Fitzco leads students through Google Ads Certification training

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Rachel Lakso, a participant in the Fitzgo Google Ads Certification program, for sharing the following reflection of her experience with the program this semester. Lakso is a fourth-year advertising major with passions for media, copywriting and creative. She is a member of UGA’s AdClub, as well as a writer and editor for the student-run lifestyle publication, Strike Magazine.

I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the 2021 Fitzco Google Ads Certification Program this spring semester directed by Dr. Joe Phua, associate professor of advertising.

Fitzco is a top advertising agency in Atlanta that specializes in media, strategy, content and all things related. Awesome mentors from Fitzco, who are media specialists, guided my team and me through three monthly dedicated training sessions during which we learned the ins and outs of the benefits of being certified in Google Ads and how to manage Google campaigns. The meetings were all conducted on Zoom, which allowed for it to be easy to attend and participate from anywhere. My team, led by Jocelyn Schuster and Taylor Jones, created a campaign for the UGA Grady AdPR Academy in which we chose keywords and target audiences, and evaluated effective strategy for the campaign in Google Ads. 

I completed the required Google Ads Search certification in which I learned the fundamentals of creating a campaign in Google Ads including how to manage and analyze campaigns, budget, and implement the campaign from step one until the ad appears on Google for consumers to click. We were also able to complete a second certification of our own choosing, so I chose the YouTube Music program since I am interested in music and the management of different artists’ channels. This was also very fun to learn about because I did not know how strategic YouTube management really is.

As an advertising student interested in a career in media, having these certifications and this experience aids in understanding the importance of digital advertising and media strategy, giving me hands-on experience and a leg up in my early career in the industry that can also be included on my resume.

Fitzco’s own Logan Frost (ABJ ’15), one of the mentors and coordinators, also completed this program while at UGA, and now works in media there.

This program was an incredible way to connect with other students with similar interests as me, gain hands-on experience in media and get a taste of what a possible career in the field will look like.