Virtual toasts and social media posts: 澳门六合彩官网直播 advertising students tap into digital marketing internships with Bottles Nation

Michael and Blagica Bottigliero are pictured
鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to use social media in your daily life. It鈥檚 a whole other ballgame when social media drives the success or failure of your business,鈥 says Haworth College of Business alumna Blagica Bottigliero (pictured right, with Michael Bottigliero). 

As cofounder and head of marketing for , a company founded on offering in-person, customizable tasting events with top sommeliers, cicerones and mixologists, she is no stranger to the impacts of an effective digital and social media marketing strategy. 

But as the pandemic took hold, the company pivoted toward a new business model鈥攐ne that focused exclusively on offering online tasting events. The new plan: Deliver libations to clients right in their own homes, so they can experience the joy of great wine, beer and spirits with top experts virtually. 

As their business strategy evolved, a shift in digital and social media marketing efforts became essential. Bottigliero wanted to bring talented individuals on board who could help set the tone and voice for digital conversations. She recalled her time as a student in Western鈥檚 advertising program and came up with a solution. By offering internships to 澳门六合彩官网直播 students, she could build professional relationships that would benefit both her company and her alma mater.

鈥淚 always felt that my time at 澳门六合彩官网直播 Haworth prepared me for my career in more ways than I could imagine,鈥 Bottigliero says. 鈥淚 had a solid business foundation along with valuable internship experience to start me on my career path. I鈥檓 a big believer in being a practitioner of learning. There鈥檚 only so much a student can learn from a book or case study. Applying those lessons to a hands-on internship is huge.鈥

Bottigliero reached out to Dr. Karen Lancendorfer, director of the advertising and promotion program, about the opportunity and was soon connected with three students who matched the criteria for the positions. Ellie Heinz, Lauren Kison and Abby Macchiarolo soon joined Bottles Nation as interns, crafting digital strategies but discovering ed so much more from the experience鈥攊ncluding what it was like to work creatively and as part of a team, to having the guidance of a mentor. Here, the students鈥攚ho all graduated in spring鈥攕peak about their individual experiences.

Ellie Heinz, Social Media and Marketing Intern

Pictured is Ellie Heinz
Responsibilities: 鈥淚n this role, I collected and analyzed week-to-week social media metrics, developed content for tweets and other posts, and scheduled regular posts through Hootsuite.鈥

Most memorable project: 鈥淒uring the middle of the internship, we were tasked with revamping Bottles Nation鈥檚 website. My team asked me to take the lead since I learned how to create and optimize a website in a digital marketing class offered at 澳门六合彩官网直播 Haworth. Applying my skills, as well as my knowledge of the organization鈥檚 brand persona and key performance indicators (KPIs), I was able to create a mock website layout with specific page format recommendations and calls to action. The project was incredibly fun, and our manager was so impressed with what we presented. It taught me that before you present recommendations to a client, you have to dig deeper鈥攕howing the brand鈥檚 persona through an engaging story that connects with target audiences.鈥

Biggest takeaway: 鈥淚 currently work as an associate, digital activation, on the National Army account at OMD, specializing in programmatic advertising. Bottles Nation taught me how to make optimization recommendations backed by performance metrics to meet KPI benchmarks鈥攕kills that I use daily in my current role. On top of the technical skills, working with such talented individuals taught me just how important teamwork is.鈥

Lauren Kison, Creative Intern

Pictured is Lauren Kison
Responsibilities: 鈥淚 worked on the Bottles Nation Instagram page, crafting posts each week that aligned with a content strategy that we created. Additionally, I researched hashtags, YouTube and TikTok videos, influencers, wine clubs and more to see how these resources could help leverage the Bottles Nation brand.鈥

Most memorable project: 鈥淎t the beginning of the internship, we took on the task of developing brand guidelines for Bottles Nation. We developed a visual identity and voice to guide the company鈥檚 online presence. This resulted in a cohesive look and tone for the website, social media and other marketing materials. We had total control over the project, and Blagica loved the outcome!鈥

Biggest takeaway: 鈥淲orking with Blagica Bottigliero was a great experience. She was clear with what she wanted the internship to be, and since she has been in our shoes before, she was understanding about our school schedules and availability. It was amazing to see how her success helped with our own success! At the end of the internship, I let Blagica know I had really enjoyed working with Bottles Nation and would love the opportunity to continue working there after graduation. This internship was the perfect transition to my current role as marketing coordinator for the company!鈥

Abby Macchiarolo, Account Executive Intern

Pictured is Abby Macchiarolo
Responsibilities: 鈥淚 was responsible for coordinating projects between the interns and keeping Blagica in the loop about what we were working on, as well as reviewing work before submitting it for approval.鈥

Most memorable project: 鈥淲e created a series of posts with the theme, 鈥榃hat drink are you, based on your zodiac sign?鈥 It was interesting because we had to do some quick research on each sign, as well as specific drinks that might correlate with those characteristics. It was the most fun I鈥檝e ever had creating social media posts. That鈥檚 when I felt like Ellie, Lauren and I were becoming more than coworkers鈥攚e were becoming friends.鈥

Biggest takeaway: 鈥淲orking with Blagica was amazing. She was not just our boss, she was our mentor. She helped us learn about the backend of a website, how to use Google and Facebook analytics, Hootsuite and so much more. I am currently an associate planner on the Ferrara account at Mindshare in Chicago. Working with Bottles Nation taught me a lot about managing a team and creating the best work for a client, which has helped me immensely with the work I am doing now.鈥

An invaluable experience, uncorked

Bottigliero says she hopes the internship experience was as invaluable for the students as it was for her company鈥攁nd that they acquired new skills in the process. 

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that the team鈥檚 time with Bottles Nation helped them make the connection between any given piece of content to a consumer decision,鈥 she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 confident that they received a better sense of how metrics can complement creative and advertising work. What impressed me most about these students was their understanding of how important hands-on learning is. There was absolutely nothing I could throw at them that wasn鈥檛 taken on with vigor.鈥

.

Discover 澳门六合彩官网直播 Haworth鈥檚 advertising and promotion program.