Consumers, Sales, Brands, Positioning, e-Commerce, Categories, Promotion... these are the words that usually come to our mind when we talk about S&M internships. My case was no different and I was expecting something similar as my Summer Project. But I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my project charter. It was 100 VE, London – the place where you wish to be if you are passionate about marketing. The most loved brands in the world are crafted there by the finest marketing talent in the world. This still wasn’t the biggest surprise, though!
My project in Unilever Leadership Internship Programme (ULIP) – 2016 was ‘Creation of an Influencer Program for Dove’. HUL pleasantly surprised me, as it always does, by assigning a project on one of my favorite brands - Dove.
I was supposed to report at the Mumbai office on 3rd April, which I did. Sunday, nevertheless! I was expecting a very formal setup with a formal introduction and various sessions about the company. However, it surprised me again as we had a fun-filled day with amazing activities and attractive prizes. The next day was even more amazing as we met some senior leaders of the company and some former interns who were part of HUL now. The most interesting part of the day was yet to come. In the evening our super cool Employer Brand team revealed the secret – ‘A Welcome Party’. Yes, a real party with rocking music, dance, drinks and a lot of fun. The day after that, we had our consumer visits, and then in the evening we flew to our respective project locations.
First time in London – amazing, amazing and amazing! The city, the people, the culture, everything amazed me as it was so different and awe-inspiring. I believe some places bring out the best in you and London did that to me. The people in the office are so warm and friendly that you never feel that cultural shock. The one thing that I loved the most about my internship was that I worked with people who wanted me to succeed. They literally work with you, guide you and are always open to new ideas.
Creation of an influencer program for Dove - which in simpler words, was to design an end-to-end strategy of working with influencers. I had to make sure that I understood the brand completely and then had to be flexible in shifting my focus from being consumer-centric to being influencer-centric whenever and wherever required. It took me a week to understand the brand and why influencer marketing was relevant for Dove. I have only one word to describe my tutor and that word is fantastic. She allowed me to get lost and find my own way towards the project objective, without that I would have never come up with ideas that were out of the box and different.
Coming back to the project, though I can’t give the exact ideas but I can tell you it involved real understanding of influencers from scratch. Right from understanding their personality to understanding what they want from brands, everything took time and gradually I came close to my project objective. I had the opportunity to understand the brand Dove, understand influencers, content marketing, content strategies, content creation & designing, worked with creative studios and PR agencies.... the whole experience was something that I had never thought I’ll be doing just as an intern.
The entire experience was like a dream come true for me. The kind of different experiences I got, the feelings of getting lost and asking the right questions to find my way, and the opportunity to work with perhaps the best tutor ever. I got the opportunity to directly work with the Global PR Communications Director for Dove and presented my recommendations to the Global VP for Dove. I couldn’t have asked for more. I learnt how strategy works and that you cannot achieve much with only one of either patience or persistence. This internship experience really opened me up as a person.
Big Thanks to HUL ! :-)
-----------
About the author:
Inaam Bhat is a student of JBIMS Mumbai and is currently pursuing his internship at HUL (Sales & Marketing) in London.