HOW TO ACE
A MARKETING INTERVIEW
WHO IS THIS GUY?
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I hope he doesn’t waste half of my day!
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Do I have to listen to a boring lecture?
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Golf Analogy
School Disclaimer
Respect for Intellectual Property Rights
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Professional background
Olin History
Note-taking
Thank you!
MARKETING ROLES
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Brand Management
Product Management
Pricing
Marketing Research/Consumer Insights
Business Development
Sales
Advertising/Communication
Shopper insights
Customer Business Development
KRAFT MARKETING COMPETENCIES
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Problem solving
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Interpersonal Savvy
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Blends into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in her/her teams; shares wins
and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work;
defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
Idea Leadership
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Relates well to people up, down and sideways, inside and outside the organization; build
appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact;
can diffuse even high tension situations comfortably.
Building effective teams
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Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all
fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks
beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answer.
Establishes and communicates a strategic direction; creates an environment that encourages
and reinforces breakthrough thinking; generates ideas that will take advantage of emerging
opportunities; moves ideas forward.
Learning
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Embraces continuous learning and renewal; has an affinity for discovering new ideas,
experimenting to learn and acquiring knowledge.
ADDITIONAL COMPETENCIES
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High Business IQ
Analytical Skills
Strong Marketing Intuition
Passion for marketing (consumer or generally what you do)
STANDARD MARKETING INTERVIEW
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Small talk
Outline of Interview
Behavioral/Experiential/Open-ended questions
Marketing mini-case questions
Next Steps
Opportunity for interviewee to ask questions
INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
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Behavioral
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Past behaviors are predictive of success
 Analytical Thinking, Creative Problem Solving, Leadership, Team
Playing, Strategic Thinking, Communication, Persuasive Selling,
Adaptability, Critical Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, etc.
 Tell me about your biggest failure as a leader?
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Follow-up -- Why did you fail? What did you learn from it?
How could you have prevented it? When did it happen? Why
do you consider it to be a big failure?
Give me an example from your professional experience of a
time when you demonstrated that you are a great team
player?
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Follow-up – What was your role on the team? What would you
have done if you had been leading the project?
INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
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Behavioral
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Past behaviors are predictive of success
Experiential
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Understanding the extent, significance and relevance of a
candidate’s experience
 I see on your resume you achieved “x,” can you tell me about
that?
 What was your most significant accomplishment at “x?”
 What kind of analysis did you have to use to complete the “x”
project?
INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
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Behavioral
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Experiential
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Past behaviors are predictive of success
Understanding the extent, significance and relevance of a
candidate’s experience
Open-ended
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How does a candidate think/What does a candidate think is
important
 What questions can I answer for you?
 Tell me about yourself?
 Walk me through your resume.
INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
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Behavioral
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Experiential
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Understanding the extent, significance and relevance of a
candidate’s experience
Open-ended
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Past behaviors are predictive of success
How does a candidate think/What does a candidate think is
important
Mini-case
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How well does a candidate understand marketing
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What new CPG product that’s launched in the past 3 years has most
impressed you? What consumer insight do you think led to it’s
introduction? What are some of the success and failures of this effort?
ACING BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
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Use the S*T*A*R model
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Situation/Task -- 25%
Action -- 65%
Result -- 10%
SAMPLE - BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
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Four volunteers
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Process for answering questions
SAMPLE - BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
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First volunteer - What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve
overcome to achieve success?
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Use the S*T*A*R model
 Situation/Task -- 25%
 Action -- 65%
 Result -- 10%
BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
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What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome to achieve
success?
Second volunteer - Describe a professional or academic
experience where persuasive and critical thinking skills
were important to a positive outcome.
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Use the S*T*A*R model
 Situation/Task -- 25%
 Action -- 65%
 Result -- 10%
BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
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Third Volunteer - Tell me what you think is your greatest
leadership accomplishment?
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Use the S*T*A*R model
 Situation/Task -- 25%
 Action -- 65%
 Result -- 10%
BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
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Fourth Volunteer - Tell me what you think is your greatest
leadership accomplishment?
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Use the S*T*A*R model
 Situation/Task -- 25%
 Action -- 65%
 Result -- 10%
ACING LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS
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Understand what leadership is/isn’t
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Manager vs. Leader
Problem solver?
