As I wind down my blogging responsibilities, it feels appropriate to announce that I’m finishing up as Pharmacy Sales Analyst and will take on my next challenge as Assistant Brand Manager for Pest Control -uber excited!

Seeing as  this will be my last blog post, I thought it would be fitting to revisit some of the key points in my first blog post, which was about my reasons for working at RB and how it would help me achieve my goal of having a fulfilling marketing career. Let’s see whether these points still stand true 6 months on…

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Strong portfolio of brands – No doubt this point still rings true. My Sales Analyst/Account Manager role has put me at the forefront of promoting our RB Powerbrands to my customers to ensure support and promotion within their stores. Massive launches of the past 6 months in Australia? Strepsils Cool, Nurofen for Children relaunch, Dettol No Touch Systems and Veet Suprem Essence just to name a few…

My job is certainly made easier when we’re promoting and selling in market-leading brands, which is why I’m really excited to be tackling Mortein in my next role, which has really big brand presence in Australia, as well as Brazil and India. Can’t wait to get my hands dirty and learn how to manage one of RB’s global Powerbrands!

Real ownership and responsibility –I definitely feel that I have had ownership and responsibility in a range of projects and tasks since starting 18 months ago – being able to present our business strategy to the CEO of my account, organizing and managing a stand in a retailer’s staff conference, convincing my buyer to adopt our shelf strategy in their biggest category – just some of the achievements you can also have as a RB graduate!

Challenges are the norm at RB; it’s up to you to decide how to tackle them. It might be tough initially, but it’s only when you retrospectively review your accomplishments after finishing the task that you realise how much you have learnt both personally and professionally. Certainly the experiences gained in the Sales component of the RB Commercial Graduate Program will help me tackle my next role in Marketing.

The Aussie graduates! – Well, what can I say…we’re like one big family! As we’ve gotten to know each other in the office, its great to know that I can always rely on a fellow graduate when I’m stuck in a rut with a project or just need someone to bounce ideas off. Getting the motivation to push yourself to the next level is difficult, but knowing graduates who have been in your situation and ‘broken through the pain barrier’ to get to the next level is certainly encouraging.

We still catch up outside of work, we’re planning a graduate dinner soon but before that, we’re all going to do participate in the City 2 Surf 12km run in a few weeks time…should be fun!

And that’s it folks, I certainly don’t think my reasons for choosing the RB Commercial Graduate Program have changed, in fact, they have merely been reinforced.

Whilst I’m sad to be leaving here, it is with great pleasure that I announce that my fellow graduate, Natalie, will be taking over my blogging responsibilities.
Natalie and I started the graduate program at the same time and we have shared many great professional experiences. She’s coming along to Marketing with me as Assistant Brand Manager for Nurofen, so please welcome Natalie as she shares her experiences and insights in her new role!

I know from personal experience during my MBA career search process that getting your foot in the door of a CPG or FMCG firm as a brand manager is extremely challenging.

Many employers recruiting entry-level candidates for brand management are looking for previous brand marketing and/or brand management experience; however, the “Catch 22” in this situation is that many entry-level candidates haven’t had previous brand experience due to the lack of opportunity.

Well, I just learned that RB is creating such an opportunity for students in the U.S. to break into brand management with the launch of our Campus Brand Manager program at Penn State University, Columbia University and University of Michigan. This program has been very successful in other countries worldwide, and for the first time in the U.S., students will have the chance to develop their marketing skills and gain valuable brand marketing experience with a global leader in the FMCG industry.

What do Campus Brand Managers do?

As a Campus Brand Manager, you will help raise awareness of the RB brand on your campus. That includes coordinating career events, promoting RB and our opportunities to your fellow students with provided materials and resources and working to develop and execute your own ideas and creativity in getting the RB name out there.

What do Campus Brand Managers get out of it?

As I mentioned above, most importantly, this is a great opportunity to work with a global leader in the consumer goods industry and to gain invaluable experience, skills, network contacts and references to add to your resume and job search arsenal.

In addition, you do get paid a base salary of £400 (over $600) per semester and a stepped bonus against achieving various targets upon which you agree. I also understand that RB not only gives out an award to the most successful Campus Brand Manager at the end of the year, but also gives this individual a cash bonus and a fast-track onto the second stage of our graduate program.

