Insights and Marketing Executive Internship Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed working for Pernod Ricard UK. I was welcomed in as part of the team right from day one. I got the opportunity to work closely on marketing campaigns for Havana Club, Kahlua and Plymouth Gin, which allowed me to develop a broader perspective of the organisation whilst putting into practice the marketing theory I had learnt at University.

As I said above I was welcomed right from the beginning of my placement. I was given my own responsibility for certain marketing projects throughout my placement and this made me feel very valued. Feedback and praise was given to me regularly on work I had been doing which was encouraging. I was often asked to give my feedback in various meetings and was never made to feel inferior to any other colleague.

I had two line managers throughout my placement, one for my insights role and one for brand marketing. They were both incredibly supportive! I had a weekly catch up with each to discuss the projects I was working on and any concerns I had. My line managers were both very friendly and I could have approached them any time if I had had a problem.

My workload varied on a daily basis but I was busiest around key campaign activation's such as Summer and Christmas. Some evening work as required but this was usually an opportunity to attend events and marketing activation's that had helped to organise.

I was given a lot of responsibility. After two months of working on Havana Club, Kahlua and Plymouth I was given the responsibility of being community manager for their social media channels. This meant I was in charge of creating content calendars for each platform. I liaised with our external agencies on a daily basis so I had to ensure I maintained an efficient business relationship. The reports I compiled as part of my insights role were used company wide and whilst presenting to customers.

The skills I have developed whilst working for Pernod Ricard UK will stay with me as I go back to my final year at University and then after into the graduate world. As placement students we were all encouraged to ask questions and utilise our time to get the most out of our year. Pernod Ricard UK operate a DNA training portal which allows you to access many different training materials and courses online. I found the excel training particularly useful as I only started at the company with the most basic knowledge of how to use it. I feel I now have a better understanding of how to conduct myself in a professional business environment.

PRUK prides themselves on being a convivial company and this is evident throughout the work environment. The office is bright and airy and they operate a 'hot desk' policy, where employees move around the office each day allowing them to get to know people they may not normally work with. There are also many internal events and lunches for new product launches and campaigns which gave employees a chance to socialise in a more relaxed manner.

When I accepted my role at PRUK I was emailed a welcome pack with information regarding the organisation, their brands and my role. I was also sent an email nearer the start of my placement with the contact email addresses of other interns who would be starting, so we could make contact and potentially sort out accommodation together if we needed to. I also received emails from both my line manager and previous placement student offering their congratulations and help if i had any queries. This was very nice to receive and made me feel more relaxed about starting my new role and the relocation to London. As with any fast paced company their is always rotation and promotion in departments so 3 months into my placement one of my line managers was promoted to a different brand. This was a bit of a daunting time initially as I had just become familiar with how my line manager liked work doing and the brands I was working on. However the hand over to my new line manager and Kahlua to Plymouth was done over the course of few weeks and the transition was quite smooth. Senior managers would check in regularly to see how I was finding the change over. In the long run it has been a positive thing because I have been able to work on more than just 2 different brands and learn in detail about each of their target markets.

I was able to access any training courses that permanent members of staff were. I was given the opportunity to access web seminars on how to use certain programmes the company used along with course on how to 'Present with Passion' and 'Fraud Awareness.'

Upon graduating you can apply to be an Account Development Executive (ADE) which usually leads to progression into further roles after 12- 18 months. there are also opportunities to become Brand Ambassadors for brands such as Jameson and Chivas Brothers.

During my placement year there were 4 other students on undergraduate placements and 2 on Postgraduate placements in various departments, The wines and spirits industry is such a social industry to work in so there was plenty of opportunities for us to socialise as placement students and with the wider organisation both in and outside of work. I was able to attend team trips to places such as Paris and Plymouth to learn more about our brands and consumers.

Living and socialising in London does not come with low price tag but this was expected. However working at PRUK allowed you to access discounts in various bars and restaurants and all work trips were covered by the company.

There are a few bars in Chiswick Business Park for after work drinks. Central London is only a 25 minute tube journey which is great for nights out.

As a company we are encouraged to take one day a year to help out at the 'FoodBox' Charity. This was a great opportunity to support the wider community whilst also spending time with other colleagues from PRUK and working as a team.