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OZIMKOWSKI
THE ROCKY TOP INSTITUTE
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIP
UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF MY RESPONSIBILITIES, I GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO COORDINATE RTI'S FALL PROMOTIONAL PHOTOSHOOT. WORKING WITH TENNESSEE'S VOLSHOP PHOTOGRAPHERS AND MARKETERS, WE COLLABORATED TO CHOOSE THE DESIRED VENUES AND VISUAL DECORATIONS OF THE SHOOT, HOW WE WERE GOING TO DISPLAY OUR MERCHANDISE (ON BODY OR LAYFLAT), RECRUITING AN INCLUSIVE GROUP OF MODELS TO SHOOT WITH ETC. I LOVED BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE MY CREATIVE DRIVE TO MANAGE THE FLOW OF THIS EVENT.
OUR PRODUCT MIX STICKS TO THE BROAD CATEGORIES OF
APPAREL: CARDIGANS, TEES, AND PULLOVERS ETC,
DRINKWARE: REUSABLE WATER, MUGS ETC,
HOME DECOR: PILLOWS, WALL ART ETC.
ACCESSORIES: STICKERS, MASKS ETC.
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WE ARE AIMING TO FURTHER ENHANCE OUR MIX BY ADDING A TAILGATE CATEGORY!
THE ROCKY TOP INSTITUTE IS DEEPLY ROOTED AT OUR UNIVERSITY, PROVIDING PRODUCTS FOR OUR SCHOOL'S OWN VOLSHOP. AT RTI, I WAS THE TEAM'S MARKETING MANAGER OVERSEEING ANY AND ALL OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOWCASE OUR PRODUCT LINE, SOCIAL MEDIA OUTSOURCE, AND ONLINE MERCHANDISE PRESENCE. AS THE MANAGER OF MARKETING, MY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDED SUGGESTING FREQUENT SOCIAL MEDIA PROPOSALS, CREATING PROMOTIONAL CONTENT/GRAPHICS, AND USING COMPARATIVE METHODS TO WRITE LENGTHY MARKETING STRATEGY ESSAYS.
ADDITIONALLY, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT OUR PRODUCT MIX ON KNOXVILLE'S LOCAL WBIR MORNING NEWS CHANNEL. WE TALKED ALL ABOUT HOW OUR PRODUCTS ARE STUDENT DESIGNED, WHAT RETAILERS CARRY OUR MERCHANDISE, AND WHAT OUR PLANS WERE FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR. THIS WAS SUCH A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE AS A MARKETER, AND GAVE ME THE CHANCE TO ACTIVELY SPEAK OUT ABOUT OUR FELLOWSHIP AND ITS INITIATIVES.
THE VOLSHOP
LASTLY, THROUGH THE ROCKY TOP INSTITUTE I GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HANDS-ON IN CONCEPT DESIGN. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WE LEARNED ABOUT THE PROCESSES THAT GO INTO TAKING A PRODUCT FROM CONCEPT TO MANUFACTURING, INCLUDING VENDOR COMMUNICATION, SILK SCREENING/AMBROIDERY PROCESS, AND THE CONSTANT TRIAL AND ERROR OF SKETCHING.
A GREAT LESSON I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT YOUR FIRST SKETCH WILL NEVER BE THE EXACT IMAGE OF THE FINAL PRODUCT. THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND DETAILS TO BE ADDED IN ORDER TO GET YOUR PRODUCT MOVING ALONG ITS SUPPLY CHAIN JOURNEY.
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