Sponsor Profile: Wrigley

Our next sponsor profile - this one of Chicago's own Wrigley - was written by Nicole Yoder, class of 2012 and an incoming Marketing Group Co-Chair.

Wrigley is a standalone subsidiary of Mars, the 3^rd largest food company in the world with over $30 billion in annual sales. Located in downtown Chicago, Wrigley offers classic CPG marketing experience with an opportunity to make an immediate impact early on in your career.

Chicago Booth is a core source of Wrigley marketing talent and the summer internship program is one of their principal means of bringing new marketers into the company. I interviewed Deanna Dane to provide a better understanding of what a job at Wrigley looks like and how best to prepare for the interview.

Deanna knew she wanted to do CPG marketing ever since spending two summers interning for Coca-Cola during the launch of Coke Zero. Following undergrad, she took a consulting role to broaden her skill set before returning to business school to pursue CPG brand management. Deanna interned at Wrigley in the summer of 2009 working on new products. She joined Wrigley in her full-time position as Assistant Marketing Manager on the 5 brand after graduating from the Booth full-time program in 2010.

NY: Why did you choose Wrigley?

DD:

• Culture; it is very indicative of the people
• Brands
• Marketing ethic and work style
• Opportunities; tons of exposure and experience from day one
• Entrepreneurial feel
• Work/life balance

NY: What did you feel were the biggest changes between your internship and full-time experiences? Additionally, what are the biggest differences between your new products role as an intern compared to your role in a base brand?

DD: As an intern, I was responsible for high-level projects and gained a wealth of experience working on innovations such as Dessert Delights to detailed analytical projects. The exposure to all levels of managers was incredible and I felt prepared to ask the right questions when returning to the full-time role.

When I returned for the full-time role, I really felt that I never lost that year being out of the office, and I hit the ground running immediately. In my role on base, I am faced with different questions and challenges around how to build and maintain the newness of a brand and always keeping consumer’s guessing what’s next along with continuing to build the core brand equity.

NY: You were a Career Advisor during your second year at Booth. What are three of your favorite tips for approaching the interview process?

DD:

• Be true to yourself; anything comes naturally when you are truly passionate about it
• Know the marketing role well; be able to put yourself into the consumers mind, particularly when the consumer is not within your demographic; check out different TV channels, magazines, websites that are outside of your core choices
• Understand the retail landscape; walk through stores and pay attention to positioning, product placement, and packaging; know various channel options

NY: What is your favorite brand and why?

DD: vitaminwater zero. vitaminwater reinvented and repositioned the entire vitamin-enhanced water category through successful grass roots marketing. Their focus on not being serious in life and connecting with consumer’s emotionally transcends throughout their campaigns including packaging, commercials and digital activation while still touting their functional benefits.

NY: What did you include in your “About Me” portion of your Booth resume?

DD:

• I met the previous President of Ukraine
• I am an avid outdoor enthusiast

NY: What class would you recommend to current marketing students at Booth?

DD: Developing New Products and Services with Professor Middlebrooks.

NY: What was your favorite Marketing Group event at Booth?

DD: The Marketing Conference was my favorite MG event. It is a great opportunity to hear how real marketing plans are exploiting current trends to promote their brands. Ann Mukherjee [CMO of Frito-Lay North America and Booth alum] was my favorite and the most memorable speaker with an exceptional presentation of amazing ad breakthroughs.

NY: What is your favorite thing about living in Chicago?

DD: It is a wonderful big city that is accessible with a small town feel.

NY: What is your favorite commercial?

DD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0rx1srLsh0

Bacardi plays so well on the nostalgia trend by showing the brand throughout the years and establishing a deep emotional connection with their audience.

NY: What has been your favorite moment in your job?

DD: The launch and success of our most recent 5 promotion tied to the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. We received over 900,000 impressions on the facebook tab within the first week which is a simply precursor to what’s coming next.

Sponsor Profile: MillerCoors

Brittney Bradshaw, '12, presents the next post in our sponsor profile series, this one on one of our Chicago neighbors - MillerCoors.

The tagline for the MillerCoors MBA internship reads, “Your career in beer starts here,” and that’s exactly what happened for Booth alum, Jeff Yoo. MillerCoors managed to woo Yoo, and if you’re passionate about marketing and a lover of beer, then you too could be wooed by the Chicago-based beer giant.

