IIM Shillong Summer Internship Diaries 2021 | Sales & Marketing- Part 2

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Shishir Ghildiyal, IBM

Prep: The majority of students pursue MBA to explore newer career opportunities & identify develop a perspective for other domains. It was the same for me; coming from a marketing background, I wanted to explore other domains. Hailing from non-engineering background & getting selected for a legacy tech company like IBM for a Product Management role proved to be an excellent catalyst for igniting my interest in the field of technology & product management industry.

Project: Despite having covered basics before the internship still, I was anxious starting off the role at IBM. During the commencement of the internship, the warm & welcoming nature of teams at IBM was beneficial in calming my nerves. Post a well-structured induction week, interns were introduced to their teams mapped according to our experience and interests. I got assigned to the team working in partnership with Adobe & was reporting to the India Business Lead for the division. The team was developing a SaaS offering to resolve the pain points faced by marketing teams across industries. My work revolved around - researching multiple industries to identify suitable fit for the product, discussing with domain experts and ideating the product specifics, identifying areas for improving user experience in the project, coordinating with the tech team, executing a digital audit of potential clients & charting out a business plan for the vertical.

Takeaways: The work culture at IBM, ensured a holistic learning experience for the interns despite the online mode of the internship. The inclusive culture at IBM ensured that even interns felt like employees. As interns, we were encouraged to share our views openly & our perspective was highly appreciated.

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Ishita Garg, Titan

Prep: At a time when most of my classmates’ internships were being shifted to the virtual mode, owing to the second wave of the pandemic, Titan remained resolute in their promise to give us an on-premise working experience and ensure the utmost safety of all the interns. As someone who has experienced most of the milestones in my first-year MBA journey online, I cannot stress how truly amazing it was to have had the offline experience even if it was only for a short while. 

Project: I was assigned the jewelry division and my project focused on designing and executing digital marketing strategies for the Tanishq online channel. I not only designed solutions but also had a chance to execute them and see their impact in real-time which greatly improved my learning.

Takeaways: At the time of my final review, I couldn’t help but wonder that although I was the one delivering the presentation, my final project was the culmination of efforts of so many people- my project guides who listened to every idea I had with utmost patience and gave me constant feedback, all the Titan employees who volunteered to take knowledge sessions for the summer interns which helped us understand the company in detail, and finally my fellow interns with whom I constantly exchanged ideas and experiences. My time at Titan ended up so much more than just something I’m going to put on my CV- it allowed me to grow both professionally and personally, and I am going to cherish these two months throughout my life.

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Rohan Jose, Titan

Prep: The B-school environment calibrates us to understand our role in the corporate workspace, and the larger impact we wish to have. And our best method of understanding the same is through the mission, vision, and workplace environment. The Tata Group has been known as an ideal destination for aspiring candidates as they tick all these boxes positively, and have done so for decades. 

Project: I was extremely fortunate to intern at Titan Company Limited with their Sales & Marketing team of the Eyewear segment. As the consumer retail branch of the Tata Group, the experience allowed me to interact with the stakeholders at the end of the supply chain, i.e. the retail store franchises, their managers and salespeople as well as the end-consumer. As the main project was aimed at decoding behavior and processes for a specific geographical population, the store visitations were easily the most fun and insightful moments of the internship. 

Takeaways: The experience was mired with the peak of the second wave hitting India as I crossed the midway mark of the internship. Various projects and deliverables had to be remodeled given the abrupt change. But the unending support provided by my reporting manager and HR buddy showcased that taking care of oneself and one’s family should take precedent in these harrowing times, and this stance was taken throughout the company; sales calls were not top priority but rather a community service.

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Read Next:

1. IIM Shillong Summer Internship Diaries 2021 | General Management
2. IIM Shillong Summer Internship Diaries 2021 | Finance-Part 1
3. IIM Shillong Summer Internship Diaries 2021 | Finance- Part 2
4. IIM Shillong Summer Internship Diaries 2021 | Sales & Marketing- Part 1
5. IIM Shillong Summer Internship Diaries 2021 | Consulting & Strategy

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