INTERNSHIP REPORT by Jessica Walker

JOB TITLE

Social Media Intern

DURATION 6 Months

LOCATION

Mexx Headquarters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

IN THIS INTERNSHIP REPORT I WILL DESCRIBE MY EXPERIENCES DURING MY INTERNSHIP AT MEXX. THE REPORT CONTAINS AN OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNSHIP COMPANY AND THE ACTIVITIES, TASKS AND PROJECTS THAT I HAVE WORKED ON DURING MY INTERNSHIP. WRITING THIS REPORT, I ALSO WILL DESCRIBE AND REFLECT ON WHAT I HAVE LEARNT OVER THE INTERNSHIP PERIOD AND WHAT I WILL BE TAKING FORWARD INTO FINAL YEAR AS GOOD PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.

INTRODUCTION

MEXX IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A BRAND MARKETING COMPANY. OUR GREATEST ASSET IS THE BRANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EQUITY AND CONSUMER GOODWILL. This equity is built by the attitude of our advertising and by every other kind of interaction with our consumers be it products, promotions visual merchandising, store architecture, staff or service levels. We strive to convey a unique and consistent attitude communicating the same desirable consumer benefits across many different types of media and geographies, By applying a consistent tone of communication, we will articulate our messages in a clear and comprehensive style. Most importantly, our single voice will result in Mexx becoming the most successful global brand in the mid-prced contemporary segment.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES OF THE ROLE: •

Assist with creation, conception and execution of social media strategy and i ntegrated digital communications campaigns

• Day-to-day management and development of editorial content on social media platforms •

Community management across social media channels, including, but not limited to blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram

•

Proactive interaction with online communities across all platforms

•

Monitor conversations using social media monitoring tools and report on metrics

•

Generate insights by utilizing social listening tools

•

Building media clippings reports that lead to optimization

•

Analyzing traffic & trends to optimize conversion and other business objectives

•

In-house consulting on deployment of digital & social media for departmental goals & objectives

‘ THE THING ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA IS IT’S EVER-CHANGING, EVER-UPDATING, AND THEREFORE, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN’ Going into my social media placement I didn’t really know what to expect. I had done some freelance social media work but never for a brand as big as Mexx. I wasn’t sure as what a social media intern would do that could possibly take a whole days’ worth of work, naively, I thought all a social media position entailed was posting content about the company in a very low level, simple way. What I came to learn working at Mexx is that I was completely wrong. There is so much more to it than that. The thing about social media is it’s ever-changing, ever-updating, and therefore there is always something new to learn. I was fortunate enough to learn not just about social media but SEO, establishing a brand style, content strategizing and more. Something I also found is that there is a whole other world of Facebook when it comes to business. I found you can create posts and advertisements that are directed to exactly the type of person you want it going out to. Facebook also has an algorithm that causes a business’s ad to be restricted from even your followers’ newsfeeds so that any one person doesn’t get too many ads popping up throughout a day. There are also websites that allow you to create your posts in advance that will automatically send them out when you set it to do so. That way, you don’t have to technically post every single day, multiple times a day. The first few weeks of my placement were heavily based around planning and scheduling posts. Posts are scheduled months and months in advance which required a great amount of organisation and extreme attention to detail. The schedule enabled more free time to focus on creating new content and coming up with new social campaigns and ideas.

SOCIAL

Within the first month of my internship I was responsible for all social media management. I was also given the opportunity to write creative copy for new products that would be used not only across social media but also on the Mexx website. Every morning when I came into work the first thing I do is check Mexxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram and tumblr. Not only was i responsible for managing social media, I was also expected to come up with new content ideas on a regular basis. My free time was used researching and coming up with ideas that I would document so it could be discussed in monthly meeting with my manager. The most popular content I found, was doing behind the scenes stuff. People like to see behind the brand, the real Mexx. I would share photos from behind the scenes of the shoots as well as events and around the office. The key objective when of coming up content strategies is engagement, traffic and conversion. I also had to ensure all content and marketing was on-brand and consistent in terms of style, quality and tone of voice.

