e-newsletters, etc.) for af&co and its clients
• Directly manage client social media profiles, including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn
• Manage influencer campaigns from start to finish
• Use Sprout Social (or something similar) and Klear or another influencer marketing platform
• Create and manage social media ad campaigns through Facebook Business Manager
• Manage website build-outs for clients with web developer/designer vendor, including writing site-maps, website copy, creating and managing timelines and deadlines, etc.
• Manage client photo/video shoots
• Assist in creating and managing client email marketing campaigns
• Create reports and analyzes KPIs for each client
• Measure ROI and utilizes data to make informed strategic or tactical recommendations
• Collaborate with account teams on the planning and execution of events for af&co clients, with oversight by Marketing Director
• Assists in overall digital brand strategy and messaging for all clients

Perks:

• Working with a fantastic, tight team of communications and marketing pros who are passionate about our industry and clients
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Business development bonus
• Paid vacation with additional comp time
• Work from home, with option to meet and work in San Francisco office
• Partial reimbursement for cell phone and internet service
• 401K retirement plan with profit sharing
• Pre-tax transit benefit
• The thrill of working with and experiencing our amazing clients, which often includes enjoying delicious food and beverages!

 
Salary is based on experience, accomplishments and skills. Please contact Diana Haven, Chief Operating Officer, at diana@afandco.com with your resume and a cover letter telling us about:

• Your most successful media relations campaign and why?
• Example(s) of social media account(s) you’ve directly managed
• Your restaurant/hotel passion/expertise
• Your leadership/management style
• Favorite restaurant/chef and why?

 
Please also include two to three media placements of which you are most proud, in whatever medium. Please forward as an attachment in either Microsoft Office, pdf or jpeg format or as a link. Please note that candidates are also required to complete an official application and timed writing test. Finalists will be asked to share references.

af&co. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.