Tasty Marketing

08/13/2014 11:38 AM

By Lindsay Anderson

Robert Hack ’15, a marketing major with a social media concentration, spent his summer as a marketing and public relations Intern for Marketing Support, Inc (MSI).

MSI is an integrated marketing communications company located in Chicago, and Hack mainly worked with one of its clients – Big Apple Bagel Corporation, owner of Big Apple Bagels and My Favorite Muffin restaurants and bakeries.

“Every workday was different because I was put in charge of coming up with social media content and overall monitoring of their Facebook and Twitter pages,” Hack said. “I added and reviewed content and responded to followers’ questions and feedback.”

He created content that ranged from discussion about menu items to advertisement highlights. Every post had an end goal geared towards gaining likes and followers but also stayed relevant based on what was trending on Facebook and Twitter.

Hack also initiated social media monitoring reports that tracked social media activity occurring on each page so the client could see how integrated each page would get with all of its followers.

“My big project this summer was working on a fan acquisition campaign that launched in July and lasted that whole month,” Hack said.

The campaign was a promotional game on Facebook that encouraged fans to create bagel sandwiches or muffins. Hack was in charge of the creative elements of the game, which resembled a Mad Lib: There was a drop-down of ingredients that would tell a mini-story about the fan’s creation.  Fans could also officially name their creations.  The contest gained thousands of fans for each of the social media pages.

The fan acquisition campaign was just one of the many highlights Hack encountered during his internship.

“I can honestly say this has been one of the best summers of my life,” Hack said. “I never had any doubts about a marketing career, but I now know that marketing is my passion and exactly what I want to do. I wouldn’t have had this much fun and gained this much experience without my internship.”

Hack also cites how the Foster College of Business helped prepare him for interviewing for and working at this internship.

“The Foster College of Business has taught me so much about professionalism,” Hack said. “In my opinion, Foster College’s courses are vital to anyone’s success in the professional world. I would not have gotten my internship without the skills I’ve learned at the Foster College.”