Jeff was a career switcher like a lot of Boothies pursuing careers in marketing. At Booth, he quickly uncovered a passion in learning what makes consumers tick, and he wanted to understand the psychology behind consumer decision making. But he also learned that not all marketing jobs are created equal. The beer industry is very different from the rest of its CPG kin. MillerCoors employees are truly passionate about their products, and that passion is second only to the passion expressed by MillerCoors’ loyal fans.

Before you make your way through the doors of the South Wacker headquarters, Yoo suggests considering what makes you tick as a marketer. MillerCoors offers Booth marketing students the opportunity to work in either brand management or insights. Jeff’s passion for what he describes as “pure marketing” led him towards a role in insights over brand, and he believes it’s important for Booth marketers to understand the difference. Insights at MillerCoors means uncovering the real reasons why consumers buy the beer they buy. In the insights group, you will spend your time focusing on research, problem solving, and discovery. Brand management roles really put you at the helm of decision making for your brand. As a brand manager, you will truly be the hub of the wheel.

According to Yoo, there are two types of marketers at Booth and at MillerCoors. If you’re a little bit of a geek – if you love data and numbers – insights is probably for you. If you’re a typical Type A – you want to be at the helm of a business – then brand management may be your calling. Jeff says that brand managers “have to drive the car.” But ask Henrik Christensen, Marketing Insights Manager at MillerCoors, and he’ll tell you that his group is responsible for “designing” that very car.

Jeff and his fellow alums are quite keen on keeping the Booth network alive at MillerCoors. So whether you’re geek, a driver, or just a real beer fanatic, a career at MillerCoors just might be brewing for you.

Sponsor Profile: American Express

The second piece in our series of sponsor profiles comes from American Express. The article below was written by Holly Guzman ('12)

American Express is a global services company, providing access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. This blog entry will provide you with a rich understanding of the company and how to best prepare for the recruiting process if you are interested in a marketing role at American Express. In order to gather this information, I have interviewed Booth alumna, Lindsay Loyd, who is currently serving as Director of Acquisition Strategy & Planning for Consumer Cards at American Express.

Lindsay Loyd joined American Express in 2007 after graduating from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She worked as a Manager, then a Senior Manager, on partnership marketing for the Global Commercial Card business. In August 2010, she was promoted to Director of Acquisition Strategy & Planning for the Consumer Card business. Prior to business school, she worked at Capital One as a data and financial analyst. Originally from the Pacific Northwest and a proud Washington State University alumna, she now lives in Hoboken NJ with her husband, Adam Berkowitz (also a Booth 2007 grad), and their 11 month old daughter, Marissa.

Holly Guzman: Why did you choose to work for American Express?

Lindsay Loyd:

- Great Brand. American Express has a reputation of delivering high quality services and it delivers on its brand promise.

-Location. NYC is a fun, diverse city.

- Great place for a marketing career. Marketing comes to life at American Express through the various projects you will work on. The things you work on go to market quickly. Also, you can get exposure to consumer marketing, B2B marketing, international marketing, partnership marketing, digital marketing, etc. all under the same roof.

HG: Please tell us about Leadership Express.

LL: Leadership Express is a year-long program for the incoming class of recent hires, who have just received their Master’s degrees. Leadership Express includes classes such as card economics, networking events, a speaker series featuring senior leaders, and leadership training sessions such as executive presence. The programming is spread out throughout the year. Leadership Express allows new hires to create a network of peers and leaders across various business units, which is critical when working at American Express, a highly collaborative company. A solid network will help you succeed in your current role and find your next role.

HG: What does success look like at American Express?

LL: You must be willing to embrace change and think strategically. Put yourself in the shoes of your manager and be proactive in meeting their needs. Stay up to date on what is going on in the company, the industry and in the world. Be transparent and be consistent in delivering results. Be able to influence and drive results through other people, especially via people in other groups who likely have different agendas. Find a way to make your objective a shared objective.

HG: How do leaders prepare you for your development?

