After being in full time employment for near to 6 years in the retail management
industry I decided I wanted to follow in a different career path. Taking
advantage of my qualifications I achieved at the Grange School 6 form in 2008, 3 A-Levels in business studies, I decided I wanted to enter into
the business sector of management and more specifically the fast passed world
of advertising and marketing. In order to hope to achieve this I have taken up
a part time (BA Hons) degree in business management and marketing which I begin
late in September.
Since deciding to go traveling around Europe throughout August I realised I would
have near to three weeks before my university enrolment when I returned.
Realising this I decided to take this opportunity to look for and obtain
possible work experience in marketing as I would be looked at as a novice
entering a field I had zero experience in and put me ahead of the game when
applying for internships or entrée level positions. This is where I came across
Enterprise Marketing Solutions, after looking into their website and
discovering not only were they a well-established marketing firm in my home
town they were situated in walking distance from my home. I contacted Karen
Moule via email along with my CV and cover letter and within 30 minutes I had a
response from Andrew McIntyre, who then forwarded myself to Karen who then rang
me personally to arrange a date I could come in and gain the experience I was
looking for.
Once I returned from traveling I began my initial 1 week work placement with Karen and
the team at Enterprise Marketing Solutions. Within the first initial meeting,
where there was an introduction to the business, the employees and Karen
herself, I could tell I was in an environment I could not only learn but feel
comfortable and along with Karen’s long wealth of experience not only in
marketing but also in advertising Karen was the perfect person to work
alongside to get the experience I was looking for. By the end of the first two
days I had created an e-newsletter, created and edited a few social media
networks for clients including email communication to clients discussing the
progress and changes, read and understand the final strategic plan for another
client and started managing and editing a website using word press, along with
some admin work so this was not a case of sit back and make tea for Karen and
Andrew. Throughout these tasks though I was not at any stage ‘thrown into the
deep end’ I was always given easy to follow instructions and guidance during
every task I was given.
Nearing the end of my third day I had learnt so much with Karen and Enterprise
Marketing I decided I would request to lengthen my initial time another week
which Karen was happy to accept, so what started as an initial one week work
placement had now turned into two which I was extremely happy about. My time at
Enterprise was not however confined to the office and this was shown near the
end of my first week when I was asked to join Andrew in an off-site meeting
with a current client who was requesting a review on the status of his on-going
social networking sites including his website and SEO responses while keeping
notes. I also put myself forward to accompany Andrew at the beginning of my
second week to oxford to represent Enterprise Marketing Solutions at the
Business Wealth Club meeting, this was highly rewarding as this gave me an
insight not only into the running of many entrepreneurial businesses small and
large but also the key marketing points, known as the marketing wheel, these
businesses focus on during their yearly quarter. I also assisted Karen and
Andrew in shooting two adverts for clients who were looking to re-brand there
image, giving my opinions and ideas of shooting angles when and if they were
needed, this was great experience as it focused more on the advertising side of
marketing.
Overall I only have to thank Karen and the team at Enterprise Marketing not only for
the amount I have learnt over my two week work placement but for the welcoming
and supportive environment they provide that allowed my learning to take place.
My time with Enterprise Marketing Solutions was highly rewarding and if you are
in the Aylesbury or local Buckinghamshire region and looking for some real
hands on experience you can take with you, I would 110% recommend Karen and the
team at Enterprise Marketing Solutions and in fact would love to come back in
the near future and work for them again.
Luke De Benedictis
Wednesday 18 September 2013
Monday 9 September 2013
Masters of the Consumer Marketing Universe
Coca-cola: creating consumer relevance and belonging
in the soft drink market
When it comes to understanding your consumer, look
no further than the masters of marketing, Coca-Cola.
From giving Father Christmas his famous red coat, to
key presence and support on countless sporting events, Coca-Cola is synonymous
with examples of how to successfully market a product to your consumer.
Their latest campaign, 'share a Coke' positions the
brand clearly as the inclusive soft drink - moving a bottle of the fizzy stuff
from 'just a drink' to being a friend in its own right. Essentially, it just
would not be a gathering if Coca-Cola wasn't there.
So how have they managed to give this perception
across so many countries and to so many people?
Put simply, it all started with a simple piece of
Market Research. Coca-Cola identified a list of the 250 most popular names in
the UK, taking into consideration gender and ethnic make up of the UK. As the
company wanted to appeal to everyone (after all, anyone can purchase and
consumer a coke), it deliberately identified with its entire target audience.
By replacing their iconic branding on their bottles
and can with these names, they successfully engaged with their target audience
and created a 'buzz' around the campaign (for instance, I not only seek out a bottle
with names of friends/relatives, but I save the bottles too, once empty!). And
for those of you who have a rarer name than I? Don't fret - Coca-Cola thought
of that too: you can personalise your can using the virtual can app!
From here, the Share a Coke campaign gathered
momentum, with social media posting opportunities (Coca-Cola actively
encourages consumers to share their images and stories on its Facebook page
too) growing on an international basis and eventually lending itself to a
television ad, starring some of those popular names. There were even Share a
Coke events running through the summer, proving just how successful this marketing
campaign was.
So what learning's can we take from this campaign?
Firstly, including your customer (or at the very least, engaging with them)
builds a sense of camaraderie where they are an extension of your business; an
advocate, and you are part of their lives.
Secondly, through simple market research, you can
identify your target audience (on first name terms if you really want!), and
can reach out to them on a perceived individual basis.
Finally, all great marketing campaigns start with
market research. It doesn't need to be expensive and in the grand scheme
of things, is rarely that big, but the insights you can gleam from the findings
can help you to shape a marketing campaign and position your brand in a very consumer
friendly way.
So Coca-Cola has delivered yet again via an engaging
and memorable campaign and it won't be long until another one of their famous
ads graces our screens again....holidays are coming folks...
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