A day in the life of a marketing graduate

Contributed by Laura - Mars Australia

Laura graduated with a Bachelor of Business (majoring in marketing), and is now working in Chocolate at Mars Australia.

Mars Australia is part of the Mars Incorporated global organisation, with over 40,000 Associates employed worldwide. Mars manufactures and markets some of the biggest and best petcare, snackfood and food brands in the world, including Pedigree™, Whiskas™, Schmackos™, Mars™, Snickers™, Dolmio™, Kan Tong™, Uncle Bens™, Advance™, Twix™ and Masterfoods™. Mars Australia has six manufacturing sites across Australia, and over 2,500 associates.

Laura says "I started out my Graduate career at Mars in the NSW Sales Team as a Territory Manager of the northern beaches area. After a few months I moved into to the Sydney CBD, giving a diverse customer experience. Each territory consisted of around 270 retail outlets, which I would visit each month with the goal of growing their confectionary category through sales of our products. My first year with the business was an intense learning experience as I quickly realized I would need to focus on building competencies that would create strong relationships with my customers. I acquired many skills through these roles, such as negotiation, an understanding of good business principles and techniques to drive retail sales and maximise profits. By the end of my first year with Mars, I was able to use these skills to persuade customers to make fact-based decisions which would ultimately grow their business".

"In my second year of the program, I was offered a role within the Marketing Team as the BOUNTY® and MILKY WAY® Brand Manager. Given I am a marketing graduate, it had been my goal to grow within this discipline and I jumped at the opportunity. Being part of a small yet highly experienced team of marketers has absolutely exceeded my expectations. A very different experience from the more target orientated sales world, I constantly feel challenged and am continuing to learn the importance marketing plays within an organisation. Furthermore the role also meant a move to our head office in Ballarat. As much of my work is team based, being part of a central office allows an understanding of the role of other departments, such as Research & Development, Supply and Commercial. Throughout the year some of my highlights have included leading an activity team in launching two new products, BOUNTY 3® and MARS DARK®, conducting a TVC trial for BOUNTY® in South Australia, long term strategy planning for the various brands, traveling to the other states to launch our campaigns to the sales teams and planning for major sales and branding events".

"My experience throughout the Graduate Program has been one of challenge, self-evaluation and development. I believe my sales role was a crucial part of my learning and enhanced my sense of independence and understanding of the business before moving into the central office. Ultimately with Mars, your experience is as valuable as you choose to make it and mine has certainly been fantastic".

Mars Australia recruits exceptional graduates in Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Logistics, Purchasing and Commercial, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing each year. More information on the Mars Australia graduate program.

For more information, visit the Mars Australia website.