Ricardo Aguirre ’13 – The Marketing Immersion Program has been an exciting opportunity as we have had ample opportunities to both learn and enjoy ourselves. Our schedule has been filled with great activities that connect us with alums and allow us to talk with very experienced marketing executives. Today, we visited Angie’s List in Indianapolis and were given a presentation by multiple different departments. We also met with alumni JP Patterson ‘08, Curtis Peterson ‘10, Craig Vetor ‘10, and Hugh Vandivier ’91.
During our morning discussion, we had an interactive activity which involved coming up with a quick and short presentation on a product that we were also tasked with laying down a basic “product” description. From there, we decided what type of marketing we wanted to do, the pricing scheme we felt would be appropriate for such a product, and what type of placement we thought the product needed. Four groups of three were formed for the activity, and everyone was able to both receive and give criticism on the presentations.
Following our discussion, the group attended Boulder Creek Restaurant in Brownsburg. This lunch was another experience for us to open up as a group and get to know each other better. All of the planning yesterday, with respect to time, was well done as we permitted for a long lunch and made it to Angie’s List with plenty of time to spare.
The first thing I noticed while at Angie’s List was the relaxed atmosphere. It quickly became apparent that the pressure there was to perform, not necessarily on how to dress. The environment seemed very open and close-knit, as everyone was smiling and dressed casually.
The most exciting part about this opportunity was the fact that every presentation we received was not just open, but new. They spoke to us about the importance of analysis in marketing as well as interpreting that analysis. Their staff worked on marketing through a good mix of both the use of numbers and the application of creativity. One team member described the experience as “the perfect mix of left and right brain.”
Overall, our experience at Angie’s List and during the day describes another day at the Marketing Immersion Program. We have been busy learning and listening to those with more experience than ourselves. It’s only been two days and one night, but the value of this experience, though non-quantifiable, has been to educate us as well as open our eyes to the marketing world and, so far, two different approaches through Cummins and Angie’s List.