ACING LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS
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Understand what leadership is/isn’t
Know the critical skills
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Visionary/Strategic Thinker
 Sees a strategic goal and creates a path
Initiator
 Recognizes opportunities before things are a problem
Motivator
 Gains buy-in from team members
Team Builder
 Identifies the needs of a team
 Matches roles/assignments with the skills of its members
 Empowers each member to influence the outcome
Producer (Delivers Results)
 Delivers positive outcomes
ACING LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS
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Understand what leadership is/isn’t
Know the critical skills
Share your understanding while framing the answer
Have multiple examples with complementary skills
ACING LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS
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First and second volunteers (reprieve) -Tell me what you
think is your greatest leadership accomplishment?
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Leadership Checklist
 Vision
 Proactive
 Motivator
 Team
Builder
 Results Driven
EXPERIENTIAL QUESTIONS
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Know your resume
Know what skills/experiences a company is seeking
Understand how your experience is relevant
Emphasize your ability to create value or positively change
expectations for a role
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
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Come prepared with questions
Know what you want to share about yourself
Make sure you are abreast of current issues
Do your homework
Expect the unexpected
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Evolution of the Marketing Interview
1st year vs. 2nd year interviews
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Basics – what you’ll learn in most prep classes
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4 P’s
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Product, Price, Placement, Promotion, Packaging
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Basics – what you’ll learn in most prep classes
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4 P’s
3 C’s
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Customer, Competition, Corporation
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Basics – what you’ll learn in most prep classes
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4 P’s
3 C’s
SWOT Analysis
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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Basics – what you’ll learn in most prep classes
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4 P’s
3 C’s
SWOT Analysis
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Segment the market
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All categories reflect customers who have different needs and wants
Segmenting/Sizing/Targeting
Expensive
Traditional
Exotic
Inexpensive
Category – Restaurants
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Basics – what you’ll learn in most prep classes
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4 P’s
3 C’s
SWOT Analysis
Segmenting
Sizing
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Size the market
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Every market segment has a uniquely sized consumer base
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Basics – what you’ll learn in most prep classes
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4 P’s
3 C’s
SWOT Analysis
Segmenting
Sizing
Targeting
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Every brand should focus on a defined audience (or set of audiences)
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Basics – what you’ll learn in most prep classes
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4 P’s
3 C’s
SWOT Analysis
Segmenting
Sizing
Targeting
Positioning
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A brand must speak to its core customers in a compelling and persuasive manner
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Beyond the Basics
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Listen, clarify and state assumptions
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Beyond the Basics
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Listen, clarify and state assumptions
Focus on Consumer Insights
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Marketing is in large part knowing who your consumer is and understanding
what their needs and wants are.
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Beyond the Basics
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Listen, clarify and state assumptions
Focus on Consumer Insights
Focus on key issues, prioritize when possible
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Use your frameworks to help guide your analysis and ultimately your answer but
don’t let the frameworks become a crutch.
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Beyond the Basics
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Listen, clarify and state assumptions
Focus on Consumer Insights
Focus on key issues, prioritize when possible
Remember you’re running a business
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A company has to be profitable to survive and a successful marketer must be
understanding of all functional disciplines to be effective.
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Beyond the Basics
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Listen, clarify and state assumptions
Focus on Consumer Insights
Focus on key issues, prioritize when possible
Remember you’re running a business
Integrate your campaigns using all forms of media
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Communicating with the consumer is more than just television and traditional
print. It includes packaging, electronic media (internet, social media, you-tube),
word of mouth, displays, shelf talkers, PR, etc.
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
Flexibility
Navigating Tough Waters
The Holy Grail
Grab Your Life Jacket
The Basics
Navigating Tough Waters
Complexity
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Tales of Torture (a la Baskin Robins)
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26 ways to effectively hang yourself
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Tales of Torture (a la Baskin Robins)
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The Gang Plank
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Data Analysis
Development of a marketing plan/strategy
Consumer insights
Competitive pricing
Brand extension/rationalization/New Product launch
Market sizing
Supply chain/channel/salesforce challenges/changes/conflicts
Competitive entry
Private label
Industry trends, challenges, future
Understanding marketing levers, when to use and how to use
Describe a well marketed/advertised brand
Selling yourself/something
Profitability analysis
Creativity/unique ideas
Budget allocation and defense
Compare and contrast two brands/businesses
Declining category, share, revenues, profitabilty
Advertising/promotion analysis
Brand analysis/acquisition/integration
International expansion
Marketing to multiple customer segments
Crisis response
Profit drivers
Economic factors
Inter-relationships of the marketing mix
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Tales of Torture
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The Basics
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Consumer insights
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Advertising/promotion analysis
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You are brand manager on “x” and you are losing share. What might be happening? What
do you do?
Selling yourself/something
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If you were running Heinz ketchup, how would you defend against private label?
