Alumni | Q&A with Rudy Wilson, MBA 2002 - Brand Manager of Doritos, Frito-Lay, Inc.
What was your professional background prior to business school and how did that lead you to Ross?
As a marketing undergrad at Arizona State University, I enjoyed a wonderful experience as a marketing brand intern at a company called Xyron. I absolutely loved it. My manager recommended I get into a cross functional career to start off because he felt it would help me become a better brand manager in the long run. My senior year I interviewed and was accepted as a buyer into the purchasing leadership program at General Mills. My purpose there was to learn how to deal with all aspects of the business. I did that for three years, loved the company, loved the experience; then I decided it was time for me to go to business school. I wanted to find a program that was right for me. I thought to myself, if I want to be the best, I have to go the best. I compared the top five schools (the University of Michigan being in the top 5) with the goal of finding the school that really was most like me. If I was going to spend two years of my time in business school, I wanted to be able to enjoy it. My experience during my visit to Michigan was compelling - the people there were down to earth, knowledgeable and passionate about what they were doing. They also knew how to have a good time! Life wasn’t just about a career - there were other things. I enjoyed that environment so I chose Ross.
How has your Ross experience helped your career as a marketer at Frito-Lay?
First, Ross prepared me with the education and technical training I needed. But what I value most from my experience is the team environment that we have at the school. I worked with a lot of dynamic people with different experiences, aspirations and goals. So it was almost like little mini-task forces composed of people interested in finance, international business, marketing, etc…all working together to get projects done. Learning how to apply technical skills while managing interpersonal skills was really cool. Those experiences definitely came to bear when I graduated and started working in the real world. Second, Ross did a really good job of helping to prepare me for interviewing with different companies. As a result, I was able to manage the job search process when recruiting season came around.
What makes Frito – Lay a strong marketing organization?
Frito Lay has its own direct sales force. That really allows us to have strong flexibility as an organization. We can react to consumers very, very quickly. Our sales force quickly implements our ideas tactically so we can work with consumers and create ideas from concept to finished product quickly. Another strength for Frito-Lay…well, people love our products! Frito Lay is fun food. It is really interesting when you work with a product that people know. When I mention to people that I am the brand manager for Doritos, it is an automatic 10-minute conversation! Additionally, from a career management standpoint, Frito-Lay gives employees a lot of responsibility from day one as an assistant marketing manager. For people who like that kind of challenge, it really puts you into an exciting place.
How long have you been with the company and what has been your career progression to-date?
I’ve been with Frito Lay for about 4 ½ years. When I came into the company I started out as an assistant marketing manager with Tostitos. For two years, I ran the day-to-day management of the business as well as the college sports strategy for both college football and basketball. Within that, I also ran the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, which included a National Championship game. After the 2nd year working with Tostitos, I wanted to try something new. I had a great opportunity to get into a position developing a customer innovation strategy. The idea of customer innovation was to investigate whether or not Frito Lay was in a position to develop exclusive products for key customers. After about a year, I was excited about my new opportunity on Sun Chips. I worked on the re-launch of the brand, which included in store activation, equity development and cause marketing (i.e. Susan G. Komen). I’m very proud of what we did as a team on the brand. That leads me to my current position as brand manager for Doritos. As brand manager, I am responsible for the equity strategy which encompasses brand communication (i.e. advertising) and brand innovation. One of the biggest things we are working on right now is a promotion called ‘Crash the Super Bowl’. We are giving consumers the opportunity to create an ad about what they love about Doritos. The top 5 ads will be posted on our website and consumers all across America will vote on their favorite. The winning ad will actually be played during the super bowl.
What advice do you have for current students interested in marketing careers at Frito – Lay?
Two suggestions. First, make sure you are aware of every single thing going on in the market. When I was at Michigan I subscribed to Brandweek and I read it every week. Magazines like Brandweek give you a good understanding of what is going on in the industry from a practical standpoint. It’s really important that you be versed on the marketplace. Another thing is, as a marketer sometimes you have to put your ‘consumer lens’ on. I think its easy to forget to leverage that. It’s tough too because while marketers are certainly not the typical consumer, it’s still important to be able to use you own intuition to make sure you are making practical business decisions.
