03/05/2019
Working at OGL for a month may seem like a short timeframe and might not be similar to what one might expect of an internship in terms of its duration. Nonetheless, it has been nothing short of fulfilling and has given me various learning experiences on multiple avenues. During my one month here, some opportunities that I had included are: designing marketing campaigns after learning how to utilise marketing campaign tools, writing for the purpose of reaching out to potential consumers, observing meetings, researching for clients and also participating directly in the on-ground publicity campaigns that OGL had organised. Hence, my tasks here can be mainly split into two different parts, the online and ‘on-the-ground’ types of campaigns, which both gave me first-hand opportunities to reach out to others.
At a more macro level, there is value in gaining exposure in a smaller company because of the breadth you get to cover. Being a small company, one would have to be on-task and be prepared to do everything involved, from the ground to the planning processes. Through working at OGL, I managed to gain insights into every nook and cranny that was involved - from the decision-making process to the actualised event. This not only allows one to cover enough ground on the different facets but also encouraged me to try new things and challenge myself by multi-tasking and juggling the different tasks involved.
At a more micro level, my main takeaway from the ‘on-the-ground’ campaigns was the opportunity to communicate with people who were totally unfamiliar and try to establish a connection to engage them. Personally speaking, the prospect of trying to convince someone to purchase or even stop for a moment to listen to you seemed daunting to someone who is unfamiliar with talking to people about a product I knew little about - let alone in Chinese. However, with sufficient knowledge on the product that Henry provided us in the days leading up to my first day, I was able to be more comfortable with educating others about the functions of the product both scientifically and on the more practical aspects. Therefore, I think that the support provided to us formed the basis in which we could reach out to others with effectiveness. On the ground, it was seemingly easier than expected, and not as challenging as I had made it out to be. The guidance from everyone who had experience really made my first day more comforting and less unnerving. Furthermore, everyone’s genuinity and belief in the product’s efficacy made the interactions with customers more human, which is an energy that everyone seemed to mirror each other upon. I gathered intangible exposure in conversing with people regardless of their age and it made me realise that to truly connect with others, one needs empathy and needs to understand what people truly want and need rather than just interacting with them with the purpose of selling them a product. But besides this learning point, I gained so much more in terms of the importance of teamwork and building rapport with the people who work around you and with you.
Besides having experience on the ground, I was given the avenue of also trying how to utilise online marketing campaign methods. Through experience trying out a handful of online digital marketing tools, it required careful consideration of multiple long term and short term factors. Though it took a few days of getting used to, it ultimately allowed me to expand my knowledge on the language used in marketing to effectively communicate with others. Furthermore, through other online means of communicating with others about the various campaigns, it became more apparent on how there was a need to distinguish between offline and online marketing strategies, which required versatility and taught me flexibility when I expressed my ideas and proposals to people who could not see me. Besides this, my time here also saw me observing meetings with clients, which gave me insights into the different levels involved when engaging and working alongside a client.
Ultimately, my takeaway is fulfilling and meaningful, period. It gave me insight into so many different layers and aspects that covered marketing. Furthermore, what struck me the most was how OGL was so different from other companies and how there was that human element at every stage and aspect - from the meetings to even the campaigns. Even the warmth and candid interactions at the office made it easy to settle down and definitely made a difference in terms of being able to work more comfortably together. This was something I didn't really expect when coming here and made me realise how much of a difference it would make if there was that simple injection of the human touch and aspect in communicating with others. Besides honing my interpersonal skills, I do believe that this experience has given me many intangible learning points and application points that are so critical and vital to me wherever I choose to go next.
I am really grateful and thankful to Diana, Henry, Kenneth and May Ling for their guidance for the past few weeks! Wishing OGL the very best :-)
