I discovered my passion for the FMCG industry when I realized that a consumer goods company does not sell a body soap or a toothpaste or a pack of potato chips, but they sell a dream story; a story so well designed where the consumer is the protagonist who has an end goal to pursue (a goal to look fresher, or maybe feel better or to quench some hunger). This well-crafted story addresses all the pain points that the protagonist would encounter in their life and then finally introduces the product, which acts as a bridge between the protagonist’s problems and their end goal to create a solution ultimately. Being a graphic designer, I was intrigued by this kind of storytelling where each and every part is carefully designed just like in a well-crafted graphic design, and I decided to pursue a career at a consumer goods company where I would get a chance to pursue my profession and personal hobby at the same time.
1. Personal Interview Prep: What's your story?
After a few weeks of joining the B-school, I started working on my interview pitch that would lead to my dream role of brand management at a consumer goods company. The process to a winning pitch was like solving a puzzle where I had bits and pieces in the form of my interests and personality traits that had to be arranged together to form a coherent picture ultimately.
Since childhood, I was always intrigued about the origins of the universe and the existential facts, which led me to read about yogic sciences and spirituality that had made attempts to explain the nuances of cosmic existence. I could see that the bits and pieces of my puzzle were unconventional; hence I was hesitant to solve the puzzle with them. A few days later, in the marketing management lecture, we were discussing points of parity (POP) and points of differentiation (POD). In a moment, it just struck me that I could position my uncommon interests as my PODs and craft it into a winning pitch. And, with this, I concluded the PI Prep for my SIP placement process.
2. Group Discussion Prep: Execution is the key
However, the PI process is second to the most challenging part that is the GD process. This was an exercise that was not necessarily one of my strengths. Just like the CAT prep, where we analyze the loopholes after the mock test, I analyzed what was it that was holding me back from performing well at a GD. I realized that I was not sufficiently well-read about the academic concepts, current affairs, and economy. With this discovery, my GD preparation kick-started. I can still remember scrolling through the news apps incessantly, picking up different news publications to read opinions on diverse topics, or watching news debates for hours just to have a broader perspective during the group discussions. But, this itself was not adequate.
As Steve Jobs famously said,
“Ideas are worth nothing without execution. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.”
After imbibing satisfactory content for GDs, I started attending the GD mock sessions conducted by the seniors. I made sure that I was present in every mock GD session happening on the campus (wherever I was allowed). In the initial sessions, I got repeated feedback that my presence was not strong enough during the discussion. If you are a marketer or aspire to become one, you know that attention is our currency, and I was losing big-time money! But, the best thing about GDs is that the more you practice, the better you get. In no time, the mock sessions turned to actual placement processes, and I realized it was still time until I had learned the trade of attention because I had already been through many processes only not to make it to the final round. But as I said, “The success at GDs is directly proportional to the number of GDs you attend.” So, with every process, I was only getting better at it.
In one such process, I had cleared two initial rounds for a company that was among the top 10 technology giants in the world waiting for my GD. After some time, my GD started, and the discussion was going so well that the HR decided to let it flow. Finally, it ended at nearly 40 minutes. Not only that but surprisingly, she called for another GD round, which is pretty uncommon, which went on for another 30 minutes. I escalated to the final PI round, where I pitched my carefully crafted story and the unconventional interests that I talked about earlier. I felt that this story was not the one that would get me through because I got rejected from the process. However, I had already earned my currency because, after the two back-to-back GDs, the HR got up, pointed at me, and said that this is how you put forth points in a G.D. Hence, that day I compensated for the currency of attention I had lost earlier.
3. JK Organisation: Is it still a dream?
One day while having lunch in the mess, I got a mail regarding the placement process for JK Foods. After going through the JD, I was so elated because it had the profile of brand management that every marketer aspires to pursue, for a legacy snacks brand – ‘Fun Flips’ (if you are from North India, you would be nostalgic already). The company was looking for interns who could come up with innovative product recommendations and eccentric brand stories for their newly acquired brand. In the pre-placement talk, I had made satisfactory efforts to engage with the company representatives, which carried me to the final PI round after the GD round.
I was nervous because I had to decide on whether to pitch my already prepared story and talk about my unconventional interests or adopt a new approach. I decided to take the leap of faith, and I stuck to talking about the very things I had decided during my PI prep. Also, fortunately, half an hour before going into the PI Room, I got the news that we had won the Digital Marketing Challenge by Johnson and Johnson and would be working on a live project with them for two months. Now, I entered the room in a better state of mind; all prepared to give my best.
To date, I am still shocked that in an interview for a consumer goods conglomerate, we talked about enlightenment and spirituality. Initially, when I started to talk about the yogic sciences and cosmic existence, the interview panel looked bewildered as to why I was talking about it. But, as I said, they were looking out for interns who could come up with eccentric stories for their brand, and so they kept listening. After a while, when I connected the dots, they started buying into my story, and gradually the interview proceeded to the case study competitions mentioned in my CV. Along with my distinctive story, this was an added POD that made me stand apart and finally got me selected as a brand management intern for two months at JK Organisation.
4. SIP: Savoury Internship Project
The internship started with thorough secondary research and competitor benchmarking to have a robust understanding of the domestic and international savoury snacks category. Since it was an exciting phase, I delved deep into the nuances of the category. While developing the category understanding, I was discovering valuable insights, so I decided to share the nuggets on LinkedIn. To my surprise, the posts were adding value to my network, and it took off in a big way. It trended so well that a post I wrote about my favourite snack brand – ‘Cornitos’ reached the MD of the company who personally got in touch to thank me for it.
After I understood the category well, I started the most critical phase of my project – Primary Research. Although I could not travel to the market extensively, I started engaging with the target segment through telephonic conversations. After countless interviews, I started getting common themes for my product, and in turn, I could visualize how my product would taste and feel.
Now, since I could not visit the company’s manufacturing plant, it was a challenge to describe the production brief. So, I went through multiple research papers and secondary sources to come up with a production process for the final product. In the next stage, we were looking to offer a POD through the shape, so it was critical to come up with a unique recommendation. One afternoon, when I was having snacks back here at my native place in Gujarat, I recalled a snack from my childhood time from a different category altogether but with the same qualities that I needed in my new product. The snack was barely available, so I went to the other end of the city to buy that, and there it was, the breakthrough shape with the perfect POD.
Furthermore, I had the honour of working on graphic designing, where the aspiration to join the FMCG industry was seeded in the first place to recommend the packaging design. Finally, I packed this whole product recommendation in a box of a freshly brewed brand story, and that concluded my internship.
The whole journey from the preparation right up to the conclusion was filled with new experiences and, most of all was enlightening (at least professionally if not spiritually)!
5. Key Takeaways:
- There is nothing off-topic in Marketing, so it’s perfectly alright to go ahead with your own unique story because even if it seems unconventional, chances are it’ll enlighten you in ways you never imagined
- The success in GDs is directly proportional to the number of times you attend one. And probably, with time, you will learn how to earn the currency of attention
- Try to connect your hobby with your dream profession as it makes a highly convincing proposition in the personal interviews, even if it is as simple as graphic designing
- The best of ideas come from the most unexpected places, so always try to brainstorm without limits because the next big idea might be lying right there in your grandma’s head or your favourite childhood snacks
- The last and most important is that summer placements are not about converting an offer earlier but more about getting that role that you dreamt about after joining an MBA
All the best! :)