The SEE Suite – Imagem Corporativa Internship Initiative

A partnership between Imagem Corporativa, the largest private Public Relations agency in Brazil, and the SEE Suite allow SEE Suite interns to visit the agency in São Paulo for a week. Interns present their news analysis reports, share their expertise in news and social media analytics with the IC team, learn about the agency’s work and network with its leadership and with local advertising and public relations agencies and clients.

Imagem Corporativa (IC) and the SEE Suite at the Advertising and Public Relations (AdPR) Department of the University of Georgia have been collaborating since 2016, with the leadership of Ciro Dias dos Reis who serves as member of AdPR Executive Advisory Council. We are thankful for our partners and friends for their continuous support of the SEE Suite and its students. 

2023 Internship – Max Leiter

The week of November 5, a team representing the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Grady College visited Brazil to exchange practices and continue research collaboration. Itai Himelboim, Michael Cacciatore and undergraduate student Max Leiter of UGA’s SEE Suite met with the team at Imagem Corporativa in São Paulo, Brazil.

UGA’s SEE Suite has partnered with Imagem Corporativa, Brazil’s major private public relations firm, since 2016. Himelboim, the Dowden Professor of Media Analytics and director of the SEE Suite, describes the continued partnership as “a model university-industry partnership, demonstrating productivity and mutual benefit.”

Himelboim leads a team of four SEE Suite interns alongside Cacciatore. He describes the interns and their work for Imagem Corporativa as “proficient in big data analytics, meticulously analyzing tens of thousands of news articles covering key issues in Brazil, such as ESG, Elections, the Covid-19 Pandemic, and Crisis Communication.” Himelboim adds that SEE Suite-affiliated faculty and students have developed a distinctive big-data approach to news analysis as part of this partnership. Notably, one SEE Suite intern per year has the opportunity to travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil, immersing themselves in the agency’s daily activities. This experience provides a platform for exchanging ideas, acquiring new skills and expanding their professional network.

This year, senior advertising major Max Leiter had the opportunity to participate in the Imagem Corporativa exchange program in Sao Paulo alongside his professors.

When asked about the program, Leiter said, “Visiting the team at Imagem Corporativa was an incredible opportunity. I learned tons from the team at IC, and loved being immersed in Brazilian culture. I’m thankful for such a great opportunity to further my professional career while learning about other cultures and can’t wait to go visit the great city of Sao Paulo one day again.”

“We are very pleased to have a long partnership with the Grade College of Journalism and Mass Communication of the University of Georgia,” said Vanessa Ramalho, a partner at Imagem Corporativa.

Both sides of the partnership are pleased with the mutual benefit and substantial research progress presented by the international media exchanges analysis. Ciro Dias dos Reis, founder and CEO of Imagem Corporativa, cited the symbiosis created through the partnership.

“This connection with teachers and students allows for a mutual exchange of information and knowledge, in an excellent example of a win-win relationship,” Dias dos Reis said. “For all these reasons, we see the progress of this partnership with great optimism”.

Juan Meng, a UGA Athletic Association Endowed Professor and Head of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Grady College, says, “We hope to continuously advance our representation in South America and amplify the industry-academia collaboration model to deliver research reports and guides to address practical and real-world solutions in the communications industry.”

All parties involved look forward to the continued success of the partnership between the UGA’s SEE Suite and Imagem Corporativa.

2022 Internship – Sam Grove

As the uncertainty from the last few years has finally subsided, I was given the incredible opportunity to travel down south to talk to and learn from the fascinating people of Imagem Corporativa, a PR agency based in Sāo Paulo, Brazil. After working closely with data to evaluate Brazil’s image in the international press, it was surreal to pack my bags, hop on a plane, and walk the streets of a country I felt I knew so much about.

Now, it can be intimidating traveling to the seventh largest city in the world… with no grasp on their language… or a local friend. But, after many meals, drinks, museums, parks, and samba, I can confidently say that I felt as though I had made genuine connections with the people I met and now have some true friends awaiting my inevitable return. Oh, and I’m happy to report my Portuguese has increased a hundredfold. (Even if I started by knowing nothing.)

More importantly, since my time shadowing each department at IC, I’ve gained a whole new perspective on the communication field on a global level. I have never met more welcoming, talented people who are truly changing the PR landscape. Experiences like these really go to show how creativity, focus, and patience can bring us closer to a huge range of opportunities, near or far from home.

So to both, SEE Suite UGA and Imagem Corporativa, Obrigado!

2020 Internship – Jimmy Jensen

For my senior year spring break, I had the incredible opportunity of working with Imagem Corporativa based in Sāo Paulo, Brazil. Imagem Corporativa is one of the main communication and public relations agency based in Brazil. I was not only able to tour the agency, but I was also able to shadow each department as I gained further insight as to what daily workflow looks like for the agency. After work, I would explore the busy city and do my best to eat as much food as possible. I have a friend from Brazil and before leaving I asked, what the most important things to do while visiting were and she replied, “Eat as much food as you can while you’re there.” You better believe I took her advice! During the daytime, there were plenty of food venders on the streets which sold fresh fruit and other famous Brazilian snacks which I visited frequently. I was lucky enough to have my hotel directly near one of the busiest streets in Sāo Paulo; Paulista Avenue. On the weekends, they close down Paulista Avenue, and during that time, there are live performances, people with booths selling things, and a lot of locals walking the street. It was quite the sight! The city is filled with life and plenty of things to do. I also had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Art of Sāo Paulo (MASP) which is home to several famous art pieces.

I was a little worried when I left for Brazil as I am not fluent in Portuguese. However, everyone was very friendly and accommodating once they recognized I only spoke English. It also helped that I had the Google translate app at my side at all times. Overall, it was a memorable experience that I was lucky to be a part of. I worked with one of the best public relation agencies in Brazil, as well as extending my knowledge in the mass communication field. I also made some wonderful acquaintances and saw unforgettable views which definitely made the trip one to remember forever.