Vivaki gives students a fill on media space through VSparkle

Recently VivaKi initiated VSparkle, an eight week summer internship programme that brings bright minds specialising in marketing in some of India's management schools. The programme was created as an extension of a best practice that Starcom MediaVest Group undertook in the previous two summers and is built on that framework.

The were 20 interns who were shortlisted post a rigorous selection procedure. The 20 interns were assigned to a team and had to work under the mentorship of a senior manager.

Moreover there were weekly workshops where all interns learn from an expert on one of the aspects of marketing communications. The interns were given branded merchandise and access to a lot of proprietary data and an opportunity to work on live cases for clients in addition to a project they choose at the beginning of the internship.

Speaking exclusively to Adgully about VSparkle, Rashmi Deshpande, Chief Talent and Transformation Officer, VivaKi, says, "VSparkle is the summer internship programme offered to the brightest minds from India's leading B schools in VivaKi companies. VivaKi India is an enabling community that catalyzes our brand's abilities to scale solutions in a personalized and connected world. The programme was created as an extension of a best practice that Starcom MediaVest Group undertook in the previous two summers and is built on a similar framework where the 20 odd student are placed within a unit and complete a project under a mentor. In addition to focusing on one area they get a bird's eye view of all aspects of IMC over two months."

She further adds, "These students are likely to become potential employees or potential clients when they complete their programme. Their mentors who are managers in our organisation get fresh thinking and new learning from the interns. The interns become brand ambassadors for VivaKi and the agencies at VivaKi they are assigned to. There are dynamic interactions that take place during the internship period which the interns and the company mutually benefit from."

Rahul Gupta, an intern working on Captain Morgan, says, "It was a very valuable experience indeed. There was a lot to learn from. The pace of the activity and the immense amount of pressure is a big thrill. I really enjoyed working here and I am surely taking a lot of learnings back."

On the other hand, Barsha Chakraborty, an intern working on Travel Agencies & Emirates, says that wish she could had been given more work and a little more hand on experience on the company's internal tools.

In the future VivaKi could look at having some of these students undertake international projects.

Talking about the abundance of talent in the interns selected this year, Deshpande says, "The interns this year as in the past are extremely bright and dynamic young students. They actively contributed to client plans and brand strategy wherever there was scope. This intensive eight week programme gives them a sense of what happens in an agency that may be helpful to them when they graduate and join client companies."

Deshpande while signing off says, "My advice to the interns would be, 'to use wisely the experience and knowledge of a world class environment that they will, take with them and never stop learning'." | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]