If you attend Penn State University, Columbia University or University of Michigan and are interested in applying for this rewarding opportunity with RB, go to http://www.myrbopportunity.com/career-opportunities to download an application form.

If you’re interested in learning more about a career with RB and other available opportunities, please visit http://www.reckittbenckiser.jobs and continue to read our blog at http://www.myrbopportunity.com to learn more about our company and culture from our RB team members.

My colleagues and I were at the University of Sydney in March to promote the RB Commercial Graduate program to prospective graduates.

Reckitt Benckiser who?

It wasn’t surprising that students had no clue who we were. But when we started listing about our brands – Strepsils, Nurofen, Pine-O-Cleen and Napisan, they were more inclined in finding out what we had to offer in terms of a marketing/sales career.

Working at the University of Sydney Careers Tent

No doubt our company is held in high regards amongst the FMCG and financial industries, but final year students often overlook our graduate program, not only because of the lack of familiarity of the RB corporate name, but because of many unfounded qualms and reservations which I would like to address in this blog post.

Working with unglamorous brands

Sure, marketing air fresheners or insect repellents doesn’t sound like the most riveting job and for many of you, your ideas of marketing products revolve around luxury goods or cosmetic products with massive launch parties. However, just because our products aren’t glamorous doesn’t mean that you won’t be learning heaps along the way.

“When I found out I was going to be working on multipurpose cleaners, I thought it was going to be a challenging brand to work on because I hate cleaning!” said Katie, Assistant Brand Manager for Pine-O-Cleen and Glen 20 in Australia and fellow Commercial Graduate.

“However, when I started getting involved with the product, I quickly understood just how loyal consumers are to these brands, even though it’s just a general household item. Combine that with an understanding of our fantastic strategies and you soon become just as compassionate as your consumer.”

“You’ll still be actively involved in new product development, designing ads, dealing with PR and advertising agencies and have access to huge marketing budgets – just as exciting as any cosmetic product,” Katie said.

RB is ranked 14 in top 20 Advertisers in Australia. (Source: Nielsen Australia, June 2009)

In Australia, RB rates as one of the top advertisers in Australia, ranking higher than P&G, Unilever and McDonalds. So whilst there are more glamorous brands out there in the marketplace, working with strong FMCG brands means big marketing budgets and frequent advertising touch points, so it’s a sure way you’ll develop your skills and experience to become a savvy marketer.

3 Years for a Graduate Program is too long!

How can we compete with competitors who offer programs that only last for a year? How about the opportunity to develop a strong foundation in both marketing and sales that puts you yards ahead of the competition?

Whilst some marketing graduate programs are shorter in duration, the chances are you will finish and get an entry level position within the company. At RB, you’ll be expected to take on the role of a Brand or Account Manager position after the Commercial graduate program, a position which normally requires 3+ years experience.

Think of the 3 years as your developmental playground, a time in which you will be exposed to both sales and marketing functions, get involved in meetings, conferences, get full transparency amongst the senior and regional leadership teams and access to training and mentoring that other direct entry employees may not get access to.

Time flies when you’re having fun, learning new things and experiencing new challenges!

I’m only interested in Marketing and don’t want to do Sales

Bet you didn’t think that you’d be slaving away at university for 3+ years and end up implementing layouts in a supermarket in your first full time job.

“From the outset, it was certainly the least appealing part of working at RB, sales always felt like a dirty word when I was at university. But looking back, my time on the field was the most valuable base foundation I could take into my marketing role. You can offer a different perspective based on your experience on the road and have a greater understanding of how a customer may react to a new product launch or campaign” Katie said.

Katie giving a presentation at University of Sydney about life as an RB Graduate.

To think that you can have a successful career in marketing without being exposed to sales is quite risky, considering the two are interrelated. And don’t discount sales as a fulfilling career either, as graduates who were so keen on marketing as a career have ended up as successful Account Managers after their graduate program.

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High expectations are put on all of the RB graduates, but if you’re a go-getter, you’ll thrive and get the opportunity to hone your skills in a flexible yet structured environment. Have a look on our careers website for more information.

