Intern Experience: Exploring Marketing Tactics in Extramarks

Introduction

I chose to follow my Internship in the Marketing department of Extramarks. Extramarks is India’s reputable Education Technology Company. Out of my ardent desire and knowledge of making a career in Advertising and Marketing, I selected to learn Marketing tactics and understand the concept of Integrated Marketing Communication. With a prior experience of working in a reputable advertising agency and contributing for brands like Dabur Real and Havells, I wanted to understand the nuances of marketing in an internal organisation through this intern experience. Extramarks turned out to be an appropriate example as it has been working on it’s brand elevation and association. This gave me a chance to understand Marketing better and learn the process of Idea generation.

Before my internship began, I had to give an interview where I was asked a few questions and had to write an article on Transforming Education Technologies. After my interview, I was explained the kind of internship I was going to have along with my duties that I had to carry during the course of my tenure there. I had previously done my research on the company’s background and the kind of content they published, which further gave me an idea of the marketing they carried for their brand.

Prior to this I had done an internship with Mullen Lintas which is one of the reputable advertising agencies’ where, I had learnt about Account Planning and Client Servicing. My experience there was so good that I wanted to venture out in the field of advertising and marketing to see what all options could this form of media can offer me.

I have been interested in the advertising and marketing industry for quite a while and wanted to see what the inside industry looks like. The main reasons why I took up my internship with this company were:

• Learning the style of Idea Generation.
• Getting an insight of a Cooperate Organisation.
• Developing Creative Writing Skills.
• Understanding the new changes in the Marketing Industry.
• Observing and researching different subjects

I knew Extramarks was a perfect choice for me to intern as it used my creative skills to the best of the ability and enhanced my idea generation process for the creation of effective ideas. It taught me the basics of marketing and introduced me to evolved techniques of marketing.

Introduction to the Company

Extramarks is India’s leading Education Technology Company with a global footprint in countries like Singapore, Indonesia and South Africa. Extramarks is the brainchild of Mr. Atul Kulshrestha who laid the benchmark of Extramarks in the year 2009. Extramarks provides digital learning solutions for classes K-12th.

These solutions are backed by a team of experienced professionals who make the educational data easy and fun learning. The company started its functioning as a smart board supplier in schools with pre-loaded syllabus for classes 1-12th. Extramarks provides solutions rich in animation and make learning deep and immersive. The company started its app-based functioning 2 years back and is working towards its elevation and expansion. Its marketing has been industry specific making it known to schools and students. But now the company is focussing on expanding its user base and applying new marketing tactics to capture the market in their segmentation. The company has always believed in making education easy and effective. For the same Extramarks maintains the continuity of education from school to home. It is backed by a team of experienced professions who work to make technology user specific and student friendly. The company is also backed by a team of customer support individuals, who work on the generated leads and provide support to existing users. Internally the company offers an employ friendly atmosphere and treat the interns as equally as employs. The seniors promote employ welfare and are friendly and accommodating. The company is a great place to learn, reflect and create. Working here is a learning forever.

Company's Culture, Identity and Mission

The company mission statement is “Making Education Easy and Effective”. Extramarks promotes employ friendly atmosphere and divide responsibilities easily. The seniors are learned and accommodating, they teach and help in effective completion of tasks. The company believes in following values and work ethics for equal and effective treatment to all. Founded in 2009, the company is India’s leading Education technology Company. Extramarks provides digital learning solutions for classes K-12th. The Extramarks Team have educated and experienced persons from the education industry. They have dedicated specialized members in Departments for Content, Graphics and Marketing. They also take in interns in huge numbers to give them the exposure they need and make the most of their ability,

My Tasks, Projects and Activities

During my internship at Woman’s Era, I have worked on several tasks, projects and activities.

