Ashika Barolia, 6 weeks at Cite

We recently gave a warm welcome to Ashika Barolia, our latest intern. She joined the Strategy & Insight team to support a variety of exciting projects. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself/what do you enjoy about marketing ?

Hi! I have many interests such as music, dance and sports. I have had a range of experience within the marketing industry through volunteering and an internship which focused on digital marketing.

I enjoy Marketing as it’s very person-centred, surrounding how individuals think and behave. I particularly enjoy the digital marketing aspect, involving working with social media, conducting market research, and developing strategies. I also love the element of collaborating with exciting brands. In addition to this, I like the creativity that is involved and the process of producing innovative ideas.

What did you study, and why?

I studied Psychology at De Montfort University, because the modules looked really interesting and I knew that I would learn so many different things as the course was so varied. I found the study of the mind very fascinating and psychology is based all around the way that people think and behave.

Why is psychology important in marketing? And why did it get you into marketing originally?

I feel that psychology plays an important role in marketing in terms of gaining a deeper understanding into how consumers think and behave. This provides innovative insights within marketing strategies. When ‘marketing’ something to consumers, it’s so important to have an awareness of individuals’ behaviours to be able to make effective connections.

After completing my degree, I thought that marketing could be a possible career option as it sounded interesting, and after researching into it, I felt that I would enjoy working within the industry. When I saw that marketing was such a person-focussed role, I realised that it relates to my psychology degree so much and the parts I thoroughly enjoyed. After volunteering and honing my skills, I knew this is what I wanted to do.

What have you been working on?

In the past 6 weeks, I have been working on multiple projects with Cite’s clients from the healthcare, technology and retail sectors. I have been observing focus groups and analysing the transcripts to identify key themes for our research into a wider strategy, conducting competitor research for a major re-branding of a technology client and also supporting the social media campaign for another re-branding which involved data research.

What’s your favourite brand, and why?

My favourite brand is Calvin Klein. I love the quality, style and luxury of the brand’s products. Also, I find the element of simplicity and clean design appealing.

What did you learn from the projects you worked on?

I gained in-depth knowledge within different aspects of marketing, such as branding. In addition to this, I learnt how to interpret research and data in innovative ways, understand audiences in more detail, built upon my creativity skills and obtained insights into how marketing can be applied to different industries.

What did you enjoy?

I enjoyed working with the amazing team at Cite and learning from individuals who have innovative minds and in-depth knowledge of marketing. Furthermore, all of the staff were so welcoming and friendly which was really nice. I felt fully supported throughout. I also enjoyed applying marketing practices to different industries and working with some exciting brands such as Sekonda.

Any tips for other interns?

It’s always beneficial to bring your personal ideas into group projects as this can showcase a fresh perspective on things. Be open to exploring the different marketing departments within Cite to gain a wider knowledge into the industry. Also, collaboration is important, working with team members will allow you to enhance your knowledge and increase morale.

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