Video interview… two little words that put the fear of God into me when I saw them.
On a blissful high after receiving an email from Red Bull Racing (RBR) to say that I’d made it through to the final 100, the thought of having to answer sensible questions, in a constructive manner, on video, whilst ensuring that it stays within the three minute time window was a daunting prospect.
I’ll admit the most frightening bit as far as I was concerned was the three minute time limit – I struggle to leave voicemail messages shorter than that.
But never one to be deterred, I put my thinking cap on and set to work answering the questions I had been given. The first three, were fairly straightforward:
- Name
- Where you are from
- What you do
If I can’t answer these, I have bigger problems that trying to win an internship…
The following (actual) questions, took slightly more thought:
- Tell us about a brand that you think is an example of good marketing and why
- What specific recent marketing activity of Red Bull Racing appealed to you and why?
- If you were to get the internship position, which Red Bull Racing project (ongoing or new) would you like to get involved in and why?
My initial reaction to the first question was to say “Red Bull and how they launched their energy drink in the UK” (find out more here). But given that this application is for a company that is part of the Red Bull empire, I felt they would be quite familiar with their own marketing strategies and chose instead to talk about another brand. The name that stood out to me was Mulberry; a staunchly British leather accessories company which was about to go bankrupt at the end of the 1990s. Brought back to life by a cash investment and some very clever marketing, Mulberry has since gone on to establish itself as one of the UK’s top fashion houses. Clever marketing ideas combined with a well executed strategy has brought Mulberry back from the brink of extinction – a great example of a brand making the most of it’s marketing.
The next question led me back round to talking about RBR; specifically which of their recent marketing activities had appealed to me. My answer to this question will likely come as no surprise, but the marketing campaign that stood out to me was their Internship Campaign. Go figure.
Aside from the obvious reasons (giving individuals like myself the chance to spend a month working with them), I actually chose this campaign due to the many discussions I’ve seen between fans on social networking sites and forums around the world. The buzz this campaign has created both online and offline has been huge and more importantly, it’s done wonders for making people feel engaged with RBR as a team and offered fans a chance to get involved with Formula 1.
The final question asked me to talk about a project that I’d be interested in getting involved with should I win an internship. I actually had two projects in mind that I already admired and another idea that I thought would become more applicable the nearer we get to the inaugural U.S Grand Prix.
The two projects I greatly admire and only recently launched are Faces for Charity (a wonderful chance to get involved with RBR whilst supporting a great cause) and the new Red Bull Racing Spy App. Both are projects I would have loved to be involved with; Faces for Charity makes great use of multichannel marketing and I really enjoy the personal insight into RBR as a team that the Spy App offers. The final area that I would love to get involved with would be introducing RBR and Formula 1 to a new audience. This could be focused specifically on the U.S or extended worldwide. Red Bull is a well-established brand in the U.S, but Formula 1 seems to have struggled over the years to get its foot through the proverbial door. With the first race taking place at the Circuit of the Americas this year, there is no better time to grab the bull by the horns (intended) and reveal what Red Bull Racing and Formula 1 have in store for the United States. The End.
Once I’d finished rambling I quickly checked the stopwatch to see whether I’d kept it less than three minutes… I had… albeit just… 2 minutes and 59 seconds to be exact. Phew!
The video has now been uploaded and submitted for review, so there’s nothing left to do but wait – whilst keeping everything crossed.
2 Comments on "The Video Interview"
I think you had it easy! They clearly had different questions for each department, myn included
How would you design a spice rack for a blind person? And
What are the first three things you would do on your first day at red bull?
Both good questions from an interviewers point of view but not the easiest to answer
I always thought they would have different questions per department, it would be a bit strange to ask someone applying for the electronics internship which marketing campaign they admired. But having seen your questions, I’m glad I applied for marketing
What were your answers btw?