October 2008
Intern of the Month
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KEN PELASKY
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Marketing Strategy Intern - Victoria's Secret Stores
Four Limited Parkway East, Reynoldsburg, OH
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Major: Marketing
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Minors: Entrepreneurship Management& International Business
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Clubs/Organizations: Orientation Team (Special Populations Coordinator)
Student Senate (Officer of Public Relations), Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity
Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), Order of Omega
Delta Mu Delta, Alpha Lambda Delta
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How did you find out about the internship?
It all started in Professor Mary Miller’s Business Communications course in fall 2007. Each student was required to search for an internship or full-time position for which he or she would be interested in applying. Once the student found an internship or full-time position, he or she had to write a cover letter, resume, and list of references for the internship/job and participate in a mock interview in the Career Development Center to fully simulate the internship/job search process.
After speaking to my mother on the specifics of the project one evening, she recommended that I look into internship opportunities at Limited Brands, the parent company of six specialty retail brands, including Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. I asked her as to why she recommended the company. She responded by saying that Jackie Sheets, one of her good friends and a previous supervisor from Macy’s, was now working in human resources for Victoria’s Secret. It sounded like a great connection, so I researched internship opportunities on the Limited Brands website and discovered that I qualified for the undergraduate internship program.
How long did it take you to secure the internship position?
It took me five months to secure my marketing strategy internship with Victoria’s Secret Stores. I began correspondence with the Victoria’s Secret human resources department on October 16, 2007. After human resources forwarded my information to the marketing department, I participated in the following series of interviews.
January 10, 2008
- Amy Stevenson: Associate Vice President, Customer Marketing
- Amy Nelson: Manager, Customer Marketing
February 8, 2008
- Molly Meek: Director, Marketing
- Dan Clifford: Director, Marketing
March 13, 2008
- Amber Tarshis: Vice President, Marketing
On March 25, 2008, I received my internship offer from Molly Meek, who served as my supervisor during the summer.
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Did the Career Development Center help you in acquiring the internship? Yes, the Career Development Center assisted me in acquiring my internship. During my Victoria’s Secret internship search, I was an intern in the Career Development Center. As a result, I was always asking my supervisors, fellow interns, and career assistants for consultation on my cover letter and resume. I utilized the packets on resume writing and interviewing as well as the mock interview service I mentioned as a part of my Business Communications class. While the Career Development Center did not offer a direct connection with Victoria’s Secret, I was able to take advantage of the tools and services offered to enhance my chances of receiving an offer. |
Describe your responsibilities within your internship.
On-Boarding Meetings
Any new employee of Limited Brands is recommended to schedule “on-boarding” meetings with cross-functional partners to gain insight on the business as well as make a connection that could aid in the completion of a future project. I on-boarded with 36 associates from eleven different departments, including brand and creative services, customer marketing, finance, human resources, marketing, marketing operations, marketing Strategy, merchandising, PINK marketing, public relations, and testing.
Organizational Chart
In my first few days, I drafted an organizational chart encompassing of marketing strategy associates and interns, marketing vice presidents, Victoria’s Secret Stores leadership, and Victoria’s Secret megabrand leadership.
VSX: Victoria’s Secret Sport
I assisted and observed my supervisor, Ms. Meek, as she (1) worked with Resource Interactive, a digital marketing agency, to host an event titled Spy School to elevate and expand the VSX brand, (2) analyzed the survey results from Spy School, and (3) brainstormed with Resource Interactive and other Victoria’s Secret Stores associates on how to expand the team trainer program for VSX.
Summer Swim Celebration To celebrate the success of the store introduction of swimwear, I worked with the internal communications, events/planning, and merchandising departments to plan a Summer Swim Celebration for home office associates. My supervisor, Ms. Meek, allowed me to coordinate marketing elements for the event, inclusive of easels, raffle signage and envelopes, and directional signage.
