Field Notes: The Media School Travel Blog

Walking into the Nestle-Purina headquarters, I was unsure if it would be useful for me. I was expecting to spend a couple of hours in a corporate boardroom. Boy, was I wrong.

We were immediately welcomed by IU alumnus Gordon Wade, who introduced us to his team and gave us a tour of the offices. We then headed to the Retail Innovation Center, a space where Purina can host its partners and show them the steps the company is taking to be at the forefront of the industry.

In the RIC, we got to hear from members of The Feed, Purina’s in-house partner that produces digital content. They do everything from media analytics to public relations work for all of the brands under the Purina banner. 

It was really interesting to learn how versatile The Feed is. I had the opportunity to talk with some of the team during lunch, and I learned a lot about where they think the future of design is heading and how the evolving nature of the online world has impacted what content they choose to produce.

Back in Bloomington, I’m now looking more into the skills they recommended for future media professionals, like working with motion graphics. The visit made me really excited to explore that side of the field and to look more into careers past that of a traditional journalist.

As much as I would have loved to have a professional visit with the pets that are the face of the Purina brand, talking with the humans working behind the scenes was certainly a more helpful experience in the long run.