Declining category, share, revenues, profitability
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Tell me about a current advertising campaign that you believe has been extremely
successful. Why was/is it successful?
Private label
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Tell me about a new product launch that has invigorated or changed the rules of a category.
What do you think was the consumer insight that led to the development and ultimate
success of that product?
You are a box of cereal. How would you market yourself towards me?
Industry trends, challenges, future
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What are the three most critical issues facing the consumer products industry today and
what would you do to address these issues if you were CEO?
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Tales of Torture
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Navigating Tough Waters
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Development of a marketing plan/strategy
 You have $15,000 to market The National MBA Source brand, put together an
effective marketing plan.
Describe a well marketed/advertised brand
 Name a non-P&G, non-Kraft consumer product brand that is not being targeted
towards you and has superior marketing
Competitive entry – defensive maneuvers
 You’re the brand manager of a local brand of potato chips with a top selling lowfat brand. Frito-Lay comes out with a highly publicized no-fat chip. What do you
do?
Compare and contrast two brands/businesses
 An owner of a convenience store and an owner of a movie theatre were
discussing their businesses. What similarities between their two businesses
could they identify?
Brand extension/rationalization/new product launch
 Our brand currently has 8 sku’s and management has asked us to consider
rationalizing the sku’s. What are the key factors you are going to consider in
rationalizing the line?
Market sizing
 You have produced a new product that is a cure for nearsightedness. Help us to
determine the market potential, the opportunities for pricing? Volume?
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Tales of Torture
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Grab your Life Jacket
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Inter-relationships of the marketing mix
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Supply chain/channel/salesforce challenges/changes/conflicts
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If you could change Pringles from a warehouse snack to a DSD snack, but
you would have to take $7.5 million out of advertising/promotion in order to
do so, would you do it? Why/why not? What would happen to your top line?
What would happen to your bottom line? How would your job change?
Marketing to multiple customer segments
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You’re the brand manager for a cereal or shampoo (pick one), describe a
new product you would introduce to drive category growth and how would
you apply the marketing mix to this new product launch.
You are Sony. Your positioning has allowed you to capture the majority of
the early adopters of a new product. How do you move into mass market
while keeping the core customers happy?
Creativity/Unique Ideas
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Tell me about a product that you have in your refrigerator right now. Now,
tell me what NEW product you would introduce to directly compete with
that. Remember that it must be a NEW product.
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Tales of Torture
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The Holy Grail!
Today’s Date = October 1, 2013
Brand “X”
Y-T-D Sales
7,600,000 cases
Budgeted Sales
10,000,000 cases
Case Price
Normal Trade Allowance
Net Price on Deal =
$10.00/cs
$2.00/cs
$8.00/cs
Presented Deal
Wegman’s Key Account Manager
Potential 200,000 cases
Proposed $2.50 Trade Allowance
November 1, ship date
What do you do?
Forecasted Sales
10,200,000 cases
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Four Volunteers – ideally two first year and two second year students
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Advertising Critique
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Advertising Analysis
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Does the ad draw the consumer’s attention ?
Is the brand recognizable?
Who is the ad targeting (purchaser/influencer/consumer)?
Does it convey a compelling point of difference (rational or emotional) to the
target?
Does it motivate the consumer to action?
Does it offer a positive return on investment?
MARKETING MINI-CASE
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If you were running Heinz ketchup, how would you defend against private
label?
MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Heinz Ketchup – Ideal Response
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Use consumer insights to drive further innovation
Leverage existing equity/emotional connections
Offer differentiated products – sizes, flavors, delivery forms, etc.
Continue to invest
MARKETING MINI-CASE
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No-Fat Potato Chip
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You’re the brand manager of a local brand of potato chips with a top selling lowfat brand. Frito-Lay comes out with a highly publicized no-fat chip. What do you
do?
MARKETING MINI-CASE
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No-Fat Potato Chip – IDEAL RESPONSE
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Ascertain critical information about the competitive launch?
Consumer Insight - Does this product speak to “my” consumer?
 I would assume yes.
Product implications -- Do I need to consider a no-fat product? If so, what are my
business/GM challenges (feasibility, timing, operational, financial, profit, marketing,
sales, etc.)?
SWOT analysis – competitor/us?
Short-term competitive measures
 Leverage the local heritage with a highly integrated campaign (promotion)
 Reinforce the regional taste preferences? (product)
 Ramp-up local distribution initiatives (placement)
 “Pantryload” my customers with BOGO’s, couponing, etc. (pricing)
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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When I’m not conducting workshops, I run a
luxury bed and breakfast in Oconomowoc, WI
with my wife. How would you create a fully
integrated marketing plan/campaign for our
bed and breakfast?
