You work in the Marketing & Communications department. Tell us a bit about your tasks there...
I'm primarily responsible for media partnerships in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, relating to the operational marketing of all Viacom brands (MTV, VIVA, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central). In so-called barter partnerships, two media companies exchange media services on both sides. These media services usually consist of online, TV or print advertising space or media volumes.
This includes regular controlling of the agreed budgets and planning of individual campaigns for the partners. One major project I managed was to negotiate new contracts for 2018 between Viacom and all barter partners. In addition to the budget, media volume and legal aspects, this involves analyzing which target groups fit and with what weighting on individual platforms/media.
In addition, I was actively involved in media planning for individual Viacom campaigns with the expertise of barter management. I was in close contact with our media agency, which worked with us to create the media plans.
What content from your studies were you able to put into practice there in the area of media management? Which aspects of what you learned helped you the most?
The basic marketing topics such as target group analysis, understanding KPIs, product placement or image building were helpful. However, the general understanding of the structure of the media landscape was also very significant. Since I was primarily dealing with media cooperations, it helped me a lot that we learned in the module "Media Management and Print Media Business" what value certain media services have and how it is possible to use them with a positive effect on one's own marketing activities, also in the form of cooperations.
How did you find out about the internship? What in particular did you find appealing about the company and the tasks?
I have been familiar with Viacom's individual brands since my early youth. "Pimp my Ride" (MTV) and Co were at the top of the channel list for my friends and me. It was very appealing to me to get to know Viacom as an international group with many locations around the world. As an entry into professional life, I see it as a great opportunity to get to know such a major corporation from the inside, and thus to get a general overview of the global media landscape.
The topics of cooperation and media planning particularly appealed to me. Even at Media University, I had a certain affinity for understanding target groups and selecting suitable media on the basis of that. Viacom has different brands and therefore different target groups. It's very exciting to put yourself in the shoes of different target groups again and again. I was able to manifest this knowledge in the last few months at Viacom.
Do you think the practical experience you have gained will also contribute to your upcoming bachelor's thesis?
Yes, especially that media companies can find common ground in terms of marketing cooperation and that this creates a certain win-win situation for both sides. In my bachelor's thesis, I would like to explore the topic of brand cooperations in greater depth. Certain insights from my internship will then certainly be very useful in my bachelor's thesis.