The Manchester Masters Blog

When I was first told about my placement with fruity malt loaf brand Soreen, I admit, I didn’t recognise the brand name at first and had to be shown the company logo before I had any clue who I would be working for.

To avoid this happening to anyone else reading this, I pictured myself with plenty of Soreen products! Admittedly, I had not made the best start to my Manchester Masters journey, but I was determined to become an expert in all things malty and make up for this little faux pas!

Now, only two weeks into my placement, any notions of me becoming the office tea boy are long gone and I am gaining experience in areas of marketing that some professionals may never experience in their whole career. My first day at Soreen was taken up by meeting the team and being given the reins to all their social media platforms. It was this that gave me my first insight into the world of the Soreen loyalists!! I found YouTube videos dedicated to Soreen and how much people love it and some Soreen patrons on Twitter (malbonster and wastedelegance to name but two) tweeting away all day! Their dedication to the brand amazed me and made me realise the importance of having an online presence to cater to these brand champions!

My first week also saw me involved in an NPD (New Product Development) meeting. I got the opportunity to pitch some of my ideas for new products, whilst giving my opinion on other ideas presented by the group. I cannot explain how much thinking goes into NPD ideas…ideas need to be justified both technically and commercially and their long-term profitability assessed. It really expanded my mind, as well as my waistline (there was some product testing involved!).

Joining Soreen at the time I have, there is a lot of work being done to launch into the German market. I was fortunate enough to be involved in the export meeting with our German distributors and was given a crash course in export marketing from Hanne-Louise Pederson (Export Manager). My German A-Level did start to come back to me and I found myself able to understand the conversations that were being had in German. I decided to play it safe and speak English all day…but I have promised the distributors that I will ‘sprechen Deutsch’ as much as possible in the future!

Wary of my word-limit… I will quickly mention the Advertising Pitch day that I was involved in. Soreen has recently invested substantial amounts into their business and some of this money was earmarked for a new communications campaign. So, in only my second week, I was sitting in on agency pitches from award winning creative agencies vying for our business along with the likes of Paul Tripp (Soreen, MD) and Neil Fraser (McCambridge Group, CEO). I was able to voice my opinions and can’t explain how much I enjoyed the whole process!

I genuinely can’t believe how much experience I already have and looking at the projects I will be doing during my time at Soreen, I can see my eleven weeks flying by!

Steve Hough

Manchester Master

Before I start, I should probably point out that up until a few weeks ago I was a social media virgin.  Ok so that’s not entirely true, but the only real purpose social media had in my life was to:

1)      check photos from the night before -  detag the ‘unemployable ones’ and,

2)      find out what Frankie from the Saturdays was eating for lunch

Now I know what you’re thinking . . . Wow what a culture vulture! I wonder which lucky company landed her?

Well before I divulge that information, I must get back to my main point that until the start of July, a world where companies paid thousands for advice on facebook and where organisations spent months planning twitter strategies, simply didn’t exist.

So do I like the new world?

Kind of.  Now the initial peculiarity of hearing business professionals using words like tweet, tweeted and retweet has gone, and that Big Brother feeling has faded, I’m beginning to really enjoy my time researching social media for MOSI (the Museum of Science and Industry). Bet you didn’t see that coming.

The ability to get instant feedback from the consumer is not only valuable, but highly addictive.  Seeing tweets get record hits and finding follower numbers increase each day does strangely put a slight grin on my face.  And I must admit that although looking at facebook and twitter from the other lens does require more energy and brain activity than perhaps my hung-over days of following Frankie in bed, I can honestly say it really is way more satisfying and intriguing.

Finally, before I get back to museum stalking, I’d like to say a huge thanks to the MOSI marketing team.  And anyone that fancies making my job a little easier, please follow us on @voiceofmosi – sorry, I had to get a cheeky plug in somewhere.

P.S. future employers you might want to skip the first point, and Frankie you’re best sticking with the first half of the blog.

Kaylie Sands

Manchester Master

Is it really almost a year? A year ago I was about to finish my MSc International Public Relations and was looking for a job. I found the Manchester Masters Programme, applied and was one of the lucky 10 that got through – now almost a year later, I am about to finish the course (just one final placement left) and I am looking for a job (again). But have I really come full circle, it definitely doesn’t feel like it.

