Swedish company hires USU students
Earbags of Sweden has hired Utah State University students to do public relations work for the Olympics and has donated $1,000 to the journalism department to go toward its interns.
Earbags, “the official ear warmer of the 2002 Winter Olympics,” are coverings that snap over the ear without any strap going over the head. Its headquarters are in New York City but it was invented in Sweden.
Angela Peterson, a junior in public relations, has been hired by Earbags as its intern.
“They wanted students with local ties to the Olympics,” Peterson said.
Valerie Ciptak, Earbags director of sales said, “We have two interns at USU who have great ideas on promoting our product, and we realized that the market we are trying to reach would have the best idea on how to be reached.”
Peterson said on Jan. 23 at USU’s first home hockey game, they will be giving out 300 free Earbags. For a set of Earbags, in Aggie blue, students will have to write down marketing ideas for Earbags on an index card.
“We’ve already heard the ‘Spock’ jokes. We’re looking for some truly creative ideas,” Ciptak said.
Peterson said Earbags have never had public relations work done for them before.
The USU public relations agency is putting together a team for the Earbags company, said journalism Department Head, Edward Pease.
The agency is called COMM USU and is run by 16 students in the public relations department. The agency handles clients such as NASA and the George S. Eccles Ice Center for pay.
Pease said the students will be handling the marketing for Earbags through events such as the hockey game, promotion during the Olympics and handling Earbags press releases.
“The more we can get you (the students) professional experience of any type the better,” Pease said. “It is a terrific experience to be working with the Olympics.”
The USU students will be promoting Earbags throughout the Olympics, Peterson said.
Earbags is also sponsoring the first Kenyan Cross Country Ski team. One of things the students will do is promote Earbags at the team’s press conference at REI, an outdoor store, in Salt Lake City.
Earbags retail at around $12.