Summer’24: Doing What Floats My BoAt

Who said that Biology majors can’t venture into creative fields?

This summer stood out for me predominantly because I completed my first internship. As a biology major, with a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching biology, you might expect that I interned at a hospital or a pharmaceutical company. But I didn't.?

Surprise! Instead, this summer I chose to immerse myself in an internship that would target other striking parts of my personality that had absolutely nothing to do with the major that I am currently pursuing. Owing to my penchant for writing and love for thinking creatively, I interned in the marketing and content team at boAt Lifestyle(yes, the well-known Indian company specializing in trendy audio wearables).? Every minute of the internship was enriching and replete with learning.?

Walking into the office on? my first day, I was nervous. This was saliently because as much as I love creative writing, I had priorly only used the skill at clubs in university, or to write poems for university and school-level competitions. This was the first time that I would be contributing my creativity to much larger-scale projects.? The marketing and content team at boAt Lifestyle helped quench my doubts by putting me on new projects every week. This gave me an idea about the different genres of content they worked with. They also equipped me with the essential skills to generate engaging content. Most importantly, they familiarized me with the procedure of launching ad campaigns and releasing content on social media. I was introduced to a whole new world of creativity and innovation that I fell in love with almost immediately.?

The best part of the internship is the fact that I was given the ability to work on live projects. Initially, I had to ideate campaign ideas for important occasions like the Paris 2024 Olympics, Independence Day, and Rakshabandhan. It might seem that coming up with ideas for such events is simple? and straightforward, but it’s not the case. I learned that campaign launches are an amalgamation of out-of-the-box ideas integrated with innovative? execution, interwoven together to deliver a meaningful message. The whole process was intriguing.? Despite working from the Mumbai office while the rest of the content team was based in Gurgaon, I learned so much and was always encouraged to voice my opinions and insights about new launches.?

After comprehending the process of campaign launches, I was put on a string of various projects that entailed generating Instagram content for the Smart Ring Active launch, writing banner copies for Amazon Prime Day, and providing the team with content for the Twitter page. That was where I first saw my work actively being used on various social media platforms. I will never forget the excitement I felt when I saw my ideas on the Twitter page and the copies that I had written on the first Instagram teaser post for the Smart Ring Active. Contributing to something meaningful was incredibly rewarding.?

While working on the aforementioned projects, my knowledge of marketing grew significantly. I learned the importance of recognizing and appealing to a brand's target audience, as well as the necessity of developing a strong brand image and marketing style. . This experience has opened my eyes to the significance of marketing and its impact on? consumers. I was constantly challenged to think outside the box, keep up with trends, and come up with engaging content while? keeping the target audience in mind. I was taught how to use creative freedom to meaningfully strike a chord with the audience while expressing the vision and values of the brand simultaneously. It was refreshing to learn about something that had nothing to do with genetics, evolution, the human body, or animals. Don’t get me wrong—I love biology, but delving into other diverse interests of mine made this summer exceptionally productive. While learning about marketing, I gained new insights about my interests.?

After six? fruitful weeks, I completed my internship—absolutely satisfied that I had the opportunity to work in a company whose products I devotedly use, contribute my creativity to something bigger than myself, and work with a team that I look up to. In 2023, boAt Lifestyle launched the #WatchHerPlay campaign for Women’s day that promoted women in sports. As someone who avidly plays and watches football, the campaign resonated with me .I felt lucky to have interacted and worked with the team that was responsible for the launch. Above all, I was fraught with gratitude that I had the opportunity to explore a new area of exploration.? This summer was more than memorable, I would tell anyone—do what floats your boAt; it's worth it.

Aisha Lowe is a UG2023 Intake student at Ashoka University. She is currently pursuing her?major in Biology.