When I first got the call saying I had received one of MS&L’s coveted intern positions, I was beyond excited. Then I heard I was in the Digital group, and I won’t lie, I was a little disappointed (sorry. guys, it gets better, though). I had spent the previous summer working at a media agency as a Search Marketing Intern. I learned a ton about new media, but I mostly spent my days pulling weekly and monthly campaign reports from the various ad networks. As I drowned in Excel spreadsheets each day, I thought, “I am a PR major! Where’s the creativity?!?!” To say the least, I was dreading spending another summer counting click-through rates and conversions.

However, within just a few hours of starting work at MS&L, I realized that this summer would be nothing like the last. I was part of a team full of smart, hard-working, passionate, and very creative people, who all treated me with a level of respect that not all interns get to experience. I was assigned to meaningful work and allowed to take my own initiatives on projects. For the first time, I wasn’t staring at the clock all day and waiting for 6 p.m. to roll around. Some days were crazy, and sometimes I was really intimidated by the level of responsibility the team entrusted me with, but I loved every minute. So what have I learned from it all?

I learned that, these days, Digital PR is the most efficient and effective form of PR.

The first thing they teach you in any and every PR class is the definition of the profession; “PR is the method by which companies communicate with their publics.” Well, how are you supposed to communicate with someone who has Flo Rida blasting through the iPod ear bud in her left ear, her BFF yapping through the Bluetooth in her right ear, while she’s fast forwarding through commercials on TiVo and stalking people on Facebook?

In a world where everyone is bombarded with messages from all angles, all day long, how do you ensure that your message is heard?

This summer, I learned the answer to this question. You help your client join the conversation the consumers are already having by creating content that speaks WITH them instead of TO them. Consumers are already talking about products and services, so instead of bombarding them with messaging, why not just engage them in a conversation?

Now I am not saying that I think traditional PR is irrelevant, but even with all the research that goes in to choosing the right media outlets, dollars are still wasted on impressions of people who just don’t care. With digital, you are reaching the people who care, making the most of every dollar spent. Sure, the numbers are a lot smaller, but they are the right numbers. Furthermore, any traditional outreach without digital support behind it becomes a lot less valuable, because the people who do care will be going online to find out more.

In my opinion, if PR is all about communicating with a company’s “publics,” Digital PR gets it right because it can target those publics better than any other method. Sure, I might be biased after two summers working with digital media, but I am really surprised by the resistance from both clients and colleagues to acknowledge where the industry has already gone (some people say “where the industry is going,” but let’s face it, we’ve been there for a while).

To wrap up, I just want to say I am extremely grateful to everyone I worked with for all the responsibility I was given. My fears of being locked in a room with Excel for hours on end were dispelled the moment I started here. I’ve learned so much and can truly say that this is the best group of people I have ever worked with.