Rebeca Flores
Rebeca was born and raised in Mexico. She moved to Europe at 17 years old to study in France, and later moved to Spain to study the BBA at IE University. Passionate about business, but also about visual content, she combined her business degree with studying graphic design during her free time. Once she graduated, she found the perfect intersection between both worlds through the Master in Visual and Digital Media at IE. She graduated top of her class and started an internship in Media at Nike’s EMEA HQ in Amsterdam, where she’s currently based. On the weekdays, she works with her team to bring to life Nike’s epic advertising campaigns across Europe. On the weekend, you can find her doing sports, out on a stroll with her camera, or doing anything creative she can get her hands on.
"Belive you can, and you’re halfway there."
Q&A WITH REBECA
Could you tell us about the application process and your role at Nike?
I applied to Nike back in March 2020, which is usually when the applications for internships open at Nike EMEA HQ in Amsterdam. I specifically applied to digital marketing and the application consisted of your usual form, CV, and an optional cover letter. Second round was a pre-recorded interview and behavioural test, and the last round was an interview with your potential managers and team.
My current role
I work with the brand media team at Nike, where our goal is to drive awareness around Nike’s major brand moments and key seasonal product innovations across EMEA. I coordinate small- to medium-sized campaigns and support in the execution of larger campaigns. I participate in the full process: from briefing where we align on the strategic elements and objectives of the campaign, to media planning where we work with a media agency to select specific platforms and partners for the campaign, to production where we work with a creative agency to prepare the look and feel of the campaign, to launching and measuring performance.
How did your experience at IEU prepare you for your professional career?
To be honest, the Master in Visual and Digital Media at IE made perfect sense for the role I got at Nike. Every single question or skill they were looking for I was able to justify with real projects, classes, and experiences I had during my master. I definetly think IE prepares you with practical experiences that are valuable to employers. Once I started at Nike, I was super impressed to see how what I learned during my master and the industry context they provided me, as imensly helpful and accurate to what I saw in the “real world.”
What is the competitive advantage that studying at IEU provides or has provided you?
Definetly the practical experiences. During my master for example, our final project consisted of launching a real media campaign for an NGO. From conceptualizing it, to producing it, to launching and measuring it… it was a real campaign. What I did there, was the perfect practice for what I do at Nike on a daily basis. I think very few universities prepare you for what is really out there and equip you not only with knowledge, but with a set of practiced skills.
Do you have any advice for IEU students and alumni who are looking to pursue a career in Marketing/Communications?
I think marketing and comms are so broad, there is a wide spectrum of things you can pursue in this area: from digital marketing, to PR, to influencer marketing, to media, to search marketing, to advertising, to branding, etc… And one is so much different than the other. I would advise anyone interested in this field to get acquainted with the multitude of expressions it has, and also ask yourself what it is from marketing/comms that you like. Is it the creative aspect? Is it the analytical one? The strategic one? And based on that, pursue a more specialized path that matches your interests and skillsets.
What skills do you consider are needed to succeed in your field?
For media specifically, I think it’s a mix of 4 things:
- Curiosity for the industry: It is truly key to have a passion for it and an interest to understand how people consume media nowadays.
- Strategic creativity: You can get very creative with media, but at the end of the day, it’s also a means for a strategic business/brand goal. The ability to apply creativity in a strategic way is super important.
- People-skills: Sounds broad, but I think media is an industry that asks you to be comfortable with dealing with lots of people: from content partners, to influencers, to creative agencies, media agencies, to internal stakeholders. It takes a village to launch an advertising campaign, and the ability to collaborate with others in a positive way is key.
- A bit of an analytical eye: Nowadays, we can measure performance of marketing activations quite easily, and having an eye and interest for analyzing metrics is super important. At the end, you’re there to drive results and there are immense insights and learnings to be made from performance metrics.
Tell us about the IEU alumni community and the impact they have had in your life and/or career.
The IEU community is truly something special. As an IEU alumna, it is so easy to relate to other members of the community as we all hold that open-minded mentality, diverse backgrounds, and high ambitions. They’re definetly the basis of my professional network and I’ve been able to meet great people and form amazing friendships through it.
Why do you think it’s important to engage with the IEU alumni community?
I think engaging with the IEU alumni community is an easy way to get contacts and even career advice from people that may have similar professional aspirations. They’re usually very well connected individuals and always open to interact with other people from IE. Make the most of it, reach out to someone even if you don’t know them, and I’m sure you’ll find lots in common.
What skills would you recommend job seekers develop in order to make them more competitive in today’s workforce?
I could tell you to do a master or do many internships, or tons of online certifications… but you probably have heard all of that before. While that makes you a very competitive candidate of course, I would encourage you to work on the following:
- Your authencity: Be authentic about your passions, your personality, and what truly drives you, and choose a professional career that is aligned with this. I think employers can really tell if your interest in a specific role is true and authentic, and that adds a lot to you as a candidate. I think this speaks for itself and will always open the right doors for you.
What’s the best career advice you have ever been given?
Make sure your job is something that matches your innate skills and talents, but also challenges you to grow outside of your comfort zone.
If someone was considering going to IEU, what would you tell them?
Just do it 😉 I couldn’t recommend it enough. From the people you’ll meet, to the professors, to the experience of living in Madrid, to the great education you’ll come out with… it’s the full pack.
Why did you choose the BBA & MVDM programs at IE University?
I grew up in a family of entrepreurs and was always curious about understanding the world of business better, so a bachelor in business was a fitting choice for me. As for MVDM, I was looking for a master that could blend creativity/visual media with practical business applications. If you’re interested in these kind of things, I would highly recommend this master, there is really nothing like it (belive me, I’ve researched). I was able to dive deep into design, photography, copywriting, and content creation while learning how to apply it to advertising, branding, and media.
What is one thing you wished you knew, when you were a student?
It won’t last forever, so enjoy! It’s the perfect time to be curious, ask questions, and find out what it is you want to do in your professional life.