As part of my internship, I visited the ECCO partner agency communication matters for three days. The experience highlighted how enriching the Exchange between communication professionals can be – especially across national borders.
I am currently working as an intern at Bernet Relations and had the opportunity to visit an ECCO partner agency to gain insight into the communications industry abroad. For this exchange, I got in touch with the agency «communication matters» in Vienna. The city of music was the perfect setting to get to know agency life in Austria more closely. Also, Before Sunrise, one of my favourite films, is set in Vienna and helped set the mood for my exchange.
The agency communication matters has been operating since 1999 and is located in the heart of Vienna. Its windows look directly out onto the «Haus des Meeres». This wide horizon is reIlected in the agency’s many cases with diverse clients from around the world, such as Google or ChargePoint. With this exchange, I wanted to Iind out how an agency several hundred kilometres away works and structures itself.
With its wide range of consulting services in public relations and public affairs, «communication matters» stands out in the Austrian communications industry.
During the three days I spent there, I had a dynamic exchange with the team members, and both sides were able to learn a lot from one another. Topics such as AI, daily agency work, client work and digital tools were at the centre of our conversations. I was able to ask questions and explore the public affairs field more deeply, a field in which I had previously gained only little experience.
Every agency has its own processes that shape daily work life. I found the weekly exchange aimed at increasing the agency’s visibility particularly meaningful, while the Vienna team found our regular Bernetblog articles very interesting. In this sense, the experience was an inspiration for everyone involved and encouraged new approaches to everyday agency work.
Contrary to my expectations, I didn’t notice any major differences in the work itself. Both client work and client acquisition seem to involve many similar challenges, regardless of whether an agency is based in Vienna or Zurich. My stay in Vienna showed me how valuable exchange within a global network can be. Not only do you gain new perspectives and solutions, but you also expand your professional connections.
Equally important is the personal growth that comes from travelling to a foreign country and embracing a new experience. The team at «communication matters» not only gave me a very warm welcome, but supported me throughout my stay – something for which I am very grateful.
Left to right: Dagmar Hemmer, Gayathri Albert, Vanessa Steiner, Iris Eibelhuber, Anna Strahl
Access to the ECCO Global Communications Network is simple. Contact information for a specific geography is available on the agency overview pages accessed here or contact the ECCO Global Communications office via email info@ecco-network.com.