LL: Mobility is a constant topic of conversation at American Express. Your manager will help you navigate your career by giving you ongoing feedback and helping you work on areas of development. Managers will give you projects focused on the skills that you need for the next position you are interested in at American Express. In addition, they will help you connect with peers and leaders for informational interviews in your target area of interest.

HG: Now that you are in a more senior position, how has your role changed?

LL: The focus is now more on leading the team and delegating. In my current role, I must have a vision and strategy, while also getting buy-in from my stakeholders. I must find a common objective to ensure results around my goals.

HG: What are some Booth resources that helped you prepare for your interview with American Express?

LL:

-Practice interviews, and lots of them! I practiced with friends (first years and second years), Career Advisors, at Winterview, in a mirror, and in my car while driving from Lakeview down to campus. Mock interviews are crucial.

-Marketing Group- The group hosts mock interviews where alumni and students will conduct a practice interview that will not impact your candidacy.

HG: What are some interview tips you received while at Booth?

LL:

- Know your top 3 ”stories” inside and out, and how you can adapt them to answer a wide variety of behavioral or fit questions. These stories should highlight how you influence people, strategic thinking and cross- functional skills. You never want to walk out of an interview without telling your 3 strongest stories!

- Speak to current employees, particularly recently alumni who have also interned at the company. Ask them specific questions that may help you understand what skills the company is looking for. That way you can highlight your transferrable skills.

- Try out some products to get first hand experience.

HG: For those interested in marketing, what are some classes you recommend?

LL:

- Middlebrooks, Developing New Products and Marketing of Services

- Data Driven Marketing

- Entrepreneurship classes such as Building the New Venture and New Venture Lab

Sponsor Profile: BCG

Over the next few weeks, we plan to bring you a series of profiles on Booth alums currently working for a number of our sponsors. Today, we'll kick things off with Lindsay Hagan ('10). Lindsay was a co-chair of the Marketing Group from April 2009-March 2010, and currently is currently a consultant with Boston Consulting Group. Lindsay took some time to fill out answer some questions about marketing, the Marketing Group, Booth, and herself. Thanks for Mary Xu ('12) for working with Lindsay to prepare this post.

Q: Why are you interested in Marketing?
Lindsay: I love that it requires a combination of highly analytical thinking and creativity. I was also a psych major in college, and I love studying consumer behavior.

Q: Favorite Marketing Group event?
L: Hard to pick just one! I've attended the conference three years in a row now, and it is always fantastic.

Q: Favorite Marketing Class?
L: Tie between Developing New Products and Services with Professor Middlebrooks and Pricing with Professor Dube - both highly recommended.

Q: What one piece of advice would you give to first-years?
L: There are always amazing Lunch and Learns, speakers, etc. (especially ones the Marketing Group brings in) - be sure to take advantage.

Q: What is your favorite product?
L: Westin Hotels (using product loosely here) - consistently good business travel experience (got to love the heavenly beds).

Q: What is your favorite brand?
L: Starbucks: where else could I get a suger-free cinnamon dolce soy latte (not to mention not be judged for ordering it)?

Q: Any hobbies outside of work (when you have "time")?
L: Trying new restaurants, running (marathons and half marathons), tennis

Q: Do you have any secret talents?
L: Word games (more of a secret obsession than talent).

Q: Best thing most people don't know about Chicago?
L: Northerly Island is great for running, biking, etc.

Q: Best and worst parts of living and working in the greater Chicago area?
L: Best: the food, cost of living, lake and summer. Worst: fact that every single bar in the city has a TV

Q: I'd like to sing a duet with...
L: I wouldn't put anyone through that pain.

Q: I always keep my ______ under lock and key.
L: Laptop

Q: ______is the bane of my existence.
L: The fact that Gilt Bar, across the street from me, is closed on Sundays

Q: Thing I love most about winter is...
L: Being warm inside when it's freezing outside.

Q: I really miss my ______ right now.
L: iPhone - had to give it up for a work Blackberry.

Q: The place I am dying to visit is...
L: Morocco

Q: The last thing I bought on sale was...
L: Loeffler Randall booties

Q: _____ is playing on my iPod right now.
L: Stereo Love by Edward

Internship Profiles

Energy is not the first area people think about when you hear "marketing," but for second year student Phil Perry, COMED provided an incredible Summer experience. Here are some details on his internship with the Chicagoland utility.