Marketing Strategy Presentation Template When writing my large research projects in Microsoft Power Point, Ms. Meek noticed the design that I had made from scratch. She recommended that I show it to Mrs. Tarshis, Vice President of Marketing. After about ten minutes of making small changes to line sizes and photograph locations, Mrs. Tarshis and I aligned on a final design that we both liked. In fact, she liked it so much that she then recommended to the marketing strategy team to use the template for other presentations. Holiday In an effort to assist the customer marketing department, I wrote a holiday gift selection guide that listed merchandise by mailer dates, merchandise in-store dates, and price. The customer relations marketing department then used this guide to determine which gifting items they would highlight in their eight different holiday mailers. |
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“Green” and Victoria’s Secret
While working with Amy Kovitz, an MBA intern from New York University, she and I co-directed a “green” strategy for Victoria’s Secret inclusive of competitive patterning, market evaluation and top-line recommendations in terms of investment, brand-right initiatives, and potential launch timing.
Social Networking and Victoria’s Secret
During the second half of my internship, I managed a social networking initiative in terms of understanding its value and power as part of the marketing mix. In my presentation to senior management upon the summation of my internship, I covered key terms, digital marketing trends, global market growth, implications from age and gender gaps, strategic patterning of competitors, and communication and intimacy connections and insights. My presentation concluded with a recommended launch strategy based on the six Cs of social influence marketing: content, community, conversation, customization, commitment, and commerce.
List three to five highlights from your internship.
- Meeting Leslie H. Wexner, the Chairman and CEO of Limited Brands, in person during my first week
- Working with and presenting to talented, driven, and professional senior management
- Ownership of large cross-functional projects
- Establishing a rapport with my compassionate supervisor and the rest of the marketing strategy team
- Getting recognized by others and getting to know others in the business, both on a first-name basis
What is one aspect of your internship that you would have wanted to change?
I would have liked to travel to New York City to meet other Limited Brands and Victoria’s Secret associates working in the New York City offices and stores.
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Did your internship confirm your anticipated career choice or path? Yes, I have a healthy interest in marketing strategy, especially when applied to specialty retail. I am currently seeking a full-time position with Victoria’s Secret upon graduation. However, if there are no opportunities at this time, I plan on working for another retail brand (i.e. Abercrombie & Fitch, Express) or a marketing agency (i.e. Resource Interactive) as well as obtaining my MBA. Then, I will try to return to Victoria’s Secret, seeing that my acquired experiences will qualify me for opportunities.
Now that you have completed an internship, what advice would you give students about internships? Go big! Undergraduate students sometimes sacrifice a big internship for ease of application and proximity to the local and/or home community. Do not fall into that trap! Your undergraduate years are when you should try for a big internship and really build your resume! You never know if you are qualified until you try. Go Corporate! Internships at nearby locations are great ways to be exposed to new opportunities, but if you really want to learn about a particular business and/or industry, apply for a corporate internship. You will get to work with those whom make the decisions about the nearby locations. You will gain a holistic view of the business and how your department fits into the grand scheme of the business. |
Take risks!
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would obtain an internship at Victoria’s Secret home offices, but I did. Why? Because I took a risk! Yes, I could have told myself that there would have been many other applicants trying for the same position, but I went for it anyway!
Work hard! Then, work harder!
An internship is not only a chance to learn, but also to perform! Discovering secrets of a business and/or industry is the name of the game, but your supervisors and cross-functional partners also expect results. So, work hard on your duties/responsibilities/projects. Then, push yourself even harder to do the best job possible. After all, you only have one chance to impress them!
Engage in networking!
In my case, I knew networking was important before I even started my internship, thanks to my mother for her connection with an associate in Victoria’s Secret human resources. I also quickly realized how many connections my supervisors and cross-functional partners have. Several members of the marketing strategy team had come from careers at American Greetings, Levi Strauss & Co., M&M/Mars, Resource Interactive, Revlon, Sara Lee, SC Johnson, and Warner Bros. Having a strong rapport with my team members has and will continue to be a tremendous advantage, as I will continue to connect with other business leaders with their help.
Speaking of networking, below is a quote that was given to me from an associate in human resources during an orientation meeting. In my internship, I discovered that it is indeed the truth.
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