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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Bed and Breakfast - IDEAL RESPONSE
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Assumptions: Limited marketing budget, maximize occupancy, healthy margins, no seasonality,
not a tourist destination
Market intelligence (location, competitive options, local economy, number of rooms, amenities,
pricing, etc.)
Consumer insight – what do consumers want/need in a luxury B&B
Target market considerations – Unique Challenge - two distinct consumer segments - the
weekend customer (local resident or visitor and vacationer) and the weekday customer
(business traveler and retiree)
Positioning - develop a clear/cohesive/compelling message that differentiates the B&B
Pricing – demand based pricing balancing amenities/pricing with area substitutes
Promotion/Advertising –
 TRADITIONAL - develop professional signage, brochures and flyers; build partnerships with
local restaurants, shops and business/service organizations; make targeted donations to
local charities; develop corporate accounts; and explore all plausible PR options
 CONTEMPORARY - build a strong online presence with an SEO optimized website; create a
facebook, yelp and trip-advisor pages; create a mobile site; join/buy into high profile bed
and breakfast associations and strategic travel sites; use twitter, targeted emails and the
website to call attention to special promotions/happenings/communications; and consider
using youtube and pinterest
Additional Options – Online survey, Customer page, bookmark offer future discount
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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The Holy Grail!
Today’s Date = October 1, 2013
Brand “X”
Y-T-D Sales
7,600,000 cases
Budgeted Sales
10,000,000 cases
Case Price
Normal Trade Allowance
Net Price on Deal =
$10.00/cs
$2.00/cs
$8.00/cs
Presented Deal
Wegman’s Key Account Manager
Potential 200,000 cases
Proposed $2.50 Trade Allowance
November 1, ship date
What do you do?
Forecasted Sales
10,200,000 cases
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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For future consideration:
 The
consumer packaged goods industry like most
industries is consolidating yet Kraft recently split
into two companies – Kraft Grocery and Mondelez
International. Why do you think they did it? Do you
think it will be successful or a failure. Defend your
answer?
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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For future consideration:
 You’re
Vice-President of Palm Pilot and you’ve been
asked to revitalize the brand. What would you do?
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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For future consideration:
 If
you were CEO of Apple computer, what would you
do to sustain Apple?
THE MARKETING MINI-CASE
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For future consideration:
 If
you were General Motors and you had to market
to both baby boomers and millienials what would
be your marketing plan and what would be the
general management implications?
FIVE BRANDING QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND
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What makes a brand successful?
What is the ultimate value of branding?
What are some of the best examples of successful branding (CPG and
non CPG)?
What is the difference between brand management and product
management?
How does price factor into the branding equation?
SIX BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS TO EXPECT
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Tell me about yourself?
Walk me through your resume?
Why are you interested in “x” (brand management, product
management, pricing, digital marketing, etc.)?
Why do you think you’ll be successful in “x” (brand management, product
management, pricing, digital marketing, etc.)?
Why are you interested in working for “x” (Heinz, HP, Amazon, etc.)?
What questions can I answer for you?
BE PREPARED WITH GREAT QUESTIONS
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Questions reflect on how you think
Questions - to ask
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Questions that demonstrate an understanding of the company,
industry, trends, etc.
Questions that offer insight into the culture and what personal
factors drive success
Professional development and mentorship opportunities
Corporate growth initiatives
Questions that seek to understand responsibility and decisionmaking authority at various levels
Risk tolerance
Cross functional opportunities
Feedback
BE PREPARED WITH GREAT QUESTIONS
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Questions reflect on how you think
Questions - to ask
Questions - not to ask
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Who will be my manager?
Do I get to choose which brand I work on?
Will I get to choose the type of projects I work on?
Can I work for “X”?
HAND-OUTS
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Workshop survey
Sample marketing questions
Resume calculator
Digital copy of this presentation
CONCLUSION
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Be prepared for any format
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Practice can significantly improve your success
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Use a micro-recorder, mock interviews, peer interviews, marketing
club, etc.
Use each interview as a learning opportunity
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Every interview and every interviewer is different
About yourself, marketing and interviewing
Get Feedback
NEED ADDITIONAL HELP

Contact me directly – in most cases my services are free
CONTACT INFORMATION
Randy Bangs
MBA Career Consultant
Market Equity, Inc.
329 Pleasant Street
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-639-5500 c
[email protected]
www.MBACareerConsultants.com