CONTENT CREATING

Another huge part of my role at Mexx was working with other teams across the marketing department. The entire marketing floor were a pleasure to work with. From designers, marketing managers and visual merchandisers, I was able to work directly with all these different areas and meet some really interesting characters. Especially important was my work with the graphic design team which consisted of graphic designers, art directors, photographers and video makers. The world of marketing is increasingly visual. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no coincidence that the newest and fastest-growing social networks like Pinterest and Instagram are focused primarily on visual content. Great visuals on social media are important because visual content increases social engagement. Having consistent colours, fonts, imagery, and layouts also helps to convey brand identity. The graphic design team would help bring content concepts to life. I would delegate creative responsibilities and they would come forward with their own graphical solutions. I also worked with the PR for things such as getting press clippings Mexx had been featured in to used across social platforms as well as pulling product shots to be used in styling and trend content.

THE PEOPLE I WORKED WITH THROUGHOUT MY TIME AT MEXX WERE DEDICATED AND ENTHUSIASTIC AND AN INCREDIBLE TEAM TO WORK WITH AND LEARN FROM.

TEAMWORK

During my internship Mexx launched a blog. initially i was charge of layout of the blog making sure everything was consistent in terms of style and in keeping with brand identity. I was also responsible for SEO ensuring the blog was optimised for search and user experience. After writing some questions to be asked in an interview with the models for a blog feature my manager was so impressed he asked if I would like to write a weekly section of the blog ‘Style Icons’. The Style Icon section would allow people the ability to ‘shop the look’, using celebrity style as inspiration I would find suitable items from the current collection and tie them together. This was a great opportunity to expand my writing style and also to develop excellent time management as the blog had a tight deadline and as with social media, blog posts were to be scheduled in advance. The blog consisted of three sections: Features, Style Icons and Street Style. The blog posts would be based around a weekly theme that tied in with any promotion happening, store events or new product releases. Each week we would meet with the Global Art Director, Marketing manager, Visual Merchandise manager, Wholesale Marketing manager and in-house photographer to discuss and plan ideas and concepts for each weeks theme. Not only did participating in these meeting give me a good sense of responsibility within the marketing department, it made me understand more about how brand decisions are made and how every aspect of marketing needs to be taken into consideration to ensure a cohesive brand message.

THE BLOG

‘PERHAPS YOU COULD SAY THE END WAS INEVITABLE’ On December 4th 2014, Mexx was declared bankrupt. My internship, the company and the jobs of over 3,000 employees are brought to an abrupt end. There’s no doubt about it, the company was badly run – as well as being full with secrecy about the official state of the firm. We were hired as interns to cut costs and to work long hours in roles that required experience. Perhaps you could say the end was inevitable. I feel that myself and the other interns were a part of a huge development in the brand; a new direction for the creative marketing. I became part of the new idea generation and it is such a shame that the company couldn’t continue until after my internship, and indeed for a few more years. It would’ve been such a great opportunity to see how the company’s marketing team developed and see whether we, as interns, actually had an impact on the progression of the ever-changing brand that was Mexx. I was a part of a hard working, youthful department full of ambitious employees. Everyone worked hard up until the final day at Mexx and I hope that everyone from all areas of the marketing team walk into something even better. So despite the unexpected end, I I look back with pride and am extremely grateful for my time at Mexx.

BANKRUPT

Throughout my internship I have learnt a lot of things I will be taking forward into final year as good professional practice. From managing and planning social media campaigns I have gained exceptional organisation skills and great time management which will help me keep on top of projects and plan my time efficiently. Working to a brands â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;house styleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has given confidence in working to specific guidelines and practicing great attention to detail. Having to come up with new and exciting content has taught me to be constantly thinking of new ideas and making notes of them as well as being able to team up with people to execute these ideas in the best way possible. Collaborating with graphic designers has given my invaluable contacts for final year and has no only taught me how to work with people on a professional level but also given me faith to solve design problems on my own. Attending meeting has given me practice in sharing and exploring ideas n a professional environment and to always come prepared and be ready to participate this will be beneficial when it comes to working in group projects. Even though my time at Mexx was short, I have learnt more than I ever imagined and am lucky enough to not only have gained important contacts for the future but incredible friends in the process.

REFLECTION

UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD JESSICA WALKER U1262946