MARC 2013

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The modern marketer is much different than the marketer that existed just a few short years ago. There are more channels to leverage, more data to drive decisions, and new technologies to use. Companies are increasingly looking at our generation to master all of the tools at our disposal to help drive the next wave of marketing.

The 2012 Wharton Undergraduate Marketing Conference assembled a formidable line up of speakers to help you prepare for the challenges ahead. Speakers from YouTube and Wharton Professor Jonah Berger talked about understanding the viral phenomenon. Our marketing speaker from McDonald’s discussed data driven marketing. Lastly, speakers from Merck and Harvard Professor Nathalie Kylander discussed modern brand management Students from Penn, NYU, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Harvard, and more joined us for a day of thought provoking lectures, interviews, and panels that helped them along on their career in marketing.

Mondelēz International, formerly known as Kraft Foods Inc., is a $36 billion global snacking company. It is the worldwide leader in snacks, ranking first in biscuits, candy, chocolate, and powdered beverages, and second in gum and coffee. Jimmy explained how global trends are leaning towards increased snacking, and how Mondelēz International tries to reach a wide array of consumers through its various products.

Ryan Leibowitz, Wharton sophomore and member of MUSE’s Executive Committee, planners of the event, said, “This is an event that MUSE has hosted multiple years in a row and is one which has always been successful because it sheds light on a different perspective of consumer marketing. It is unique in that it discusses the stories behind a lot of consumer brands that Penn students know and relate to.”

Before delving deeper into the presentation, Jimmy gave the audience members a chance to express their views on what brand management is. The students’ responses generally fell into the two overarching categories: marketing and business management. Jimmy explained how the core of brand management is marketing a product through positioning, advertising, consumer promotion, and packaging. Added onto that is the more analytical aspect of business management, which focuses on financial ownership, new product development, sales and distribution, and manufacturing strategy. Jimmy broadly defined brand management as sitting “at the center of a business”.

The presentation then moved on to comparing a career in brand management to one in consulting, since many of the audience members expressed an interest in both fields. Jimmy, who had worked for a few years at The New England Consulting Group, said that consulting was beneficial, but that he wanted to make a switch in his career, and turned to brand management. He values owning a business, such as Triscuit or Oreo, rather than serving a client.

Jimmy then handed the floor to Lauren, a Penn graduate from the class of 2011, who is the Associate Brand Manager of Chips Ahoy!. She discussed different projects she has completed, stressing on how a career in brand management encompasses both creative and analytical aspects. Lauren talked the audience through “A Day in the Life of”, giving students a flavor of the work-environment at Mondelēz International.

The floor was then yielded to Steve, a Penn graduate from the class of 2008. He discussed what a typical career path in brand management entails: brand assistant, associate brand manager, senior associate brand manager, brand manager, and senior brand manager.

The Q&A session focused primarily on whether a specific major or Wharton concentration is ideal for a career in brand management. All three representatives emphasized to the audience that indicating your passion and interest in the field, whether academically or through internships or extracurricular opportunities, is what matters to Mondelēz International.

This event exposed Penn students to the details behind the field of brand management. Anh Tran, a Wharton sophomore, said, “My mentor from my Cohort recommended that I look into brand management because I’m interested in pursuing something related to marketing with my career. I feel like it’s an industry that interests me.”

Leaving the event with a lot of new information and delicious snacks will surely give audience members a lot to think about for their future careers.