• Home
• News
• 2022
• Getting a taste of marketing vegan cheese and butter

Getting a taste of marketing vegan cheese and butter

Intern: Megan K.

Position: Public Relations & Communications Intern at Nuts for Cheese™

In her third year of the Media, Information, and Technoculture (MIT) program, Megan interned for Nuts for Cheese™ as part of the FIMS Internship Program (FIMS3999).

Nuts For Cheese™ is a local food manufacturer that creates dairy-free, plant-based vegan cheese and butters. She went into the office, which was also the manufacturing and distribution center, on Thursdays and Fridays during the Fall term.

Tell us about a typical ‘day’ in your internship?

“I learned everything about where the product comes from and is packaged through to the external promotions. Learning about how much time and effort goes into the research and development of the product was so valuable in understanding how to better market that product, because you could really understand what went into it. The role allowed a lot of flexibility in what I would do each day – I would work on marketing campaigns, email newsletters, updates on company news and new products.”

What skills did you learn in your internship?

“I developed my interpersonal and time management skills, and I expanded my connections by getting to know people within the company. Technically, I joined the company in Google Suite and I spent a lot of time working with Mailchimp, so I learned how to build and send out email campaigns as well as how to review reports on their performance. I also worked an event for the company where I was a booth representative for Nuts for Cheese ™ at a vegan food show, which was an amazing experience."

What was a highlight of your internship experience?

“100% working at the vegan food tradeshow was a highlight of my experience. I know I want to work in a role that has event marketing and sales built in. I love to work with people. As much as I also enjoyed the social marketing and email components, this experience helped solidify that I want to be involved in more of the face-to-face components of marketing and communications in the future."

Were there any specific skills, theories, or readings from your classes that you applied to your placement?

“I found that I was really pulling on a lot of different theories and theorists from our courses in FIMS. From the foundations of how marketing and advertising came to be, to concepts like Aristotle’s ethos, logos, and pathos, came up when writing email blasts or thinking about product packaging. I found myself thinking about how marketing works to get into the minds of consumers and FIMS gives us a perspective on the negative consequences of manipulating media.”

What advice would you give to a FIMS student considering taking an internship?

“For me, it was a bit like the butterfly effect. I stumbled upon the program in the summer when I realized I was short on a course that I needed, and through my academic advisor I found out about the internship program. So, something that could have been bad led me to something so positive.

My advice would only be: Definitely do the internship program! I feel like I really grew. I was able to take my knowledge and use it in the real world.It’s a great experience, especially if you’re trying to figure out what you’re going to do after school. It led me to a more solidified idea of what I want to do when I leave FIMS.”