LinkedIn is the leading professional network on the web, so if you don’t have an account already, get one today! If you have one already, you’re off to a great start.

LinkedIn is an invaluable asset to all professionals and students out there providing you many unique features, including your own professional online resume, its own job board, a comprehensive company directory and more.

One feature you job seekers may not know about or have fully explored is LinkedIn Groups. LinkedIn Groups are free to join, and you can choose to join up to 50 groups from a list of thousands of user-created groups for literally just about anything. Not only do these groups provide you access to connect with and contact fellow group members who could become future partners, employees, investors, customers etc., but the groups’ discussion board and news sections can provide more networking opportunities, answers to your questions and insightful advice, tips and support. You can also contribute answers, comments and your own expertise to the groups’ discussion boards to establish your own online personal brand on LinkedIn.

While there are thousands of quality groups out there that I encourage you to check out, here are the Top 10 LinkedIn Groups for Aspiring Brand Managers to help you build your own brand and launch your career:

• 1. Reckitt Benckiser Community
• 2. CPGpeople
• 3. CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS CONNECTS
• 4. CPG Branding and Marketing Forum
• 5. Brand Innovators Network
• 6. 280 Group: Product Management & Product Marketing
• 7. Shopper Insights & Marketing Professionals
• 8. Future Trends
• 9. MBA Highway
• 10. Career Rocketeer

*These groups are not listed in any particular order.

The wonderful thing about RB is that there is never a dull moment and I do mean NEVER. There are ALWAYS projects to manage and drive to completion and new projects on which to begin working with your team.

And this doesn’t include any initiatives you suggest and pursue as you begin to contribute your own ideas, skills and propositions to the business.

I thought it would be interesting to share what one potential day in the life of an Assistant Brand Manager (ABM) is like to provide you a little more insight into what we ABMs do.

A couple disclaimers:

1) I cannot be very specific in the details that I am sharing as a number of these projects and meetings are confidential; however, I have done my best to give you a good idea of what each meeting and/or activity is all about.

2) While I am listing a lot of the scheduled meetings and activities in which I participate, none of this takes into consideration the plethora of calls, emails, in-person discussions, last-minute meetings, idea brainstorms, requests and questions that happen in and around these scheduled events each and every day.

• 7:30 AM: Arrive at RB
• 7:35 AM: Get organized for the day, read, respond to and send out new emails, review case cut and daily sales reports, update consumer promotion summaries and tie up any other loose ends from the previous day/week
• 8:15 AM: Pull syndicated sales data for any new or remaining analysis requested
• 9:00 AM: Meet with direct manager and immediate team members to discuss any new project updates and align on priorities for the day and/or week
• 10:00 AM:Visit onsite design agency account manager to check on status of artwork mockups being prepared for upcoming management review and brief him on new label or artwork requests/changes to previous requests
• 11:00 AM: Meet with cross-functional team, including representatives from supply, R&D and Regulatory to discuss product formula transition, update timeline and assign next steps
• 12:00 PM: Brief lunch with my teammates
• 12:30 PM:Check emails and voicemails, respond with necessary follow up calls or emails
• 1:00 PM: Work on any requests, including analyses, presentations and briefs, from my direct manager or director
• 2:00 PM:Meet with our trade marketing managers to identify any account-specific issues, brief them on plans or changes to product launch timelines and logistics and fulfill any requests for brand-side analysis to share in retailer presentations and line reviews
• 3:30 PM: Call plant project manager to discuss a few of my segments projects, request new cost estimates, notify her of early EPA approval for a label so to update the project’s timeline and move forward with the artwork
• 4:00 PM:Return to design agency account manager to pick up the mockups, review them with my direct manager and my director for feedback, return mockups with collected feedback for changes or align to move forward for the management review
• 5:00 PM:Conference call with web agency to discuss this year’s online program and assign budget, deadlines and deliverables
• 5:45 PM: Work on ROI analyses for my segments’ recent media flights and FSI’s
• 6:30 PM: Depart RB for home to eat dinner, spend some time with my wife and recharge to do it all again the next day

I hope this example of my schedule offers you a better view into the daily life of an ABM at RB.
Please let me know if you have any specific questions, as I am always happy to help in any way possible!