Marketing graduate Lizzie tells us about her experiences on the Centrica Graduate scheme
Lizzie O'Connell
As a graduate you can’t be expected to know everything, something I originally found very daunting. I now find this one of the most exciting things about the graduate scheme.
I can’t believe what an amazing opportunity I have had over 2 years to learn three different areas of Marketing. I have only been in my current placement 10 weeks, but I have picked up so much and have had the chance to attend so many different things – from workshops on naming our products, to an evening customer research group where you sit behind the glass and listen to our customer’s opinions.
Before starting my first Marketing Placement in the Brand Team I had visions of being part of the brand police. I thought I would be policing the floors, making sure everyone was producing work in line with the brand.
I arrived to a very different story. I began with the team at a time of exciting change – a rebrand.
Before joining the brand team I knew very little about why you would do a rebrand and the different components that make up a brand – it’s not just the font, the logo, the colours and pretty pictures as I had thought, but what the brand says to a customer, how it says it, and the customer experience that goes with that to make a brand a reality.
As part of the rebrand, I am now working on a Brand Ambassador Program to first make Brand Experts of our whole marketing team, and then to inspire and educate selected Brand Ambassadors at every one of our sites. My first task is to organise a series of Brand Training workshops.
And I still get time to learn more at weekends on my horse!
