Hey everyone, my name is Mara Mirea. I am a a second-year student, and also a Product Marketing Intern for the Core Performance Sports department at ASICS since February 2024 and until July 2024.
What does ASICS do?
ASICS is a Japanese multinational corporation that produces sportswear. They are best known worldwide for their sneakers and sports shoes, but also produce apparel and accessories. ASICS products cater to athletes and fitness enthusiasts worldwide, and to the needs of customers. The name “ASICS” is actually an acronym for the Latin phrase “anima sana in corpore Sano”: this philosophy reflects ASICS’ commitment to promoting both physical and mental well-being. At ASICS, my job mainly focused on tennis and padel products, and it has been very exciting since I’ve played sports, especially tennis, my whole life.
A day in the life of a Product Marketing Intern at ASICS
Throughout my internship, I’ve been involved in many different ongoing projects and events, where my tasks varied from maintaining product databases, linelists, creating comprehensive marketing toolkits, pitching media alerts and press releases for our events and managing shootings for our go-to-market strategy. My tasks often varied according to the project/ season that my team was working on.
My day in the office looked different every day, but I will try to give a general overview. I would commute to Hoofddorp for my internship at ASICS, and I usually arrive at 9am when the workday begins.
The first thing I usually do is get a hot tea from our office cafe, and chat with my coworkers or my manager.
I collaborated closely with the product team to update and maintain product databases and linelists, including pricing, specifications, and other relevant details. This required constant communication with other departments, to ensure that all information regarding ASICS products was accurate and up-to-date. Additionally, I assisted in generating reports and analyzing data to support decision-making processes within the product team. This involved creating comprehensive marketing toolkits for internal and external stakeholders, including sales teams, distributors, and retailers, while ensuring that visual consistency and branding guidelines were maintained across different marketing materials.
Secondly, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Media and Brand teams from Core Performance Sports. Here, I assisted with the creation and updating of press releases and media alerts for key brand activation events, primarily focusing on tennis and padel. This included drafting provisional press releases and media alerts, ensuring that they captured the essence of our events and conveyed our brand message effectively.
In addition to these responsibilities, I managed logistical aspects of product shootings for our go-to-market strategy. This involved coordinating with photographers, athletes, and other team members to ensure that shoots ran smoothly and met our high standards.
Throughout the day, I often attended various meetings and brainstorming sessions, where we discussed ongoing projects, upcoming product launches, and marketing strategies. These meetings were a great opportunity for me to learn from experienced professionals and contribute my ideas.
Around noon, I would take a break for lunch, often joining my colleagues in the office cafeteria. This time was not only for relaxing but also for networking and building relationships with other team members.
After lunch, I typically resumed my tasks, which varied depending on the projects we were working on. Some afternoons were spent preparing materials for upcoming events or campaigns, while others were dedicated to detailed data analysis or updating our product information systems.
My day usually wraps up around 5 pm. Before leaving, I often took a few moments to organize my workspace and make a to-do list for the next day. This helped me stay on top of my responsibilities and ensured that I was prepared for any upcoming tasks.
Final thoughts
Overall, my internship at ASICS has been a wonderful experience, which has taught me a lot about the processes used in product marketing and corporate communication, in the sportswear industry. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented and passionate team and look forward to applying what I’ve learned in my future career.
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