A day in the life of a Marketing Communications Intern

Be Your Future Series Blog Banner showing group of people working together on a project.

Name: Sophie Marriott

University: Loughborough University – Communications & Media studies

Role: Marketing Communications Intern

I sit within the Central Marketing Organisation of Microsoft which is the hub of all the main marketing activities that occur for Microsoft’s products like Office 365, Azure and Surface. Our marketing campaigns can either be targeted towards consumers, commercial businesses, or technical audiences. I focus mainly on commercial marketing which includes targeting various business decision makers within the technology industry to help them understand how they can leverage technology to deliver better business outcomes. I work with my manager to plan, create and execute various campaigns that will help people see how Microsoft can help them achieve their business objectives. This involves working with a wide variety of stakeholders from creative agencies to our social media team and events managers. I also work with the analytics teams to report back on the success and engagement of the campaigns to see how we can optimise our campaigns for success.

What does an average week look like in marketing communications?

For me, every week looks different to the last. This is something that I really enjoy about the role because you never know what exciting project may come up that you can get stuck into. Most of the time I will be working with various stakeholders within the business and external marketing agencies to get the campaigns briefed and executed. I am mainly based in Reading, but also attend events relating to the projects I am working on all around the country. It’s a great way to network and meet customers. Alongside this, I like to keep on top of my learning with the endless amount of resources available to us at Microsoft, for example doing my Microsoft Office Specialist exams.

Could you tell us about one of your highlights of the role?

A highlight of my role was working on Bett in January 2019. Bett is the largest education tradeshow event in the UK and we were the head sponsors at the event. I had the opportunity to help with the planning of Microsoft’s presence at the event, and got to attend for 4 days. Being given the responsibility to help organise such a large event was very rewarding because I could see the impact that my hard work had on the successful running of the event. I also had the opportunity to network with a wide variety of people within different jobs, opening my eyes to the diverse career paths that people have taken. To top it all off, I even got to meet Cindy Rose, Microsoft UK’s CEO, at one of the breakout sessions that I helped host!

Image of a large group of people on the Microsoft stand at Bett

What has the transition from University to Microsoft been like?

The transition to working life from university was initially quite difficult as your working hours increase quite dramatically. Considering this, I enjoy the routine that working at Microsoft gives me and it didn’t take long to adjust. I am looking forward to going back to university and implementing what I have learnt this year working in a fast-paced and corporate environment to make the most of my last year in education.

What has been your personal highlight of the year?

One of my personal highlights of the year has been partaking in DigiGirlz, an intern led programme that brings Year 8 girls together at the Microsoft offices and exposes them to STEM subjects and coding. It is so important today to get young girls into technology. Volunteering for DigiGirlz made me feel like I was really having an impact and making a difference to their future. To see the students’ budding passion for technology, along with the excitement while taking part in the coding activity, was inspiring. It was an experience that I won’t forget, and I am grateful that I took the opportunity to volunteer.

Image of a large group of people at the DigiGirlz event to encourage young girls to pursue STEM careers.

Find out more

Discover what it’s like to be a Technical Account Manager

Develop your digital skills to prepare for the future of work 

Inspiring young girls to pursue STEM careers

Headshot of Sophie MarriottAbout the author

Sophie Marriott is a Marketing Communications intern at Microsoft. She attends Loughborough University doing a Communications and Media Studies degree. At Microsoft she enjoys working in marketing, attending events and helping to create campaigns that show the value technology can have across various industries.