Position:                    Marketing Intern

Reporting to:             Marketing Manager

Division:                     Luxury Cosmetics Brand Division

Employee Type:         Fixed Term – 6 months

Location:                   Cape Town

 PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The core purpose of the Marketing Intern is to work together with the Marketing Manager to develop the brand in South Africa through optimum use of the A&P investment tools, adaptation of international strategy and ensuring a 360̊ approach to all local marketing strategies, ultimately growing market share and brand image in South Africa.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Business Performance

Provide Support to Brand Strategy and Development 

• Be a custodian of the brand image in South Africa, maintaining brand equity and integrity at all times
• Assist the Marketing Manager to adapt global strategies to suit the local market and to meet the retailer’s expectations while fully adhering to all international brand rules and guidelines
• Assist the Marketing Manager to develop and present brand strategy to retailers at seasonal strategy sessions
• Liaise with senior marketing and other managers to understand marketing goals
• Present marketing and branding ideas to senior managers
• Ensure compliance with relevant legal requirements

Sales Performance

• Regularly review business performance to ascertain challenges and opportunities
• Assist in the management of inventory to ensure brand stock levels in house meet both the brand and organisational requirements
• Report on brand performance monthly as required (including but not limited to sales, retailers performance, SKU performance, PR, new launches)
• Assist in the management of new launches including stock tracking with demand planning, receipt of retailer orders vs plan, stock distribution (together with POSM) from the warehouse, communication with the sales team, proactive adaptations to plans to maximise launch potential and follow up and reporting following launch period
• Engage in research to gain relevant information including but not limited to competitors, pricing and target markets

Stakeholder engagement and management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders to ensure full support of the brand in the market
• Work with stakeholders to gain maximum exposure for the brand
• Co-ordinate and implement PR activity including distribution of new launches and tracking and reporting on local media and digital coverage

Budget and financial responsibilities

• Allocate resources and work with others to ensure specified budgets and ROI requirements are observed

Marketing/Brand Support Functions

• Systematically develop processes that provide relevant information and support to the Brand Manager, including but not limited to:
  • Inventory review and reporting
  • Monthly brand reporting
  • Retailer sales performance and stock reporting
  • Administrate the process flow of all new products both internally and externally to ensure products are loaded correct and timeous
  • Timeous accurate completion and submission of all retailer buy plans/master files and seasonal marketing/online booking calendars and forms
  • Timeous and accurate management of price increases as required
  • Ensure all documents are accessible at all times
  • Deliver within set deadlines
  • Provide optimum service levels to all stakeholders internally and externally
• Manage customer and consumer queries professionally to achieve a positive outcome
• Assist with project-based assignments set out by the Marketing Manager to gain knowledge and practical experience in development-focused tasks
• Track competitor activity monthly and gain learnings from analysis
• Spend time in-store to obtain trade experience/knowledge and gain customer insights

COMPETENCIES

• Taking decisions and initiating action, taking responsibility for these
• Working with people
• Writing, reporting and communication
• Persuading and influencing
• Planning and organising
• Delivering results & meeting customer expectations
• Adapting and responding to change
• Coping with pressures and setbacks
• Analysing
• Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking

SKILLS

• Understanding of brand management and marketing concepts
• Ability to manage both strategic and operational requirements
• High attention to detail
• Proactive, adaptable and flexible
• Organised with ability to multi-task, ensuring deadlines are prioritized and met
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with internal/external partners
• Strong communication and reporting skills
• Business acumen
• Results driven

MINDSET

• Energetic team player with the ability to positively impact the internal Shiseido team
• Proactive self-motivated attitude that delivers results and works towards excellence
• Compliant with all policies, procedures, ethics & values in the business

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Business/Marketing degree would be advantageous
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (including word processors, spreadsheets, design applications and presentation programmes)
• Cosmetic industry experience in the luxury sector is advantageous

Location             : Cape Town

Reporting to      : Marketing Manager

Purpose of the Role

To develop the brand in South Africa through optimum use of the A&P investment tools; ensuring a 360̊ approach to all marketing strategies, ultimately growing market share and brand image in South Africa.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Business Performance

• Develop, communicate and share the marketing vision within the organization to ensure the strategy is executed impeccably and timeously in the market
• Be a custodian of the brand image in SA and must maintain brand equity and brand integrity at all times
• Formulation of brand strategy and long-term growth plans
• Analysis of brand strategy and performance and effect changes as needed
• Using historical performance, accurately set and achieve annual wholesale budgets for the brands and formulate plans to alleviate any sales deficits.
• Effectively set global sell out targets for the brands with the sales team
• Effective adaption of global strategies to suit the SA market and to meet the retailer’s expectations
• Effective and regular business reviews to ascertain challenges and opportunities
• Monitoring of retail prices in the market to ensure the brand remains competitive, while at the same time monitoring brand ex works and forex trends and formulating strategies to manage pricing effectively
• Distribution management and review to ensure that the brand follows international guidelines and strategy, at the same time ensuring that doors deliver ROI by reaching minimum turnover levels
• Inventory management to ensure brand stock levels in house meet both the brand and organisational requirements, including accurate promotional forecasting
• Brand reporting

Stakeholder engagement and management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders to ensure full support of the brand in the market
• Work with all stakeholders to gain maximum exposure for the brand
• Co-ordination and implementation of PR activity 

Budget and Financial Management

• Management of marketing budget
• Management and analysis of A&P spend to ensure effective usage thereof and ensuring a ROI and brand profitability                                    
• Ensuring achievement of wholesale budgets across all retailers

COMPETENCIES

• Deciding and Initiating Action
• Working with People
• Writing and Reporting
• Persuading and Influencing
• Planning and Organising
• Delivering Results & Meeting Customer Expectations
• Adapting and responding to change
• Coping with pressures and setbacks
• Analysing
• Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking

SKILLS

• Strong understanding of Brand management & Marketing concepts
• Willing and able to work on both strategy and operational subjects
• Attention to detail
• Proactivity, adaptability & flexibility
• Multitasking
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Negotiation skills
• Communication skills
• Business acumen 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS

Business/Marketing degree

5 years relevant experience in the cosmetics industry