project overview
In the summer of 2024 I interned at an agency named Antidote 71. The internship involved spearheading the launch of a t-shirt company as a full fledged e-commerce website: 71 Shirts. The project was a collaboration of a couple year’s of interns, and while I was there, my role ended up being a blend of digital creative and strategy. I helped redesign the Website and organize the Launch. I made various Product Changes and helped standardize the overall site. I managed and revamped Social Media for 71 shirts. I also ran paid ad campaigns that I designed and reviewed through Meta Ads. Lastly, I gave a recommendations and Reflections presentation where I displayed what i learned and documented my progress to help guide future interns.
website design
I implemented several UI and UX enhancements to improve navigation and the customer journey overall. A key strategic change was implementing size selection before color on product pages; this allowed customers to view availability in their specific size before committing to a color preference, reducing friction in the process. Beyond functional updates, I also refreshed the site’s visual identity by updating product mockups and banner imagery.
product standardization
I also led a product standardization initiative to resolve discrepancies in pricing, sizing, and descriptions across the website catalog. Inconsistent pricing and details create friction and harm consumer trust. By unifying these elements, I streamlined the site’s navigation and ensured that the brand’s storefront reflected a cohesive and professional identity that prioritized clarity for customers.
social media
In my time, I also launched 71 Shirt’s social media presence, serving as the content creator and strategist. My primary goal was to implement a consistent content calendar, aiming for three posts per week to build consumer trust and define the brand’s voice. I also learned a lot about Facebook and Instagram, and the key differences between them.
content creation
I did a lot of digging to figure out how to drive organic growth by creating content that encouraged community interaction and brand loyalty, rather than solely using product promotion posts. I developed a batch of original content ideas, including reels, “fit checks,” and holiday-themed posts, while establishing a workflow that made it easy for future interns to follow while taking their own creative spin.
paid advertising
I also had the opportunity to run paid ads through Meta Business Suite as a part of the internship. I ended up running a catalogue ad, a static image, a UGC (User Generated Content) video, and a GIF. The total budget of the entire campaign was around $500 for the entire summer, and money was allocated to each campaign based on performance. In total, the campaign amassed 14K impressions had a reach of just over over 9K people. We converted 5 out of the 15 total shirts sold in that summer from the paid advertising campaign.
conclusion
This internship gave me a full look at what it takes to launch a brand, from the technical side of Shopify and UI/UX to managing actual digital strategies.
My final presentation to the team concluded by offering my suggestions on future growth opportunities, like expanding to new platforms and improving how we target different audiences. I also proposed a new pricing strategy, like the $19.71 flat rate, to really lean into the brand identity and make things easier for the customer. Overall, this project was a great way to bridge the gap between being creative and handling the technical side of a business launch. I’m so appreciative to have learned so much from this talented team!
