Chrystelle Garcia and Anna Michna met on the first day of their Communications, Advertising and Public Relations course at Edinburgh Napier. They graduated in 2012 and now work together at Caliber, an Edinburgh-based organic marketing agency specialising in integrated SEO, Content, and Social Marketing. They write about their time at Napier, and their work developing a London cycling guide.
Article by Chrystelle and Anna:
We both entered into our course as mature students, which may have been one of the reasons we became good friends so quickly – meeting on the very first day of inductions! Having both had experience in other fields, we chose to study at Napier because it gave us the opportunity to explore our interest in the digital marketing industry and we knew the course would arm us with the essential skills we’d need to work in such a competitive industry.
Now that we’ve been out working in the industry for a few years, it’s easy to look back and see how well our education prepared us. In our course, there was a persuasion and negotiation module that looked at the psychology behind negotiation and client relations. The skills we developed through this module are vital tools we use every day. Another important module was the communication management module. This module saw us work with external clients to develop a complete promotional strategy from start to finish. We learned about time management and teamwork, while employing our client relations skills.
Beyond our coursework, the culture and environment at Napier was helpful and encouraging. We could get help and advice from tutors easily, and student services were there to support us and help build us up. We both found the Confident Futures workshops that the university ran very helpful with the practical tasks like writing CVs and acing interviews.
Fast forward to today, and we’re using the skills we developed on a daily basis at Caliber. We recently finished the first big project we led on together. The project, for travel company, Expedia, was to develop an insider’s guide to the best cycling routes in London. The objective was to provide an innovative approach to seeing London that would appeal to both tourists and residents.
Working with a variety of urban cycling experts, we developed a collection of new cycling routes that focus on different interest areas. There’s a great route for those interested in music and fashion where you can pick up some vintage vinyl on the way. Or if museums and street art is more your style, there’s a great route for you too. Check out all the routes here and give one a shot the next time you’re in London.
It wasn’t only the education we received at Napier that fed into this project. The alumni network was a valuable resource, as two of the cycle routes were created by fellow Napier alumni. Jakub Michalski’s route takes you from Borough Market to Camden Town, while Alberto Serna’s route explores the multi-cultural eclecticism of Peckham.
It seems like everywhere we go we are working with other graduates!
We will always be grateful for the education we received at Napier, but equally grateful for the amazing friendship we have built together.
More about Chrystelle and Anna:
Chrystelle is an Outreach Manager at Caliber. On a day to day basis, her role involves liaising with other departments to create a common approach to dealing with both clients and other industry professionals. Alongside this, Chrystelle’s work involves planning how best to implement creative campaigns both online, offline, and across various news mediums.
Anna is a Digital PR Manager at Caliber. Her work involves helping clients build an online presence with key content writers and journalists. She also implements SEO elements to her PR efforts, and works with influencers within the travel industry.