Marketing Industrial Placement Student Review

I was the lead marketing contact for the accommodation sector in Unilever Food Solutions Away from Home UK. This involved mostly digital marketing (website creation, paid media campaigns, email campaigns) but also creating customer-facing resources for our sales teams. I work regularly with senior stakeholders, both internally and externally, and am responsible for the entire marketing strategy of the sector. I also assisted my manager on some projects within her sector (pubs and restaurants).

I was given significant responsibility as the lead marketing contact for my sector. I was treated like a normal member of the team - often colleagues would forget I was on a placement!

Skills developed:
Project management, digital strategy, web design, social media advertising, content marketing, stakeholder management, budget management, data analysis, content creation, commercial awareness.

My line manager provided me with excellent support - our weekly 1:1s offered not only an opportunity to check-in on my projects and progress, but also how I was developing as an individual and how I wanted to shape my career. I also had a supportive network of peers through the Unilever Early Careers community, which often organised events and insight days.

Though there was a lot of turbulence in the company due to recent announcements about staffing and the separation of the ice cream business, the culture was still positive and welcoming. I felt safe to grow as a young professional and was able to network with colleagues of all work levels.

I significantly enjoyed my placement. It was a realistic, action-packed introduction to the corporate world and marketing which I could not have received merely through an insight week or summer internship. I really appreciated the level of responsibility I was given.

Yes