Career Path Of A Brand Manager At Diageo China
Sharon's career path to becoming a Brand Manager at Diageo China began with a strategic approach to gaining marketing experience; the interviewee "started to explore...what I could do to make me a brand manager," leading to internships at a multinational creative agency and various PR roles, a tactic driven by the limited direct entry opportunities available during college.
Career Exploration, Networking, Entry-Level, Marketing, Brand Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sharon Tsai
Brand Manager
Diageo China
National Taiwan University, 2012
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA
Political Science, American Studies
Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Communication and Marketing
International Student
Video Highlights
1. Sharon's career path started with internships at a creative agency (multinational) and PR agencies, enabling her to network and gain experience in marketing before directly joining a company.
2. She emphasizes the value of internships, even in related fields like PR, as a stepping stone to a marketing career, especially when direct entry-level roles may be scarce.
3. Her approach highlights the importance of proactive steps in exploring career options and gaining relevant experience during college to achieve a desired career path such as becoming a brand manager
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, Sharon? Please start with your experiences in college, followed by any internships or jobs you held before your current role.
My role was brand manager at Diageo. Back in college, which was quite a long time ago, I knew I wanted to do brand marketing or marketing in general after graduating. So, I started to explore what I could do to become a brand manager or join a marketing training program.
One internship I did was at Ugly, a creative agency. It's a multinational agency, and the reason I chose it was because I knew many multinational companies or marketing departments work extensively with creative agencies. I decided to start with an internship at such an agency to get closer to becoming a marketer in those companies.
Apart from that, I also took on a few part-time jobs. I worked at some PR agencies and also had early jobs as a PR intern when I was in college. I did anything related to marketing that I could during college.
There weren't many opportunities to intern directly in the companies I wanted to work for at the time. So, I think starting with internships or working at agencies is a good first step while you're in college.