MBA 2007 | American Express Company New York, NY - Intern, Christine Llewellyn
After graduating from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Psychology, I began working for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a consultant. I worked on many interesting projects with great people but soon realized that consulting wasn’t the best fit for me. I am passionate about art and design and found that my hectic and very unpredictable schedule allowed me neither the outlet nor the time to express my creativity. As much as possible, I got involved in activities outside of work that allowed me to fulfill this void. I soon realized that what I enjoyed most were things that allowed me to express my creative side. Knowing that I would best be able to display my creativity through a career in marketing, I decided to get my MBA from Ross to obtain fundamental business skills while also learning from Ross’ renowned marketing faculty. In my first year I focused on getting the perfect marketing internship for me - one that allowed me to use and sharpen my quantitative skills while also providing an outlet for my creativity. I can definitely say I found the perfect balance during my strategic marketing summer internship at American Express Company.
This summer I interned in the Establishment Services division of American Express. My summer internship project was to design a nationwide promotion (to be rolled out in 2007) for all card members that would serve to create buzz and excitement while ultimately generating incremental charge volume. In the past few years, American Express has rolled out very innovative, exciting and largely successful promotions that provide great value to its card members. As a company known for being on the forefront of marketing innovation, the American Express seeks to ensure that its card members always are presented with new promotions that remind them of the premium benefits of membership. My role this summer was to do just that – design an innovative new promotion that would provide premium benefits for all card members. Having had no formal marketing experience before my internship, I was a bit nervous before I started but was even more excited about the opportunity to design a new promotion that all card members could experience.
The first few weeks of my 11 week internship were spent conducting a very brief competitive analysis of other financial institutions’ promotions. This was followed by an in-depth industry analysis to determine which industry the new promotion would target. Obtaining data for this project required me to do quantitative and qualitative analyses of different industries. I interviewed directors and VPs that worked on industry development teams to get an understanding of how these industries were performing as well as how a new promotion could best serve their respective industries. I also conducted an in-depth quantitative analysis of different industries and looked at variables such as industry size, growth, and AMEX share over the past few years. Once the formal analysis was completed and the industry was selected, I began designing the new promotion.
Though I had never designed a promotion or campaign, my internship was a huge success thanks to the exposure I was given to marketing professionals inside and outside of American Express. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work closely with the advertising agency to develop my idea and to come up with creative around the new promotion. I also conducted brainstorm sessions with AMEX professionals, advertising executives and promotions experts throughout the course of the summer. My success was also due to my supportive team and my great manager - who also happens to be a Michigan alum J.
This summer I was able to find the perfect balance between business analysis and creativity. My internship experience did not only help me realize that American Express was the place for me but it also helped me to really experience the value of Ross’ rich curriculum. Having been on my MAP project right before my internship, I was able to frame my project, create an actionable project plan, and organize and present vast amounts of data with ease throughout the summer. For all these reasons and many more, I am glad I made the choice to attend Ross and hope to begin my career at American Express after graduation.
This summer I interned in the Establishment Services division of American Express. My summer internship project was to design a nationwide promotion (to be rolled out in 2007) for all card members that would serve to create buzz and excitement while ultimately generating incremental charge volume. In the past few years, American Express has rolled out very innovative, exciting and largely successful promotions that provide great value to its card members. As a company known for being on the forefront of marketing innovation, the American Express seeks to ensure that its card members always are presented with new promotions that remind them of the premium benefits of membership. My role this summer was to do just that – design an innovative new promotion that would provide premium benefits for all card members. Having had no formal marketing experience before my internship, I was a bit nervous before I started but was even more excited about the opportunity to design a new promotion that all card members could experience.
The first few weeks of my 11 week internship were spent conducting a very brief competitive analysis of other financial institutions’ promotions. This was followed by an in-depth industry analysis to determine which industry the new promotion would target. Obtaining data for this project required me to do quantitative and qualitative analyses of different industries. I interviewed directors and VPs that worked on industry development teams to get an understanding of how these industries were performing as well as how a new promotion could best serve their respective industries. I also conducted an in-depth quantitative analysis of different industries and looked at variables such as industry size, growth, and AMEX share over the past few years. Once the formal analysis was completed and the industry was selected, I began designing the new promotion.
Though I had never designed a promotion or campaign, my internship was a huge success thanks to the exposure I was given to marketing professionals inside and outside of American Express. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work closely with the advertising agency to develop my idea and to come up with creative around the new promotion. I also conducted brainstorm sessions with AMEX professionals, advertising executives and promotions experts throughout the course of the summer. My success was also due to my supportive team and my great manager - who also happens to be a Michigan alum J.
This summer I was able to find the perfect balance between business analysis and creativity. My internship experience did not only help me realize that American Express was the place for me but it also helped me to really experience the value of Ross’ rich curriculum. Having been on my MAP project right before my internship, I was able to frame my project, create an actionable project plan, and organize and present vast amounts of data with ease throughout the summer. For all these reasons and many more, I am glad I made the choice to attend Ross and hope to begin my career at American Express after graduation.
posted by Ross BBSA at 3:24 PM
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