• Researching on the topics given
• Researching for upcoming marketing activities
• Writing articles for the website
• Writing content for manual
• Choosing titles for competitions
• Writing blogs
• Writing SEO articles
• Editing articles

Description of My Intern Tasks and Activities 

In the first few weeks of my internship I was been acquainted to the company and its marketing tactics. Then I started to write creative content for marketing collaterals and designing creative strategies and content for lead generation activities. I scripted content for a teaser, that was supposed to be launched on the opening of Edu café. My tasks also included editing and writing SEO articles for the website, that was a major part for the digital marketing campaign. I filled the client briefs for the agencies pitching the company like DDB Mudra and FCB Ulka. I attended the marketing and brain storming sessions for the new campaigns and Integrated Marketing Communication. My major task was working on an important digital marketing campaign and writing creative content for the website. I used to guide and edit the content for other interns.

Their website was updated regularly along with uploading articles on a daily basis. On their Facebook page they would upload quotes, articles and videos which were all created by them. Once the topic was selected, I had to do my research to get accurate facts and figures. I was given a word limit of 500 to 600 words which I had to adhere to and my task was to complete two articles per day. For the articles that I would write, I could also give my suggestions for other articles on the website. I had also been exposed to editing articles where I was supposed to look for grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and make sure that the article was interesting enough to be published online. During my final days, I was also made to write a couple of blogs for a brand which enhanced my writing skills and exposed to me to a new writing style.

Personal Review of Intern Skills and Development

The working areas I developed and improved during my internship are the following:

Writing Skills

This internship has helped me develop and improve these skills in this field. During the course of my internship, I have improved on my writing skills as my aim was to learn the art of content writing which I was successful in. Also, working in this area has helped me understand the type of content that the target audience prefers and how to attract more readers through your writing skills. I was also able to understand the difference between writing styles that are used for blogs.

Researching

This internship has helped me improve and develop my research skills by making me refer different sources for collecting and cross-checking facts. I was expected to keep a track of all the upcoming campaigns and events by the competing brands, which kept me more updated and informed.

The areas I felt I have achieved personal development in the course of my internship at Extramarks:

Online Media

This internship gave me an exposure to the social media journalism as well. I learnt how to attract target audience on the online media and the type of content that should be published online. It was an excellent.

Communication Skills

My internship taught me how to communicate better with my seniors and fellow interns. I had till date just been introduced to the student life where I had to listen to my teachers and interact with other students. The age difference between the seniors and juniors is not very vast during the school and college days but once you start working, you meet people from all walks of life. You are supposed to meet people who have been in the industry for long and also people who are new-comers like you. So this experience has taught me how to communicate with people from every age group.

Intern Experience Summary

I have interned with Extramarks for 34 days and have learnt various aspects of the marketing field. From researching to editing and from content writing to idea generation , I have had a complete exposure in the field of marketing. Since I was given the role of a creative content writer, I was exposed more towards the writing and editing of articles. I had studied about advertising mainly in the 2nd semester which gave me a strong theoretical base and this internship gave me the opportunity to apply that theory and see the practical output.

The internship has given me a huge exposure to the practical side of the industry which I would not have received had I not been involved with the company. I had a little practical experience in college also but the extent of the practice that I had during my internship was exponential. By doing college assignments and activities I had a rough knowledge base on topics but by doing the tasks and activities assigned to me here, I was confident with my skills.

I have also learned a lot from my fellow interns who were doing their internship in various other fields. Every intern had something different to offer and teach. Everyone had different aspirations and aims which gave me more and more exposure to the kind of venues that are open to me. Their experiences at previous internships were also very interesting to hear as I learnt a lot through their experiences and mistakes.

My industry guide was Ms. Megha who was also in-charge of selecting interns and making sure that they were getting assignments. She was also responsible for the social media content. She had excellent editorial skills and would help interns when they needed any assistance. I have learnt a lot of things from her and other members of the company including fellow interns. My overall experience with Extramarks was very fruitful as I got exposed to numerous things over the course of my internship there.

References

1. Extramarks Website, http://www.extramarks.com/
2. Facebook page, http://m.facebook.com/extramarks/