Annkatrin Krieger

I work at Lippincott, Brand & Innovation Consultancy as a Brand Strategy Consultant

– Perform comprehensive brand experience audits across multiple touchpoints
– Apply innovative thinking and problem-solving to complex brand challenges
– Research customer needs through focus groups, day-in-the-life studies, interviews, and more
– Generate quantitative and qualitative insights, and weave them together into a compelling story
– Perform comprehensive brand experience audits across multiple touchpoints
– Translate brand strategy solutions into culture, business and experience innovations for purpose-driven brands
– Collaborate deeply across client and Lippincott teams – spanning brand, innovation and culture
– Integrate design thinking and creative concept development into assignments

Not really. Before my studies, I was keener on the communications aspect of the course. I wanted to explore further into journalism and writing compelling stories to engage audiences. But overtime, especially after Brand Management modules and practical projects with companies in school, I developed an interest in brand strategy and unique marketing touchpoints on how brands can either expand, improve or identify their unique space to increase awareness or any other brand objectives.

I have always had a passion for branding – particularly towards understanding how brands can alleviate unique brand positionings to better engage consumers/businesses and create brand loyalty. I am inspired by how different industries brand themselves differently from their competitor to better interact with their target audience – be it through experience, product innovation or communications. I took this position to better gain wider industry knowledge and understand the branding landscape while getting the opportunity to have global exposure, which I feel is extremely important in this day and age.

I think what solidified my interests was the various company sharings where people from different companies i.e., consulting companies were invited to share their jobs and also to interact with us. Another key factor would be the many hands-on practical experience we were able to have such as projects with Mercedes Benz, Netgear and Roncato.

I did my internship at Love, Bonito – a regionally renowned fashion brand in Asia. I was part of the brand strategy and campaigns team where I focused on building brand partnerships, improving the loyalty program, worked on several special campaigns and was also involved in 2 store openings in Singapore. I was able to also work on my own briefs and brand activations, alongside weekly performance reviews for eDMs and Facebook. This experience has been challenging and fruitful, further ascertaining me to my career goals ahead. It has been an immensely memorable and impactful 8 months – be it the skills I have learnt, the individual growth I have had and the people I have encountered and forged a stronger relationship with. The experiences I have gained will be extremely beneficial for me as I embark on the next phase of my career. I have picked up both soft and hard skills, overcame certain challenges and also grew more than I expected prior to starting this internship. Below are some of the values and lessons I took away:
• Ownership and accountability
• Management of stakeholders’ expectations
• Collaborative mindset
• Importance of passion
• To always take initiative
• Ask questions
Deep diving deeper into campaigns and how it is relevant to my career goals, I am now better able to understand what goes into planning a successful campaign and the importance of the noticing the intricate details when executing the campaign and to evaluate the overall results. Unknowingly, my passion for branding grew and I have a greater conviction for branding and the limitless opportunities it brings to me as a career moving forward. To have the opportunity to work in such a fast-paced environment with such a youthful and dynamic team that always pushes and willing to impart knowledge and skills to one another was truly a blessing.

To be very honest, the exchange semester in Beijing was the one of the best experiences I ever had. I learnt a lot about being culturally diverse, to be more open with my perspectives and to be adventurous. I have made many new friends and learnt and saw many new things while I travelled within China, creating memories that are unforgettable.

I made a close circle of amazing friends which I’m still in contact with every day. Distance doesn’t separate us, and I miss them dearly.

Global exposure, unexpected opportunities, new experiences and insights.

It is extremely important and relevant and we need to constantly work on improving ourselves to remain competitive in today’s ever-changing world – be it our mentality, our skills or our experiences.

I see myself being a leader of my own team and lead projects while meeting clients from all over the world. I want to be able to impart teachings to people and at the same time learn from them as well.

To appreciate who/what you have and not be afraid to go after what you want. If you fail, try and try again – believe in yourself and you will get to where you’re meant to be.