IPG Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship Program Expands

December 16, 2023
Photo of a huge metal ring sculpture in Detroit at night. It is pictured in front of a group of high rise building in the downtown.

Interpublic Group announced the expansion of its Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship, a jobs program exclusively associated with IPG’s Detroit-based communications and marketing companies supporting client General Motors. This includes Weber Shandwick, MRM, McCann, Jack Morton Worldwide, and Commonwealth//McCann.

Cultivating Local Talent
Now in its third year, the Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship will continue to recruit applicants specifically from Detroit-based institutions, including Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies. Dedicated to growing relationships with educational institutions across Detroit, the program plays a key role in engaging local talent, facilitating career development, and cultivating collaborative learning.

 Unlike traditional internships, the two-year rotational program offers comprehensive and in-depth experiences across various disciplines, providing recruits with a holistic understanding of the communications, marketing, creative, experiential, and relationship marketing landscape. Fellowship candidates will also have the opportunity to support multiple vehicle brands including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac, as well as adjacencies like GM Customer Care and Aftersales, CarBravo and OnStar.

With a partnership spanning nearly a century, General Motors and IPG recognize the significant impact of younger generations on today’s global economy. By investing in emerging talent, IPG is nurturing the growth and success of the next generation, providing them with the resources to thrive and flourish in the advertising and marketing industry.

“There has never been a more critical moment to find ways to integrate the perspectives and creative insights of emerging talent into the work we produce for our clients. This program signifies our commitment not only to the Detroit community but to creating work that reaches and impacts the full range of consumers, so as to ultimately drive business impact,” commented IPG CEO Philippe Krakowsky.

“Our goal is to build teams that authentically mirror the diversity of our daily customer base, ensuring our approach remains dynamic and innovative, in step with the ever-evolving landscape of the automotive industry,” noted Grant Theron, IPG’s Global Client Lead for General Motors.

“This fellowship provides Wayne State University students with the opportunity to launch a meaningful career. We are delighted to partner with a program that is thoughtfully constructed to accelerate a student’s career with a wide range of real-world experience. The fellowship also allows our students to invest their talent back into the Motor City, where they received their degree. This is the best possible outcome for our students and community, and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership in such a valuable program,” said Hasan Elahi, Dean at Wayne State University, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.

“We value partnerships like the Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship by IPG, which supports recent graduates and the industry alike, facilitating collaborative efforts to amplify diverse voices within the communication and advertising design profession,” commented Susan LaPorte, Chair and Professor of Communication Design + Advertising Departments.

The Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship welcomes both soon-to-be graduates and recent graduates, and the application process is ongoing. For more details about the program and how to apply, please visit www.ipgdetfellowship.com.

About Interpublic
Interpublic (NYSE: IPG) (www.interpublic.com) is a values-based, data-fueled, and creatively-driven provider of marketing solutions. Home to some of the world’s best-known and most innovative communications specialists, IPG global brands include Acxiom, Craft, FCB, FutureBrand, Golin, Huge, Initiative, IPG Health, IPG Mediabrands, Jack Morton, KINESSO, MAGNA, McCann, Mediahub, Momentum, MRM, MullenLowe Global, Octagon, R/GA, UM, Weber Shandwick and more. IPG is an S&P 500 company with total revenue of $10.93 billion in 2022.

About Commonwealth//McCann
Commonwealth//McCann (www.cw-mccann.com) is an award-winning global advertising agency founded in 2012 as a division of McCann Worldgroup. Headquartered in Detroit, CW has offices across 16 countries around the world. We’re creatively led and operationally managed, which means everything we do is in support of stronger, smarter ideas that work for our client. Like handling the basics brilliantly, taking care of the simple things every day. Planning for the future and exceeding client expectations.

About Jack Morton
Jack Morton (www.jackmorton.com) is an award-winning global brand experience agency. We’re driven by the fact that the world’s most successful brands deliver proof on their brand promise at every touchpoint. It’s what inspires our team each day to help clients “Be extraordinary.” For over 80 years, we’ve strengthened the relationships between brands and the people who matter most to them, through live, virtual and hybrid experiences, brand acts, integrated campaigns, sponsorship marketing and employee engagement.

About McCann Worldgroup
McCann Worldgroup (www.mccannworldgroup.com) is a leading global marketing solutions network whose professionals are united across 100+ countries by a single vision: To help brands earn a meaningful role in people’s lives. McCann Worldgroup was named “Global Agency of the Year” by Adweek magazine, “Network of the Year” by the Cannes Lions, the world’s most creatively effective marketing services company by the Effie Awards (for three consecutive years), “Global Network of the Year” by Campaign magazine and “Network of the Year” by The Webby Awards. Fast Company named McCann Worldgroup to its list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies. The network comprises McCann (advertising), MRM (science/technology/relationship marketing), Momentum Worldwide (total brand experience), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (production), Weber Shandwick (public relations) and FutureBrand (consulting/design).

About MRM
MRM (www.mrm.com) creatively engineers total human experiences. Through purposeful, dynamic intersections between strategy, creative, technology and data sciences, MRM operates in a borderless, integrated way, to allow for greater collaboration and velocity—all to the service of helping businesses grow meaningful relationships with people. MRM has 35-plus offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick (www.webershandwick.com) is a leading global communications network that delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses and organizations in major markets around the world. Led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators, we have won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry. Weber Shandwick was named to Ad Age’s Agency A-List in 2020 and Best Places to Work in 2019. Weber Shandwick was also honored as PRovoke’s Global Agency of the Decade in 2020 and PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The firm earned 25 Lions at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Data-led, with earned ideas at the core, the agency deploys leading and emerging technologies to inform strategy, develop critical insights and heighten impact across sectors and specialty areas, including brand and B2B marketing, healthcare marketing, change management, employee engagement, corporate reputation, crisis management, data and analytics, technology, public affairs, social impact and financial communications. social impact and financial communications.