Internship in Energy / Program Management (Phil Perry ’11)

COMED, AN EXELON COMPANY, OAK BROOK, IL, ENERGY EFFICIENCY MARKETING INTERN

Experience prior to Booth: I worked for Chevron's Credit Card group. I began as a financial analyst working on budgets, forecasts and securitization. I transferred into the merchant acquiring group, leveraging Chevron's relationship with third party credit cards (Visa, Amex etc) to increase sales at Chevron stations.

What do you like most about the marketing career/internship that you have chosen?

The internship was very dedicated to marketing with a good mix of the strategic and tactical. I had a hand in helping build the strategic direction of the program while at the same time working directly with the creative aspects I so love in marketing.

Why did you choose this career/internship?

The programs I promoted were programs I could fully believe in. Increasing the energy efficiency of ComEd's customers is an important step towards reduced energy dependence. I enjoyed being able to work in a field I have grown to truly enjoy--marketing--while feeling that I was making important differences in how customers consume electricity.

What skills do you need to succeed in this field?

Interpersonal skills are critical. I worked closely with the entire marketing team and the agency, and being able to clearly convey my insights allowed me to make an impact on the strategic direction of the program we were managing. A good touch of analytics also helped to back up those insights. I was consistently called upon to translate external reports as well as analyses I myself put together in a way the entire team could understand.

Internship Profiles

A number of people had some really unique and cool internships this Summer, and Dianna Spring was one of those students. After spending Spring Quarter in Italy, Dianna returned to the Chicago area to work for Harrah's Entertainment. Here are Dianna's thoughts on her internship...

Internship in Casino Marketing (Dianna Spring ’11)

HARRAH’S ENTERTAINMENT – HARRAH’S JOLIET CASINO AND HOTEL, JOLIET, IL, PRESIDENT’S ASSOCIATE INTERN

Experience prior to Booth: Marketing Analyst at a Financial Services firm, Sallie Mae for four years: promoted to Marketing Manager for Fifth Third Bank and Regions Bank after beginning career in Strategic Sales and the Management Rotational Training Program

What do you like most about the marketing career/internship that you have chosen?

Harrah’s Entertainment provides a high level of exposure to senior management through its President’s Associate Internship Program. I had a chance to fly to Vegas over the summer and meet the CEO (a former Harvard Professor) in addition to the entire senior management team. I believe the internship experience will differ widely depending on placement - property based locations will focus more on operations and customer service while corporate based internships will involve very few touch points with the customer.

Why did you choose this career/internship?

I chose this internship to diversify my resume and gain additional marketing experience at a higher level of an organization within a completely new industry. The project was rigorous as I completed mini-rotations throughout almost every area of the casino in Joliet. I actually spent time behind the lines with hourly employees in the restaurant outlets and an equal amount of time in the executive offices learning from industry veterans.

This industry requires enormous passion for the customer because it is a very consumer focused company. Harrah’s sets the bar for loyalty programs with Total Rewards. If you want exposure to this sort of analytics based loyalty program then you should learn from the best. That loyalty is also translated down to the Casino host level where they have one on one connections with their VIP customers. There are endless opportunities to learn about a broad range of marketing skills in a casino. More than I could have imagined!

What skills do you need to succeed in this field?

The first skill required is passion for the gaming industry. The other PA interns that I met in Las Vegas had actually recruited for the internship at the MBA World Poker tour in January. So if you are sure you want to work for Harrah’s I recommend networking at that event in January 2011.

It goes out without saying that you have to bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm because ultimately this is the entertainment industry first and foremost. Joliet actually has an entertainment portion of the interview process where applicants must sing or dance to show their commitment to entertaining guests (I somehow got hired without that test).

The second skill would be the ability to connect with people at all levels of an organization. For those with aspirations of becoming a general manager at a property (an essential step to succeeding in Harrah’s) it is essential to connect with the person who cleans the casino floor and the person who serves food in the restaurants. At the same time you must also have the analytical skills required to network up the ladder and connect with the executive management team at corporate. There is also a lot of creativity required to pull off successful events so I would say it comes down to a balance of being fun, analytical and creative.