I spent my third placement at Deloitte, which was probably the most challenging placement yet and I have learned so much professionally, academically and most importantly, about myself. Working for a large Corporate stands in stark contrast to my experiences at the smaller companies, such as Ravensoft and BDB. It was amazing to see how a big company like Deloitte manages their processes, staff and standards. I have taken so much from this placement and I can’t possibly tell you about all of it, but there is one thing I would like to share: size does matter (at least when it comes to the work environment)!

Not to say either is better; there are just a few things to think about. At Ravensoft and BDB, I knew everyone in the team; at Deloitte I was meeting new people every day and at the end of my placement could still attend internal events where I knew only one or two of the 50 attendees. I obviously got to know the teams I was working with quickly, but generally you will have to put a lot more effort in to be recognised in a large organisation. There are great training opportunities and, if you are lucky, even mentoring programmes in large companies, while in smaller companies this tends to happen more informally. In a smaller company everyone will have to pull their weight and your work will be crucial to move the firm along (this is especially true for SMEs and micro SMEs).

I guess what I am trying to say is that one size doesn’t fit all and you will have to find the environment that suits you best. There are ups and downs, whichever decision you make and I for one am not done weighing up these benefits and disadvantages of either environment. So have I come full circle? Not really – I know a lot more now, about where I want to work, what I am really good at and what sort of work suits me best.

Fran

The ominous title is in no relation to Manchester Masters but rather refers to the fact that I have so far avoided, eluded and dodged my blogging responsibilities. Not that I mind blogging, in fact it is quite therapeutic, but trying to find 30 minutes to dedicate to it has been tough over the last few months. Now I find myself at Tangerine, the home of blogging, and resistance seems futile. An awful lot has happened in the last 6 months, two companies have been and gone, and there is a lot to talk about. So grab a coffee, take your seat and we’ll begin.

In October I landed at Argent, a property developer based in Manchester city centre. At first I was sceptical as to how interesting marketing buildings could be and was worried my work would be confined to brochures and tours for three months. Argent and the way it markets itself though is fantastic- I learnt an awful lot from simply being in their company and my body has only just recovered from their out of hours activity. Team nights out were legendary.

On my first day my manager told me that she loved working for Argent because you are literally shaping the city.  Argent is playing a huge role in helping Manchester become one of the preeminent cities in the world. In my time there I got to sit in meetings with all of the people who are driving Manchester forward such as David Partridge and Sir Howard Bernstein (completely name dropping). I was given responsibility for a lot during my time- Argent have a large number of projects but not many people which is perfect for an intern. I got to co-ordinate a launch event for one of its developments (and got the other Manchester Masters there to enjoy/dominate the free bar), produce an awards entry for a prestigous property competition and write a creative marketing strategy for one of its buildings.

Christmas and New Year then came and went and meant that this was perhaps the most unrelaxing of holidays. On January 4th though I set off for the Northern Quarter (Ancoats if Martin is reading this) and arrived at True North. These guys love design and brands and win awards left, right and centre. Martin, the owner is no stranger to controversy either- he once wrote that while designers could easily produce good advertisements, advertisers could not do good design! I got to work on some great projects whilst at True North but I thought I’d now write about one of the best aspects of life there: football.

Both fantasy football and an actual tournament were indulged in. The fantasy league wasn’t for the faint hearted- Friday afternoons were spent agonising over whether to transfer your star defender out or go mad and play your wild card. The result of a poor weekend was a Monday morning spent avoiding the rest of the team- one week I managed to score zero points (an almost impossible task!) and this was met with designated brew making responsibilities. The debate over whether Rooney or Drogba was the better choice would even go on after hours with the texts flying about. One humorous point was Martin’s insistence that Diaby (a midfielder who scores very few points) was in fact his star player. Deluded.

Actual football was also played as Bayer Neverlosen took to the field to represent the agency. We stayed true to our name for the first five games with some solid defensive displays. The final was beckoning until in the semi-final the opposition equalised late on. We approached the penalty shootout like Gareth Southgate thinking of a deal with Pizza Hut and proceeded to bottle it. Clearly had choco pops for breakfast.

Well the word count is saying that it is over 600 words and that seems like the perfect length to wrap this up. And there it is- my first blog in 6 months! I can now walk through the office knowing I have contributed and they can call off the blog squad…

Notes

• True North does real work and does not concentrate purely on football (it’s at least a 90:10 split)
• Argent is not full of alcoholics
• Martin Carr is at present 54 points ahead of me in the fantasy league and wanted this clearly stated.

