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.