A Woman's Work is Never Done

This morning, my team started off the day with meetings. We sat with representatives from the National Film Board's (NFB) Consumer Programs and Distribution departments. By using the Type With Me tool, my group was able to share our notes and ideas from the meetings, to aid in the development of our marketing plan for the upcoming film launch.

My team then worked to determine the appropriate marketing mix for the film by using the four Ps (price, product, promotion, and place). With promotion being the most in-depth and challenging element for us, we were only able to create a preliminary document, but will continue the rest tomorrow.

With my constant focus on women's issues, especially due to the film's content, I noted Fast Company's recent article "Meet the League of Extraordinary Women:  60 Influencers Who Are Changing The World." While the article highlights that North American women can certainly help to fight for the international rights of girls and women, the film my team is working on demonstrates that Canadian women still have a long way to go on our own soil.

On the Job

Welcome back, Javier! Pictured above is my fellow team member who was working with us remotely last week, as we began our marketing mandate for the National Film Board (NFB). Now that my team has been reunited at the NFB office, we have worked our way through our SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), situational analysis, and STP (segmentation, targeting, positioning) for our assigned film. One video that helped us to understand the resources and innovative technologies at the NFB is posted below.

While I am working on my P8 Supervised Consulting Project for the NFB, I am simultaneously writing my 10-page analytical paper for P7's Russia Campus Abroad. Though the paper is taking longer than expected, it is fun to relive my Russian adventures through my writing.

I am also happy to report that there is growing interest in one-year MBA programs, according to CNN Money (see here). However, I am critical of the article. My HEC Montreal one-year MBA program has provided me with on-the-job experience (with the NFB), an international trip (to Russia), and plenty of electives to establish a specialization (in my case, Marketing and Management). So, for me, the disadvantages of enrolling in a one-year program, as per the article, do not ring true for my HEC Montreal MBA experience.

At the Office

It was just another day at the office for my consulting team. We had the chance to sit in on a power meeting with the heads of different units, including Marketing, Digital Partnerships, Sales and Market Development, and Festivals and Audience Development. This week, we are collecting vital information about the National Film Board (NFB) and the employees' perspectives regarding the feminist movie that will help us to create our preliminary marketing plan proposal.

We also had a meeting with our supervising professor Johanne Brunet, who helped us to determine the essential areas of focus for our project. My team then developed a plan for tomorrow's division of tasks. We are well on our way to having a solid foundation for our team recommendation.

MBA Consultants

Since I will soon be completing my MBA, I feel that it is the perfect time for me to encourage others to follow in my footsteps. For any brave souls who dare to apply to b-school, TopMBA Connect has an amazing contest, for which the winner will receive MBA and life coaching, in addition to assistance in meeting with individuals from the business school of his/her dreams. The MBA and life coaching mentorship will be provided by the amazing and talented Elisa Balabram, who I met when I visited the TopMBA Connect office last month. Information about the contest can be found here. Good luck to the candidates!

As for my own MBA adventures, P8 definitely has a different pace and tone. We are no longer in school (or traveling around Russia, for that matter); instead, the Supervised Consulting Project teams are approaching their diverse group mandates in different ways and locations. For my team, our objective is to develop a marketing plan for a National Film Board (NFB) movie about women's rights in Canada.

So far, my group has been focused on collecting primary data for our project. Yesterday, we got settled into our office at the NFB, and then conducted a meeting with Karen Cho, the director of the film. Today, we met with the NFB's market team, followed by a team brainstorming session. This is such an exciting project and I feel honoured to be a part of this amazing opportunity!

Travels Continued

Although my Russian adventure had ended, I continued my travels nine time zones away. For the past week, I stayed in Chicago and then South Bend, Indiana. I had an amazing time in both locations! The highlights of my week included an architectural boat tour of Chicago, a walk to "The Bean" (aka Cloud Gate), dining at the Rick Bayless restaurant Frontera Grill, and my friends' wedding on Notre Dame's campus. Below are some photos from the continuation of my travels.

Chicago skyscrapers

My friends' wedding at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame

Wedding party at the Studebaker National Museum

Now that my travels have come to a close, it is time to return to schoolwork. Today, my team will begin with our first P8 meeting at the National Film Board (NFB). Wish us luck!

All Good Things Must Come to an End

It is officially the end of Campus Abroad Russia. This morning, we had an early start as we left St. Petersburg to take the 7 AM train back to Moscow. Although our return to the city presented us with a great opportunity to see any last-minute sites, I was so exhausted from all the travel that I did not have the energy to explore. Instead, I relaxed in my hotel room as I prepared for my flight tomorrow.

This evening, we had a good-bye dinner at Sisters Grimm (photo from the restaurant's outdoor terrace above). It was an emotional farewell as we thanked our coordinators Pierre-Emmanuel and Olga, and they expressed their delight with our group. This has been an amazing two weeks and I would not have changed a thing about it. I would like to thank everyone involved - students, coordinators, business hosts, etc. You have made my trip to Russia a truly incredible experience.

This entry was originally posted on the HEC Montreal Campus Abroad blog here.

Culture Vulture

Since we have completed our business visits, the remainder of our time in Russia has revolved around the cultural experience in St. Petersburg. On Friday, we visited the State Hermitage museum, where I saw the ornate interior, as well as Matisse's famous Dance painting. The massive Hermitage museum was a labyrinth that was quite complicated to navigate and exhausting to go through, especially considering the large number of tourists. Here are my photos of our Hermitage visit.

Inside the Hermitage

Outside the Hermitage

We have also gone by the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, whose architecture reminded me of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, despite being constructed several centuries later. My best photo of this St. Petersburg church is below.

Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood

Yesterday was a really big day, which included three activities:  a visit to Peterhof Palace, a viewing of the Russian ballet Anna Karenina at Mariinsky Theatre, and a midnight boat tour to see the St. Petersburg bridge openings. The following are my photos from Saturday's excursions.

Peterhof Palace Canal

Grand Peterhof Palace

Mariinsky Theatre

St. Petersburg bridge opening

Today, a significant part of my day was spent at Cafe Botanika, a great vegetarian restaurant. Fortunately, it was my second time there on this trip, so I had a chance to taste even more of their delicious food. I have found the food in St. Petersburg to be infinitely better than in Moscow, and what is even better is that entirely English menus are often available here. Though I am ready to move on, I am sad to think that our time in this city (and country!) is dwindling.

This entry was originally posted on the HEC Montreal Campus Abroad blog here.