Driving Creativity: How Ad Creative Student, Ella Atchinson, Turned a Social Media Internship at Ford into Career Fuel
By: Alexis Muno
When Michigan State University senior, Ella Atchinson started college, she had no idea her path would lead to advertising. Coming to MSU as an undecided major, she discovered her passion after taking her first advertising class during her freshman year.
During her summer internship at her family’s Ford dealership in Metro Detroit, one of her favorite experiences came from a social media post that unexpectedly went viral. She found an old dealership license plate in the original holder from her dad’s birth year and gave it to him for Father’s Day…only to discover it once belonged to her grandfather and dealership founder with his name inscribed on the back!
“It was my first post,” she said, laughing.
The next day, Channel 4 Detroit reached out, wanting to film a story about the plate. It was a surreal moment for Atchinson; it showed her how powerful genuine human stories can be. The post ended up being featured in the local newspaper and reached audiences far beyond Michigan.
“I’ve always been creative and into social media,” Atchinson said. “Once I took that class freshman year, I just knew it was the right fit for me.”
In her classes at MSU, she has created fictional brands from scratch, everything from packaging and social media to storefront mockups. After spending the summer learning about the sales and accounting sides of the business, Atchinson returned to focus on social media marketing.
“I wanted to understand what actually draws people in,” she said. “It’s fascinating to see how one post can turn into real sales or customer interest.”
Working in person gave Atchinson a better understanding of what it takes to connect with people through marketing.
“You can’t just walk up to someone with a phone and expect them to trust you,” she said. “It’s about building relationships and being authentic.”
She says her time interning helped her grow her skills in both design and analytics.
“A simple photo of a car can turn into something more meaningful when you add context or creativity,” she said.
Now back on campus, Atchinson is applying everything she learned in her senior portfolio class.
She credits MSU’s advertising program for giving her confidence and a foundation to think creatively and strategically. Atchinson will graduate in spring 2026 and plans to continue working at her family’s dealership full time, combining her experience in marketing with her interest in sales.
Read the story behind Atchinson’s viral license plate social media post at https://bellevilleareaindependent.com/craig-atchinson-gets-a-bit-of-family-history-for-fathers-day/.
