This blog post delves deeply into how hands-on experience gained through directly planning and executing diverse events and promotional activities translates into marketing capabilities and leads to differentiated competitiveness in the role.
What motivated you to apply for the BGF Retail Project Internship?
“Number One Brand Power”
I’ve had an outgoing personality since childhood. Being the only child of dual-income parents exposed me to peer culture early, and my parents’ encouragement of active social engagement also played a significant role. My natural affinity for people and lively disposition allowed me to develop leadership skills as an organizational leader during my school years. Through this process, I found a deep fascination in building relationships with diverse individuals. During the high school college entrance process, I began exploring my aptitudes and chose to major in Business Administration for its broad career spectrum. I resolved to use my university years as a time for self-discovery and reinvention, actively participating in fields beyond my major. Working as a college marketing assistant for an ice cream brand, I discovered an aptitude for marketing and product planning. My childhood passion for interacting with people and understanding what motivates them greatly aided my extracurricular activities. Driven by a strong desire to become a better person and achieve greater inner maturity, I am proactive in self-development and meticulous enough to document insights from each project. Based on the experience gained from working as a marketing assistant for various products and brands, I developed a clear vision. This led me to apply for BGF Retail’s internship program, seeing it as an opportunity to validate my capabilities and propel myself forward. As Korea’s premier retail service company, BGF Retail has established and solidified a Korean-style convenience store model tailored to Korean consumer patterns, competing against numerous international convenience store brands. It continues to grow through horizontal partnerships with franchisees and small-to-medium enterprises. I placed significant importance on this competitive edge possessed by BGF Retail. At a time when foreign franchises were flooding Korea, BGF built its own unique model, leading the convenience store industry and driving the core of retail. I believe that developing my capabilities and gaining new experiences within BGF’s competitive environment would bring me one step closer to my vision of becoming a marketing expert. I also believe BGF Retail’s achievement of topping both the Brand Power Index and the National Brand Competitiveness Index stems not only from the efforts of its many employees but also from its unique ability to apply marketing strategies. I wish to use this opportunity to gain concrete job experience and confirm my aptitude. Furthermore, I aspire to become an expert active in the global market, beyond just the domestic marketing field.
What projects did I undertake in college, what was my role, and what did I learn?
“Event Planning Marketing”
I consider this my most memorable first external activity experience. Having just entered high school with little job or social experience, I went through many trials and errors. My first external activity was as a college marketing assistant for an ice cream brand. Our task was to convey the premium image of a new ice cream brand to young college students, a demographic beyond the primary ice cream consumer base, and to help boost consumption. We organized various events, activities, and external parties like parties. During this process, I handled promotion, planning, and on-site assistance. Before promotional activities, pre-event training included group projects like UCC video contests. My competitive nature and clear goal-setting allowed me to tackle problems proactively and actively. My strong interest in advertising videos, fueled by my involvement in an advertising club, also contributed to good results. However, what stands out most are the diverse external events. Planning and executing events that fostered closeness with customers of diverse ages and backgrounds required not only creative ideas but also strong on-site management skills. While I have an outgoing and cheerful personality, it was incredibly difficult to approach strangers with a smile and break the ice. I vividly remember grappling with both theoretical and practical questions: how to encourage customers to participate without feeling pressured, and how to spark their curiosity. Given the nature of external events, unexpected accidents or problems were highly likely. Having prepared manuals to predict variables and handle issues proved immensely helpful. As my event experience grew, so did the manuals’ length, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I could anticipate potential problems and prevent them from ever occurring. I also consider it a valuable experience that enhanced foundational organizational skills like document writing and project presentations. My volunteer work, which I began purely out of curiosity, a spirit of challenge, and sheer determination despite having zero professional experience, completely transformed my university life, outlook on life, and even my dreams. It was a turning point in my life. Building on that entire process, I discovered my aptitude, gained greater self-confidence, and experienced all the fundamental requirements for social life—organizational adaptability, teamwork awareness, and more—making it a profound learning experience.
