I knew I wanted to do something marketing related in FMCG, but there was a myriad of companies promoting marketing and sales graduate programs – which one was going to help me achieve my goals of having a fulfilling marketing career?

Having been in the Commercial Graduate Program for more than a year, I have no doubt that I have made the right decision to work at RB. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Strong portfolio of brands – Whilst most students are familiar with the P&G, Unilever and L’Oreal’s of the world, the truth is, most of them have probably never heard of RB. Don’t worry, even our stakeholders have trouble figuring our who we are!

However, one thing is for certain, people know our brands – Nurofen, Strepsils, Veet and Dettol to name a few – and at the end of the day, its all about the brands, isn’t it?

At RB, you’ll be working with brands which are ranked 1 or 2 in the marketplace. Walking into a pharmacy as a Sales Representative in my first rotation, I was always able to get the buyer’s attention and respect because they knew our portfolio of market-leading products would help drive customers into their stores and grow their business.

Did you know that at RB, 40% of revenue is generated from new products launched within the past 3 years? So you can be reassured that there will be a plethora of resources and talent readily available to accommodate innovation and growth of our brands and being part of that process, whether it be marketing or sales, is so rewarding for your career.

2. Real ownership and responsibility – I don’t think any student comes out of a marketing degree wanting a career in sales; I certainly didn’t… which is why I can understand why many students are hesitant to consider a graduate program which incorporates time in the field or in sales.

It was a case of sink or swim when I was handed over a territory of over 120 stores to manage – and while it was certainly a challenge, I also had a ball of a time doing it!

I felt a great sense of ownership and achievement in being able to negotiate and implement a planogram, sell in a promotional program and be able to resolve difficult situations – you learn a lot about responsibility, task prioritisation and demonstrating entrepreneurship.

Most importantly, I felt like I was a valued member of my team and that we all shared the same company core values which allowed us to achieve our goals and deliver results. Do you also share the same passion and drive like we do? See if you have what it takes to thrive at RB.

My time on the field has allowed me to build a strong foundation and thorough understanding of how RB brands are perceived in the market place – perfect preparation for my upcoming marketing rotation. After all, how can you truly understand a brand if you don’t know what customers want?

3. The Aussie graduates! – Since the Commercial Graduate Program started in RB Australia/New Zealand 4 years ago, the pool of graduates has grown into a small family of nearly 20!

RB Graduates at Sales Awards Gala

So when you find yourself in a difficult situation, you know you can always seek help and guidance from another graduate who has been through it all and knows what you’re going through.

As Eva mentioned in one of her posts, we have an annual graduate development day where the New Zealand graduates come over to Australia we get to see what kinds of mischief our neighbours get up to! It truly reinforces the international element of working for a global FMCG company.

We graduates work hard but play harder and whilst it’s great to catch up and let your hair down during official work functions to down, we also socialise outside of work – most recently having Italian cuisine in Darling Harbour!

RB Graduates at Christmas Party

Until my next blog post, I leave you with some recent photos of the RB Australia graduates partying it up at our Hollywood character themed Christmas Party and Sales Awards Gala in Circular Quay, Sydney!

Check out some of the great initiatives that RB’s marketing department have come up with!
Aerogard’s (a local RB Australian insect repellent brand) creative new outdoor campaign.

And Veet’s print ad which ran in conjunction with ‘Movember’.
During the month of November, Aussie males (including a large contingent from RB!) are encouraged to grow weird and wacky moustaches or ‘mos’ to raise money for men’s health.

Goodbye Bush was a daring yet clever print ad for Veet which was strategically placed in all major Australian newspapers the day Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.

Within hours the ad had turned viral on the internet and was circulated around the globe.

In October, Veet’s  Goodbye Bush campaign won 2 Caxton Awards (best FMCG ad and best topical ad).
This was a great achievement for Reckitt Benckiser as the Caxtons are the most prestigious print advertising and newspaper awards.

When the ad was launched it received a lot of positive feedback from online commentators who recognised it’s smart and timely approach: Brand Republic, brand and business blogger Ruth Mortimer and various bloggers all recognised the winning simplicity of the ad.

One of the awards judges said: “The ad made me smile. I remember thinking how strange it was to see an ad in a newspaper that made me actually feel something.
“In fact I was talking to my Mum the other day and she mentioned she’d seen the Veet ad, ‘the one with the Bush slogan’. And even after disappointing her that it wasn’t one of mine, she still thought it was very clever. So there you have it. Veet it is.”

Hi everyone I’m Bia from Brazil.

Today I want to share something that I realized today in a client’s meeting.

Have you ever stopped to think what a woman’s most common beauty treatment is – no matter where they live, which religion, social economic level or political view?

Hands up who said moisturizing – you got it right!

Of course, that botox is also very common! But let’s focus on what happens in all social economic levels, in all countries – and most often.

It was not until a few years ago that hydration was proved to be not only a beauty treatment but also a health matter.

Here in Brazil there’s a skin specialist who says you must worry about the level of hydration of the skin because the lack of it causes irritation, itches, wrinkles and peeling – and can even lead to more serious problems.

And, according to this specialist, by using common methods of depilatory, you interfere with the external layer of your skin, which causes the problems I mentioned above and means you have to use moisturizer afterwards, if you want to keep your skin looking healthy.

So it is important to use a product which will not traumatize your skin and will also moisturize it in the process.

Here at RB, we are once more ahead! Not only by the technology involved in hair removal, but also in the treatment that comes after – so Veet will remove hair and also hydrate the skin in the process, so you don’t need to use a moisturizer afterwards.

That’s why Veet is the leading brand in the market – we are always in search of innovation.

We have technology and expertise playing on our team. To develop a product we do a great deal of research in our labs and with consumers all around the world to understand efficiency, perception, usage, improvements, design, formula etc.

We care about what consumers have to say, and before a product goes into the market we make sure that we have the best formula, with the best benefits and performance.

And of course, it must be highly approved by its user.

That’s why I’m glad to hear that 83% of Indian women who have used Veet recognized the smoothness (according to research by a female magazine in the country), and I’m positive that for other countries it is the same.

Check out the whole article in Brands today for more details about Indian women’s perception of Veet: Veet gets thumping seal of approval from Women

In order to make that success happen we have a big team committed to breaking the status quo and always bring new thinking to our range of products.

Luckily, I was able to be part of some of them during my period in marketing. Just to give an idea this team has people from Marketing, R&D, R&A, Supply, Project and they all contribute with positive ideas and actions to delivery the best product – the one that you buy.

So girls (and boys), hear my plea: do consider all that I have said before choosing something to put on your skin – it has to be efficient and it has to have a successful background.

Feel the power of hydration!

Ciao! ‘Til the next post!