You’ve probably seen some of Allie’s marketing projects around campus—screenings of the latest Universal Pictures movies with CAB or the Bijou, social media competitions, and sidewalks covered in chalk promoting the films. As the Campus Representative for Universal Pictures, Allie is constantly thinking of new way to promote films such as Despicable Me 2 or the Fast and the Furious 6.
Allie, who is in Chi Omega Sorority, first heard about the position during her sophomore year when an older sorority sister had the job. Though someone else took over for Allie’s junior year, Allie kept in touch with the region’s marketing director.
“I kept bugging her so I would be on the forefront of her mind,” Allie said.
Her persistence paid off—Allie reapplied this year and scored the position. Each month she focuses on promoting a different movie. The movies range from the comedy Ted to the dramatic musical Les Misérables. Even though the films differ greatly, Allie still approaches the marketing of them in similar ways.
Allie often teams up with the Campus Activity Board or the Daily Iowan to create events. If you go out to the bars sometime this month, you may see Allie with a laptop, getting people to like the Universal Pictures Facebook page. She also is sent promotional items such as scarves, luggage tags, or t-shirts that she gives out to students.
Her favorite project so far was the free screening of the aca-mazing Pitch Perfect, a movie about a college a cappella group. (She even helped Her Campus get an interview with the stars of Pitch Perfect!) Allie spent her free time chalking sidewalks, writing on classroom whiteboards, and blowing up her social media feeds to promote the event. Her phone was bombarded with random numbers calling and asking for tickets and she went out of her way to meet up with students to hand the tickets out. Allie ended up filling the entire Bijou Theater and had an a cappella group sing before the movie began.
Even with such a busy (and awesome) job, Allie still finds the time to give back to the community. Her second favorite thing on campus was being in a leadership position with Dance Marathon. Now that the event is over, Allie still visits children in the oncology unit twice a week. She loves getting to spend time with the kids, and they love getting to play games with Allie and forgetting about their treatment for a bit.
“It’s sad, but it’s never a sad environment,” Allie said.
As if having a successful job and a commitment to Dance Marathon isn’t enough, Allie is also on the Ed on Campus marketing team and is an active member of PRSSA. She hopes to go back to Chicago after graduating this year to find a job in marketing promotions or public relations—something she is sure to accomplish with all her experience she’s racking up while at Iowa.
*Photos provided by Allie Johnson