Alex Knight – BSc (Hons) Marketing graduate

From working in non-profit to a multi-national business, Alex tells us how his degree has helped him navigate a varied early career
Alex Lloyd, BSc (Hons) Marketing
 
 

Applying my creative side

My initial role in the marketing field was as a Marketing Executive for a Welsh nonprofit, in which I handled the regional social media for Business Wales, ran a company conference campaign and refined the internal branding. 
My favourite part of this role is that it allowed me to apply my creative side by coming up with campaigns and focusing on the company's internal branding, essentially spotlighting how incredibly cool and professional they are as a company to work for new employees, whilst also making current workers happy and satisfied with their jobs.
University of Plymouth alumni Alex Knight networking with another professional

Excited to work in a sector that is helping to build a better future

I am currently a Field Marketing Executive (FME) at Milwaukee. Milwaukee Tools is a multi-national, industry-leading manufacturer that innovates, develops, and markets a range of power tools for professional users worldwide. It is a 100 year-old brand, which I think is pretty cool. 
I choose to work in this area as I am fascinated to work in a sector that provides products/services that are helping build a better future. I found that the industry is constantly growing; during COVID, many businesses slowed production and halted spend, whereas Milwaukee looked at the market, took a calculated risk and doubled down in product production and employee training, resulting in them increasing the quality of their workforce and growing their market share (post-covid).
I knew that this would be an industry and a forward-thinking company in which I could develop my career. 
One of the best bits of my role is being able to take a direct approach with sales and marketing – I find it is generally ignored by marketers how important it is to have a comprehensive understanding of the product and then some.
Being hands-on with the product as well as the customer and supplier is vital for providing what the competition isn't and being the spearhead of innovation within the industry.
Another great point would be the travel involved in the role; so far, I've only been sent around the UK and Germany, but the opportunity is there in the future.
In a few years' time, I hope to be working in the same company but in a more developed role. Milwaukee, generally speaking, looks to promote its current employees who put in the work into higher roles. For example, one of the previous FMEs is now the regional manager for Europe.
So, for now, I am looking to work hard within the company and learn as many skills as possible, hopefully leading to my growth here.
 
 

I find the human aspects of marketing fascinating

If I’m honest, I am curious – I love a good story – and a tad nosey. I really find the human aspects of marketing fascinating, and so I enjoy looking at human behaviour and psychological rationale behind consumers' purchase decisions for certain products or services over others and the branding.
I like the market research side of things, too, which involves identifying lots of patterns and developing those. Although generally speaking, that area is fairly complicated to understand, in the sense that picking up on subtle cues of people hiding their true motivation as they are actively or inactively trying to hide it. 

I love storytelling, and the best marketing in my view is interesting. Any company can use good photos and copyrighting, but the fact is to truly be customer focused you need to engage with experiences, something that brings rich emotions.

This is also a good quote from David Ogilvy: “The trouble with market research is that people don’t think what they feel, they don’t say what they think, and they don’t do what they say.”
 
 

Studying at Plymouth was special

The general quality of the course made studying at the Plymouth Business School very special, as well as the lecturers, the knowledge they brought to the table, and the intimate class-sizes. 
Unfortunately, I came in during COVID-19, but that didn’t affect my studies here because of the way the members of staff dealt with the pandemic; our online teaching was excellent, and the resources available to us were great. After the final lockdown, I spent most of my days in the library when I was not working at my part-time job.
I came away with extra qualifications on top of my degree. As part of the marketing course here, we are given the option to take further exams to gain additional qualifications and attend industry-recognised conferences. I am now IDM and MRS certified. 
As I graduated with a 2:1, I was also awarded the CIM Graduate Gateway.
It was helpful being given the opportunity to work with a variety of live clients – having a chance to see how different industries function and the approaches they take. 
My proudest achievement during my BSc (Hons) Marketing course is graduating with a high grade overall. 
There are other achievements that I am also proud of, such as being one of the top performers in my exams. I have found exams challenging and do not typically perform well on them. However, the layout of the exam and support from the lecturers and business school meant that I was able to achieve high marks; they made sure that the exam format was accessible, and this was a massive help to me.
Smeaton's Tower on Plymouth Hoe

Embrace the challenge

I would say to anyone thinking of studying marketing, seriously go for it. You should put yourself out there and not be afraid of rejection. You may hit a wall, but just keep working, and good things will come!
The course is amazing at Plymouth, and the city itself and the vibe it gives off are really chill. I found the size of the city and the location perfect. I could go for a morning swim in the sea, get back to my accommodation ready for my day of lectures, and then go straight to part-time work, finishing in time and ready for a night at the SU. 
It really is quite unique.
 
 
Business School Graduation