Chapter 8 | Cows that Can't Spell

In my senior year of college, I narrowed my job potential to the field of marketing and landed an unpaid internship with two Chick-fil-A franchises in Austin. The best part about this gig besides the chicken nuggets was the flexibility and getting to know my manager, Sarah and her artsy boyfriend Chad who would help run trivia nights at one of the stores in an effort to secure more traffic from the nearby private university. Besides helping out with events, including prepping and stuffing all these cow prizes with coupons that fell from the ceiling in the Frank Erwin Center (#glamorous) when we sponsored the UT Basketball game, I was managing their social media posts on the reg.

This was the first time I was really exposed to Twitter and learned how to use the social media management tool, Hootsuite. It surprised me that each location had their own Facebook account since the stores do so many different family-centered events. I remember we decorated one of the stores like a castle for a Mother-son date "knight" out, complete with gold chocolate coins & a photo booth. Another special project I helped with was reaching out to mom bloggers when we launched our new kids' menu. We also featured the launch of a new milkshake flavor & other desserts.

At only 5-10 hours a week or so, it was a great internship, exposing me to event coordination, marketing promotions, and social media. Chick-fil-A is a great company and aims to produce quality food and build relationships in the community - I was able to see this firsthand and will forever be a fan!

As for the same-sex marriage controversy, I was no longer in this position when it blew up in the summer of 2012. I didn't follow it too closely then, but just spent some time digging into the core argument. Unfortunately, I think Chick-fil-A got caught in the crossfire and became a symbol in a nation filled with opposing views. Here's some interesting articles I came across:

What did Dan Cathy say?

A fact checking site to help you understand the order of events. 

A story about an unlikely friendship.

This humorous segment.

This thoughtful gesture.

Craving a chicken sandwich, complete with pickles :)

- SJW