Hi all, my name is Justin Du and I am currently the Strategic Planner(SP) for GMS’ team Gourmet Boutique. My job is to lead all research and analytical activities within the team so the Account Manager can focus on facilitating each meeting and make sure all the deliverables are done with quality.
A little more about myself, I am a sophomore in Questrom who is concentrating in Finance and is pursuing a dual degree in CAS Economics. So yes, I am a math guy and creativity is not the greatest strength I possess. However, I still decided to attend GMS’ info-session at the beginning of my first semester of college because (1.) I think it was too early to solidify my concentration so I should test my boundary, (2.) I like to work on my weaknesses, (3.) the gorilla with guerrilla beret logo was too interesting to ignore. Immediately after the info-session, I decided to become a formal member of GMS, and looking back I have already been in this family for 3 semesters. Now, I would like to share my experience in GMS with you.
As a general member of team Forto coffee
Forto coffee is an energy drink brand that provides condensed cold brew coffee as an energy shot. The team immediately started our research on industry research and client analysis, which laid the groundwork for our future ideas/tactics. I was fascinated with Forto Coffee’s neat features and went ahead to do extensive research on my own. The in-depth research eventually allowed me to contribute more in creative areas such as target persona, survey questions, and ultimately tactics design. It was at the end of the semester I realized that creativity can be worked on and supported by good data observations and industry research. I appreciated the epiphany that GMS gave me and wanted to contribute more to the club by sharing this idea through action. With this desire in mind, I applied to be a strategic planner.
As an SP for team Forto Coffee
Being an SP in GMS is a very rewarding experience. Throughout the semester, not only did I need to focus more on research myself, but I also had to oversee other member’s research and make sure all findings are shared with all members so everyone can be on the same page. This required some communication skills that I did not have. It was also quite difficult to find a balance between making sure the work is done correctly and letting members explore and benefit from the workshops. Being an SP was quite challenging at first because as the members explore the activities I was also figuring out the best approach to being a leader.
After reflecting on my experience with GMS, it did not just teach me the concepts of guerrilla marketing, instead, it gave me a broader understanding of collaboration, communication, leadership, and analysis. What makes these learnings even better is that now I am able to apply these concepts in my business courses at Boston University.