I have spent the last six months having fun and learning a lot. I have been working for the UK’s leading student travel, live music, events and festivals company. The office is based up in Parrs Wood, which unfortunately means I have to rely on the idiocy of Thatcher’s railways but let’s not get in to that now.

During my time with Outgoing, I have been working across all marketing disciplines, from compiling and issuing direct e-marketing campaigns, to booking advertising in print media. I was immediately given a lot of responsibility at Outgoing, it’s a bit of a sink or swim environment, which I tend to prefer – you can make more of a mark! It also means my colleagues are on the ball and things get done on time and to a high standard.

A large part of the business concentrates on Weekend Breaks for students. I was lucky to arrive during the week in which a group of staff were embarking on a nice little training trip to Amsterdam. Happy days! We got picked up by coach on the Thursday evening and were having a spot of breakfast in the V&D Food hall by Friday morning! We spent the weekend training our newest recruits – the Student Brand Managers (SBMs). The SBMs are representatives from the major Universities who make contact with presidents of societies and groups, hall presidents, and sports teams etc, to see if they would like to go on a trip with Outgoing. Suffice to say Amsterdam was amazing, and I got a few more trips out there during my time with Outgoing.

Another arm of the business is organising festivals and events. Outgoing organise and manage a number of festivals/events including Snowbombing, Beach Bombing, Beach Break Live, Winter Break, Summer Break, BUCS Surf Champs and SportsVest…quite an impressive repertoire I think you will agree! I have managed to get involved with Snowbombing 2010 and may be lucky enough to re-join Outgoing for a week or so of fun and frolics on the slopes, in the forest, on the dance floor of the igloo club, in the hot tub, in the sheds…everywhere my feet will carry me! It will be hard work but a very rewarding experience.

Working in such a fast paced, young and dynamic company has been an incredible experience, I feel I have slotted in to the Outgoing ways rather nicely and hope my placement was not the last I see of them…I shall definitely be staying in touch!

Chris Greener

Manchester Masters is looking for top creative companies in the City to join its placement programme. After selecting ten students for the second year of the initiative, Manchester Masters has now started its search for leading businesses to take on these latest recruits.

Manchester Masters is looking to sign up both agencies and in-house departments involved in PR, advertising, marketing, and digital sectors. Throughout the year, these companies will host a talented, hard working student from the Manchester Masters programme on a three-month marketing placement.

In 2009, the first year of the initiative, 40 leading Manchester companies, including Pets at Home, Max Spielmann, theEword and True North, took part in the programme. As well as giving these businesses access to top graduate talent at a subsidised cost of £1950, the companies also gained profile and PR exposure, and the chance to network with other top employees in the region.

David Edwards, CEO of Max Spielmann, describes his involvement in the programme and experiences of working with Manchester Masters student, Ric Roberts: “During his placement, Ric made a truly positive impact on our business and was instrumental in developing a new marketing strategy for Max Spielmann stores. Using his creativity, enthusiasm and understanding of the brand, Ric formulated a robust marketing plan, which we’ve now successfully rolled out across the UK.

“Through Manchester Masters, we’ve benefited from one of the region’s freshest and brightest talents, who has injected renewed vigour into our company. We’ve also had the opportunity to meet other like-minded companies and develop professional relationships that will last well beyond the end of the programme.”

For more information on joining the Manchester Masters placement programme, and for eligibility criteria, visit www.manchestermasters.com

Manchester Masters gives the city’s businesses access to some of the best and brightest creative talent in the country. But don’t take our word for it.

Here’s feedback from Brandon Pilling, CEO of leading FMCG company, Acdoco:

“Ric’s blog which he wrote following his placement with us says a lot about how Manchester Masters has worked. Clearly Ric was not desperately excited about the chance to come work here, and am sure had his eyes on bigger prizes, but I know what he did whilst he was here (apart from being remarkable – to actually produce a finished product in printed packaging in 12 weeks from a complete standing start when I am reliably informed by the same staff who helped him do this that ‘packaging takes 12 weeks from artwork’), has actually changed his perception about what marketing ‘is’ and maybe the environment he wants to work in. I think his blog summed up everything that was good about this placement.

“And of course, we’ve got some pretty cool packaging too that I couldn’t have come up with – I may still be able to drink till 3am, but I am getting older and more conservative each day – how ever hard I try to fight against it.”