MBA Trek To Nestle
This past weekend I had the opportunity to join 20 other marketing MBAs here at the Fisher College of Business to visit the Nestle campus in Solon, OH. It was a great experience to learn about their business and how their brand managers play an intricate role in the success of the company.
Here are a few things I learned from my experience on Nestle's campus:
- Food Is Abundant- I guess that shouldn't be so surprising. After all, Nestle is that largest food company in the world. It was impressive to see how all of the pieces fit into the Nestle puzzle. We were able to speak with marketers, chefs, administrative staff, and food scientists. It amazes me that they can have all of that food around and remain productive!
- Science Works - That is right, there is an amazing amount of testing and research that goes into the development of Nestle's products. The insights and ideas come from customer and market insights, but the implementation has to funnel through the culinary team and the factory team. Team work and collaboration is a must a Nestle.
- Consumers Come First - After meeting with a handful of brand managers throughout the day, I continually heard them mention that the consumer comes first. They related that nothing can happen in marketing if consumer insights are not found. Marketing and innovation always must start with the consumer.
I can say that they visit to Nestle was a great benefit for me and other MBAs. I am not the only MBA that mentioned that they wish all recruiting companies provided an opportunity like this visit to Nestle headquarters.