As I began my internship journey back in May, I honestly had no idea what I was in for. I knew I would be busy, knew I would be challenged and knew I would learn a lot and have fun at the same time. What I didn’t know was how much fun I would have, how many new friends I would make on my team and within my intern class and how much I would truly enjoy my work.
This summer, I was a brand management intern on the Charmin team at Procter & Gamble. As my 12 week internship comes to a close, I can honestly say I never imagined that I would be this passionate about a product like toilet paper. It has been fascinating to dive into the mind of the consumer and I was fortunate enough to work on projects that spanned a variety of topics. At P&G, each intern is given three projects: one strategy, one analytical, one creative. Each focused on different parts of the Charmin brand and taught me how to think like a true business owner.
The Projects
Because I was in a marketing role prior to returning to business school, I was excited to see what I could apply from my previous experience and what would be completely new. As nerdy as it sounds, one of my favorite parts of the summer was my analytical project. It was very enlightening to dive into data and find patterns that explained why certain things were happening in the marketplace. I was also fortunate enough to work on some consumer research for my strategy project, which allowed me to hear directly from the consumer. I felt like a toilet paper expert at the end of this summer and was amazed at the way brand management can impact what happens in the store and how consumers think.
The “Other” Events
Outside of all of my work, I was so amazed by all of the other events P&G hosts for interns throughout the summer. We had countless intern social events, had the opportunity to speak with key members of leadership and even traveled to NYC to visit with Facebook and our agency partners (see group Jet photo below). We even got to hear from P&G’s recently named CEO, David Taylor, which made is all feel very appreciated as interns.
The People
By far, the part of my internship I appreciated most was the people at P&G. Everyone was extremely welcoming and always willing to help if I needed it. From my Charmin team, to other brands and business units, I was encouraged to set up meetings with everyone, even senior leadership. What was even better was the fact that most of these meetings were really just a chance to get to know people. My projects didn’t have to be the central focus and everyone was truly invested in me and in showing me all the great aspects of P&G. It was a great summer and I am now back at Fisher with more Charmin than I ever thought possible.
