I completed my senior internship at the Regional Corporate Offices of Ashley HomeStore. These offices are located in Jacksonville and serve three HomeStores in Jacksonville and one in Brunswick.
This Public Relations internship allowed me to experience first hand the behind-the-scenes tasks of each sales promotion, charity event and team-building activity the organization runs. Each event is carefully planned out, from the signs and posters on display to the social media and other advertising.
My main responsibilities in this internship was to create materials for promotions and events, prepare planbooks and write content for the internal company blogs. I also proofed new policies and procedures and created a web portal for charitable donation requests.
Please see examples of the work I did below and feel free to contact me if you are interesting in finding out more about my role in any of these projects!
Please note that due to company privacy guidelines, all blog posts featured on this webpage can only be viewed as PDFs, so the format may differ from the actual webpage. Also please note that company guidelines allows the use of the percentage sign and small numerals, which is typically against AP Style.
Ashley Jax Community Webpage
Our company began a community web portal that was previously used for job applications. I began updating this webpage to include a Charitable Donation Tab. I also began updating the rest of the website, however our board of directors wanted to keep the website heading as “Career Headquarters” until further notice. Check out the webpage here.
Private Sale Snapchats
Each of our locations held their own private event in May. These events not only served to boost sales, but they also acted as team building events since each store picked their own theme and catering. I took pictures from these events and created Snapchat captions for each to post on our company website.
About Us Text
One of my tasks included updating old forms and signage since the company went through a re-branding a year ago. We needed to update our “About Us” text featured on some of our in-store assets and promotional items. This text is generic enough to be used for other forms, but was specifically written for “Exit Conversion Cards” that are currently in production. Please note that company guidelines for writing and content creation includes the use of the percent symbol and other symbols not commonly used in AP Style.
Please click here for a PDF version of About Us text.
Bold City Best Contest
Every year the Florida Times Union hosts the Bold City Best contest, which allows people to vote for the best businesses in Jacksonville. This year Ashley HomeStore was entered for the Best Furniture Store and Best Mattress Store categories.
I filled out our application packet, created digital assets and packaged promotional materials to send out to our Jacksonville locations. I also created a blog post to encourage our employees to cast their votes.
Click here for a larger version of the Bold City Best Facebook Header.
Click here for a PDF of the Bold City Best Email.
Click here for a PDF of the Bold City Best Blog Post.
Tempur-Pedic® Bed Giveaway
This year, Ashley HomeStore was named as the “#1 Tempur-Pedic® Retailer in America.” To celebrate, Ashley HomeStore and Tempur-Pedic® will give one Jacksonville Jaguar season-ticket holder a complete Tempur-Pedic® sleep system valued at up to $4,000 at each home game this year.
I was responsible for formatting the letters we will give to each winner. I also had to contact each winner and schedule them for a test-rest. These test-rests were filmed and will be aired on the world’s largest scoreboards in Everbank field during each home game.
The pictures below are from the filming event, courtesy of Tori Fusinaz.
Please click here to see the PDF version of the Congratulations Letter.
Jacksonville Jaguar Player Scripts
Ashley HomeStore is partnered with the Jacksonville Jaguars to help local children in need through Ashley HomeStore’s Hope to Dream Program. This program seeks to give each child in need a complete bed set free of charge.
I created a script with quick phrases that Jacksonville Jaguars players can say during the upcoming 200 Bed Giveaway, with some of them featuring sleep facts that I researched.
Click here for a PDF copy of the Player’s Hope to Dream Script.
Memorial Day Contest Winners Announcement
In order to boost morale and performance, Ashley HomeStore often holds sales contests with prizes. I wrote a blog post with the results of the contest and created featured images honoring prize winners in every category.
Please click here to view a PDF of the Memorial Day Contest Blog Post.
Room Design Spotlights
I began a small design blog for salespeople, visual team and other employees to use to identify design trends that may be popular in our area. I start each post by first extensively researching each trend. I then compile a list of products we carry that may match that particular trend, then search our Instagram and other social media to find examples. Only two have been uploaded so far, but more are scheduled to be posted at later dates.
Please click here to view the Minimalism Blog Post.
Please click here to view the Farmhouse Style Blog Post.
Please note that since all blog posts featured on this page are only available to view as PDFs, the format may differ from the actual display. Also please keep in mind that these PDFs may not properly display pictures and social media links.
Mid-Year Awards
This year we hosted our first Mid-Year Awards Ceremony. This event was held at the Main Event in Jacksonville and honored the top performing salespeople in the company.
I first gathered prizes and decorations for this event. I then made a blog post announcing the winners for each category, which also included a featured image I created specifically for the post.
Please click here for a PDF of the Mid-Year Awards Blog Post.
Top Ten Reports
One of my internship duties involved tracking trends in popular designs and furniture pieces as well as keep track of top performers in the company. To help this, I created a Top Ten Furniture Report that shows our best-selling pieces along with a Top Ten Salespeople Report. I update both of them monthly.
Click here to see a downloadable PDF of the Top Ten Furniture Report for June. This is in the same format as the Top Ten Salespeople Report for June, which I cannot post due to privacy concerns.
Various Sales Promotions
During my internship, I created assets and planbooks for six promotions. I worked directly with our in-house graphic designer to create digital advertisements, billboards and other materials that I can place in each planbook.
Although I can’t post the planbooks in their entirety, I can post individual pages. The goal of these planbooks are to give sales managers and team members a concise reference of promotions, advertisements, posters and materials for each sales event. They also served as a way for the board of directors to communicate their goals and insight to the retail level.
I also included a slideshow of banner ads and digital assets I created for the Summer Hotbuys Event. These assets were featured on online ads as well as social media ads.
Please click here to view the Summer Hotbuys Gamebook.
Marlia Walker 