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!

When I joined RB in July of last year, I knew this was a company which recognised hard work, dedication and innovative thinking – and could offer an incredible variety of options for career growth. This is why I chose RB, why I wanted to make a career here.

And this week I read something which made me feel incredibly proud to be part of this extraordinary company. Every year a list of the 100 most influential people in the industry is produced by the online magazine, Marketing.

Marketing’s Power 100 is a definitive guide to who calls the shots in the industry; who leads creativity and innovation and who managed to lead their teams through a year of economic uncertainty. And this year, the number one slot is filled by RB’s very own Phil Thomas, the UK marketing director.

But the success doesn’t stop there!

RB is also featured again, with Stefan Gaa – the UK healthcare marketing director who oversees a portfolio of brands including Nurofen and Lemsip. And what makes Stefan’s accolade (he’s at number 23 in the top 100) all the more incredible is that he has only been in the role for a year. He joined the company in 2000 as a brand manager in Germany and made his way up the ranks to the position he is in today.

A truly shining example of how your career really can sky rocket if you want it to and how at RB performance really does equal progression.

If you feel inspired to join our marketing team at RB, why not discover what we do, how we do it and what you will need to be a part of it? And you can also discover a typical career path for our marketers.

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.

Hello!  This is my first post as a member of the RB blogger team, and I am excited to have the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences with you in the coming months through my weekly contributions to My RB Opportunity.

I thought that the title “Has it been 6 months already?” truly sheds light on the speed and intensity of my career experience at RB thus far.  I have hit the ground running, and I haven’t had a moment to look back yet!

It was the morning of Monday, July 13, 2009 when I walked through the doors of RB’s U.S. headquarters in Parsippany, NJ, and joined the Lysol brand team as an Assistant Brand Manager for Toilet Bowl and Bathroom Cleaners.

There was little orientation and I wasn’t the “new guy” for long, immediately becoming a contributing member of the team and immersed in the day-to-day activities and projects of the brand, many of which I soon started managing and leading on my own.

It is very exciting and humbling to be on such a nationally-recognized and universally-trusted brand.  And while some people out there may not think too deeply about the world of household cleaning products, I have learned just how much thought, research, analysis, time and effort goes into every one of those products sitting on the retailer’s shelf.

I have also learned what it takes to be in brand management.  A brand manager is in many cases the general manager of a business, and he/she often acts as a project manager or the hub of a cross-functional team.  A brand manager must be a solid relationship builder to keep teams strong, cohesive and productive, and must be “dangerously” knowledgeable in all the areas of the business in order to make meaningful and effective decisions for the direction of any given project.  It’s not easy; however, RB has given me this challenge and I am proud to have the opportunity to face it head on.

I can’t believe how fast my first six months have flown by, but that just goes to show you how engaging an opportunity is at RB.  It also helps that you get the opportunity to work with other similarly-motivated, ambitious individuals, as RB does a great job selecting team members whose values and motivations align with the company’s 4 Core Values: Achievement, Ownership, Team Spirit and Entrepreneurship.

Now, working on Lysol Bathroom Cleaners and Dual Action Wipes, as well as being a cross-functional team lead on the Lysol web team, I look forward to sharing more of my RB experiences and stories with you in the coming weeks!