I still remember it was during the time when I along with few of my batch mates were busy challenging each other in the game of table tennis in our college common room that I got a call from the placement committee. I was informed that I was given an opportunity by ‘CP Milk and Food Products’ as a Brand Management Intern in Gyan Dairy for a period of 10 weeks. Though I had already done a thorough research about the organisation and the responsibilities as a brand management intern, being a fresher, I still wasn’t certain if I would be able to give my best and add a value to the organisation. After 3 months, Here I am, getting back to my college as a refined person, with a bag full of enthralling moments and a lot of learnings and experiences.

A short description of the company:

Gyan Dairy is the largest private player in Eastern Uttar Pradesh who have been showing a promising growth. Based in Lucknow, they have currently expanded to Bihar and Assam. They have a variety of products like Full Cream Milk, Toned Milk, Fortified Milk, Butter, Ghee, Lassi, Dahi, etc. to cater to the needs of different types of customers. They boast about their Freshness and Purity in all their products. Gyan Dahi is their flagship product and is considered one of the best for its quality and taste.

Minuscule Details to the Big Picture:

The first day as an intern taught me an important management lesson - ‘keen observation of the minuscule details’.We were having a regular introductory session with human resource department (HR) at Gyan. Mr. Saha, the person-in-charge of the session, asked me if I remember a particular detail in the previous slide which had relevance in the current one. That’s when I realized, every information projected in front of you is significant and you need to assess how and when to use it.

After our introductory session was over, I met our mentor, Mr. Upadhyay, General Manager of Marketing Department. After ten minutes of interaction with him, I learned my second lesson of the day - ‘How to communicate in simple and crisp fashion according to the person you are interacting with’. I was extremely fortunate to get such a dynamic mentor who not only pointed out my mistakes when required but also continuously encouraged my creativity and backed me at every step. These two learning on the first day helped me throughout the internship period.

One of the necessary requirements as a brand manager was to maintain balance with all the other departments and to work together to produce products that resonate with the current and potential customers. Thus, Initial days were spent to know more about the industry and the organisation from inside out. We were asked to make a presentation on the key factors that would influence the dairy sector and being a brand management intern, I had to look at it from the consumers’ perspective. In order to know that, secondary research was made on the current trends in the consumers’ perception about milk and milk products.

After a week of understanding the consumers’ perspective, we were tasked to evaluate the company-owned stores – Gyan Fresh Stores (GFS). In order to do that, we had to create a format to evaluate the stores based on various factors that influence the sales of a particular store. After surveying the current stores as a customer and talking to all the sales persons at the counter (which took us two complete weeks), we finalized on the major factors that influence the sales and brand perception. A successful evaluation method was devised and necessary recommendations were made to improve the low performing stores in terms of sales. On a similar note, a format to evaluate a location’s potential to open a new store was devised for future endeavours.

Optimising the daily operations to increase productivity:

During the process of evaluation, our team under the guidance of our mentor decided to create a ‘Standardized Operating Procedure (SOP)’ to optimise the operations of a GFS. Right from the evaluation of the location potential, requirements during the opening of a GFS till the daily sales records are entered, a detailed manual was created. While creating this manual, was that I realised how important it was to look at the minute details and how they could affect the final Big Picture.

Similar actions were taken for the Franchisee Owned and Franchisee Operated (FOFO Model) stores – Gyan Select Outlets (GSO). These outlets were also important not only to boost sales but also to tap the entrepreneurial endeavours of the localities. In order to attract the locals, we were tasked to create an advertisement and prepare an interview format to evaluate the store location and the salesmanship attributes of the owners.

Customers' perception should be given the highest importance:

It was already mid-May when we completed the tasks assigned to us and we were really excited when our mentor informed us that we were going to launch a new product – ‘Mango Lassi’. This time, we were tasked to decide on the packaging and promotion of the product. After a lot of consideration and consultation, we came to a conclusion that when customers are the people who should like the product, why not ask them. Thus, we grabbed this opportunity and decided on the packaging of the product by asking a particularly focused group by asking them to rate 8 different packaging designs. This task was challenging but thanks to our professors and their teaching methodology, we were successfully able to launch the new product. Sales and the post-launch survey showed us that we were on the right track. We almost forgot all the efforts and hard work that we had put in by looking at the overwhelming response from the consumers about the newly launched product. The promotion methods and the marketing strategies that we had used were applauded by our mentor and other heads of our organization.

After submitting the final report and the presentation, our mentor threw us a great farewell party on the same evening. We discussed different moments during internship period and our mentor gave a toast on our successful completion of the internship and also congratulated us for adding a greater value to the organisation. The next day, as the flight to Hyderabad, was about to take off, I was filled with all these nostalgic memories.

Final Note:

On a final note, I would like to share an important lesson that my mentor had told me - ' Never assume that you know everything. The moment you do, you stop learning. The moment you stop learning, the world moves ahead and it would be very late by the time you realise it.'

I wish all the very best to all the future young leaders who have a greater responsibility of bettering the society and working for the upliftment of the nation.

Sreekar J P

What My Internship As A Brand Management Intern At Gyan Dairy Taught Me