Job Description (Final)

Marketing Intern

There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to term marketing. Many believe marketing practitioners to be masters at sales or creative visioners of advertisements. For example, when I was younger I believed that marketers were cunning and deceitful. Ideas like they would sugarcoat or lie to sell a product or service by all means to get their commission. Others assume that marketers can pigeonhole into their profession. In reality, marketing practitioners excel in other disciplines because their skills provide them with the business credibility to do so. 

I believed all these stereotypes. I grew up swearing I would never become a marketer—believing it to be embarrassing. I attended an all-girls school from first grade until graduation in my senior year. My all-girls school emphasized STEM careers and thus engineering was the only profession I was ever exposed to. I applied to all my universities as a prospective biomedical engineer.  My father tried having many conversations throughout my application process about considering marketing. His argument was every remarkable executive he had encountered had incredible marketing skills to get them there. I became upset every time he brought this up, believing he doubted my abilities and searched for an "easier career path" for me to pursue.

Flash-forward and I am pursuing a Business Administration degree with an emphasis on Business Analytics and a minor in Management Consulting. Now, none of these may explicitly say “Marketing” but they are all resources preparing for my role as a marketing analyst. In other words, it is safe to say my father was right all along. 

This past summer, I interned at Dine Brands Global in Los Angeles, California. Working at IHOP, I played a fundamental role in assisting in the launch of their loyalty program alongside the marketing division. Working closely with the marketing analysts and partner agencies, I helped gather critical information and curate reports to distribute to members during large functional meetings. I have excelled at many responsibilities employers are seeking, including the analysis of consumer and competitor data to draw insights. Moreover, by collaborating with other interns and employees, I enhanced my communication and networking skills. With these skills from my marketing internship, I will be able to thrive in any challenging environment. 

There are three descriptions that help sum up the duties or critical skills of a marketer:

• Analytical

• Communication

• Agility

I will describe how these talents set marketers apart from other disciplines in the business world. 

Analytical

Marketers use analytics in many ways. They can use them to study their data and evaluate the performance of their marketing activity. By applying these technologies and analytical processes to marketing-related data, their business can understand what drives consumer actions, refine their marketing campaigns, and optimize their return on investment. 80% of markets have stated that most of their decisions today are data-driven. Now, having this data cannot ensure successful campaigns. Marketers must be able to read through and interpret this information to assess how it affects one’s company and efforts. These analytical skills allow marketers to apply them across disciplines. They collect information, analyze it, and draw conclusions to solve problems and make effective decisions. 

Communication

Marketing is the process of creating, communicating, and delivering a product or service to a specific customer base. Communication is “a process of exchanging of information from one person to another through an effective medium of exchange”. By their definitions, these two terms seem very similar. The communication skills of marketers allow them to form effective and long-term relationships in the workplace, creating essential interpersonal skills. Marketers enhance transparency in a business because they serve as the brand ambassadors of the product/service. At the end of the day, they are those in charge of convincing the consumers to trust a brand and facilitating to the customers that their needs are being considered and understood. 

Agility

One of the most common factors in the world of marketing is change. Change is inevitable and constantly present for marketers. It is essential that marketers are flexible and adaptable to reorganization. For example, at IHOP we were running a very effective campaign with an exclusive Minions menu. A food supply shortage caused menu displacements days before release. This affected our marketing strategies and digital campaigns. Marketers cannot afford complacency in a competitive landscape and must be open to reprioritizing and restructuring goals. Markets are able to create this flexibility by avoiding investing in one single tactic or strategy. They are open to a multitude of ideas and suggestions, welcoming outside perspectives. 

In conclusion, throughout my time as an intern, I have come to overturn my own stereotype of the marketing profession. Marketers possess skills that are essential to every business and optimize a company’s productivity. They are able to adapt to market trends and audiences, accepting their success but continually moving forward.