Maria Cristina Mazzei, Campaign Manager, franz&rene

In order to help current students and recent graduates to find their way in the working world, many of our alumni shared their career story. Here the story of Maria Cristina Mazzei Mollard, Campaign Manager for franz&rene in Bern (CH). USI Degree: 4-years degree in Communication Sciences, 2002.

How did you start your career?

As Marketing assistant in Dangaard Telecom, then Marketing responsible. After I changed to USI where I was in charge of the academic marketing and the advisory office. The next challenge was my position within EF Education, where I was Country Product Manager and opened an office, for the company, in Ticino. After 2 years I experienced the work within the Online department of EF main office in Zurich as Online Manager. I moved to Lausanne and started a job as marketing assistant within Aligro. When I moved to Bern I found this amazing job at franz&rené as campaign manager.

Why did you choose a career at franz&rené?

After years in the "clients" role, I wanted to know the content and working process in an agency. So I switched "on the other side" where I follow several important clients and campaigns.

What is your current role/duties?

As campaign manager I am the middle-woman between the client and the creatives in our agency. I am a project manager for the campaigns, in charge of clients relation, timing, quality and budget. I keep care about relations with all suppliers and follow the clients needs in the whole process from the briefing to the campaign launch.

In your opinion, what are the qualities necessary for a successful career at franz&rené?

Working in a agency requires an extreme flexibility and organizational talent. Working on several clients and projects with different budgets and timelines needs continuous monitoring and follow ups. Collaboration with clients and creatives on the other hand requires a fine feeling for people and a good communication skill and in particular listening capacity. Understanding the clients' brief, his goals, asking the right questions, preparing the ideal strategy and "translating" his needs for the creatives are the main tasks. Finding a match between creative's inspirations and the clients needs is not always a simple task and needs a lot of diplomacy. Negotiation skills for best media prices/placements is as well a required quality.
And finally...the capacity of understanding which idea is fitting to the clients needs and which strategy brings his campaign goals to its best.
Working in a agency can be stressful, it's a job with continuous deadlines, discussions, compromises and adaptions, but it's as well extremely thrilling, motivating and engaging.

What are USI’s positive featuresand qualities?

Definitively the size, the high content quality and the continuous adaptation to the market needs.

What competences and/or skills acquired in your USI Study Program have been useful/are useful to your professional career?

I think that the strategic content aspects, the personal interactions, the case studies and the 360° approach to communication definitively formed my mindset and my working attitude positively and prepared me at its best for this very dynamic working area.

What is your advice to USI students entering the job market?

Be open, try out different things, be humble and don't expect the companies adapting to your needs from the very beginning. Be mobile and don't be afraid of working in different languages. It's hard in the beginning, but the best "life school". Be always up to date and never stop being curious.
In communication everything changes very fast and you need to be on top of these changes. Social Media is just an example, but there are hundreds more. Enjoy what you do and never settle down completely. Go for it!