As a marketing undergrad at Arizona State University, I enjoyed a wonderful experience as a marketing brand intern at a company called Xyron. I absolutely loved it. My manager recommended I get into a cross functional career to start off because he felt it would help me become a better brand manager in the long run. My senior year I interviewed and was accepted as a buyer into the purchasing leadership program at General Mills. My purpose there was to learn how to deal with all aspects of the business. I did that for three years, loved the company, loved the experience; then I decided it was time for me to go to business school. I wanted to find a program that was right for me. I thought to myself, if I want to be the best, I have to go the best. I compared the top five schools (the University of Michigan being in the top 5) with the goal of finding the school that really was most like me. If I was going to spend two years of my time in business school, I wanted to be able to enjoy it. My experience during my visit to Michigan was compelling - the people there were down to earth, knowledgeable and passionate about what they were doing. They also knew how to have a good time! Life wasn’t just about a career - there were other things. I enjoyed that environment so I chose Ross.
How has your Ross experience helped your career as a marketer at Frito-Lay?
First, Ross prepared me with the education and technical training I needed. But what I value most from my experience is the team environment that we have at the school. I worked with a lot of dynamic people with different experiences, aspirations and goals. So it was almost like little mini-task forces composed of people interested in finance, international business, marketing, etc…all working together to get projects done. Learning how to apply technical skills while managing interpersonal skills was really cool. Those experiences definitely came to bear when I graduated and started working in the real world. Second, Ross did a really good job of helping to prepare me for interviewing with different companies. As a result, I was able to manage the job search process when recruiting season came around.
What makes Frito – Lay a strong marketing organization?
Frito Lay has its own direct sales force. That really allows us to have strong flexibility as an organization. We can react to consumers very, very quickly. Our sales force quickly implements our ideas tactically so we can work with consumers and create ideas from concept to finished product quickly. Another strength for Frito-Lay…well, people love our products! Frito Lay is fun food. It is really interesting when you work with a product that people know. When I mention to people that I am the brand manager for Doritos, it is an automatic 10-minute conversation! Additionally, from a career management standpoint, Frito-Lay gives employees a lot of responsibility from day one as an assistant marketing manager. For people who like that kind of challenge, it really puts you into an exciting place.
How long have you been with the company and what has been your career progression to-date?
I’ve been with Frito Lay for about 4 ½ years. When I came into the company I started out as an assistant marketing manager with Tostitos. For two years, I ran the day-to-day management of the business as well as the college sports strategy for both college football and basketball. Within that, I also ran the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, which included a National Championship game. After the 2nd year working with Tostitos, I wanted to try something new. I had a great opportunity to get into a position developing a customer innovation strategy. The idea of customer innovation was to investigate whether or not Frito Lay was in a position to develop exclusive products for key customers. After about a year, I was excited about my new opportunity on Sun Chips. I worked on the re-launch of the brand, which included in store activation, equity development and cause marketing (i.e. Susan G. Komen). I’m very proud of what we did as a team on the brand. That leads me to my current position as brand manager for Doritos. As brand manager, I am responsible for the equity strategy which encompasses brand communication (i.e. advertising) and brand innovation. One of the biggest things we are working on right now is a promotion called ‘Crash the Super Bowl’. We are giving consumers the opportunity to create an ad about what they love about Doritos. The top 5 ads will be posted on our website and consumers all across America will vote on their favorite. The winning ad will actually be played during the super bowl.
What advice do you have for current students interested in marketing careers at Frito – Lay?
Two suggestions. First, make sure you are aware of every single thing going on in the market. When I was at Michigan I subscribed to Brandweek and I read it every week. Magazines like Brandweek give you a good understanding of what is going on in the industry from a practical standpoint. It’s really important that you be versed on the marketplace. Another thing is, as a marketer sometimes you have to put your ‘consumer lens’ on. I think its easy to forget to leverage that. It’s tough too because while marketers are certainly not the typical consumer, it’s still important to be able to use you own intuition to make sure you are making practical business decisions.
Labels: Alumni, Alumni Q and A
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