Malika Vitarigova

Alumna 2015
Licenciada en Administración y Dirección de Empresas

Stirring her malinova limonada, she told me her story of transitioning from student to project manager. Much more seamless than most, she told me she had an advertising class with a professor who was also the Art Director at Havas Prague that woke her interest in advertising. She applied to Havas shortly after graduating in 2015, got the job, started as a trainee, and now she’s the Project Manager for the pharmaceutical company “Sanofi” for their Russian markets.

What were some of the biggest learning curve you had to overcome on the way from starting as a Trainee to a Project Manager today?
Probablemente algunas de ellas son trabajar bajo un gran estrés (gran cantidad de trabajo, plazos ajustados) y ser capaz de lograr resultados elevados.

Aunque todos hemos realizado muchas tareas a la vez en la universidad, en el trabajo se pasa al siguiente nivel, donde tienes más responsabilidades. La segunda es cómo combinar todas las tareas que tienes que hacer para mantener satisfechas a todas las partes interesadas.

Lo tercero es aprender a comunicarse con personas muy diferentes para que todo funcione. Cuando eres gestor de proyectos o de cuentas, eres el responsable del resultado final, así que tienes que implicar a todos los recursos y personas necesarios.

Mis habilidades favoritas son el pensamiento crítico y la resolución de problemas. Cuando cada reto es una oportunidad de ponerte a prueba y ver lo que eres capaz de conseguir, el trabajo se vuelve mucho más interesante y satisfactorio. Así puedes crecer profesional y personalmente.

¿Qué te intrigaba de la publicidad?
The most intriguing thing about advertising is that it’s always with us, it grows, changes. It’s never stopping process, which is very interesting to observe and understand.

Also I was always curious of how psychological skills can help you in business, so it’s the best place to learn it.

A lot of people’s first reaction to advertising is that is manipulative. What do you think?
Of course the goal of advertising is to sell, and there are manipulative ads, but it all depends on the point of view you have. Since my client is a pharmaceutical company, I see that advertising for this company is not only about “please buy my medicine”, but also about informing doctors and other medical workers about rare diseases and treatments for them, as an example.

Hay tanta gente, empresas y anuncios en este mundo, que no se puede decir que toda la publicidad sea manipuladora y malvada, todo depende del objetivo inicial de los vendedores y anunciantes y de su forma de vender.

I love this quote you said; “We’re always advertising”. Can you elaborate?
Actually, this quote got to me after reading a book called “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be” by Paul Arden, who was Creative Director in Saatchi & Saatchi. The main thought of this quote is that there are many ways when people advertise themselves and their beliefs in ordinary life without even noticing it. Personal life, religions, different ideologies, the list of the spheres, which just are not official ways of advertising, can be very long.

¿Cómo crees que ha evolucionado y está evolucionando la publicidad?
It’s very quickly moving from the traditional channels to social media and digital, so now the stakes for these ways of advertising are very high. People are more and more aware of the psychological ways of influence, companies are more transparent, so now it’s not only about selling the product, but also about creating connections between brands and target audience.

Las tendencias de los medios sociales están cambiando progresando cada día, por lo que ahora tienes que estar en modo de aprendizaje constante.

Escribiste tu tesis sobre Marks & Spencer. ¿Por qué?
We were discussing different companies with financial problems during one of my classes, and Marks & Spencer got first to my mind. It’s a brand which produces very good quality clothes but doesn’t have very strong communication towards one of the fastest growing target markets – younger adults. The goal of my thesis was to think of Strategic marketing plan for Marks & Spencer.

I’m one of those kind of people who love to challenge themselves by finding a problem and trying to come up with a solution for it, so this company was a great choice for me. I thought of the ways how to involve younger generations in buying M&S clothes.

What was/ were your most influential classes at AAU?
“Intro to Advertising” was certainly the most influential class. During these lectures I finally understood in which sphere I want to grow, I finally understood what I want to do in the nearest futures. Since my teacher Alena Foustkova has worked in Havas Prague, she was the one, who motivated me to dream of getting there. And now it’s already 1 year and 7 months of me working in this company.

Aside from a degree, what are some of the other soft things you left AAU with?
I left AAU with a strong feeling of gratitude. Gratitude to this university for giving me the education, great environment and chance to meet great people from all around the world. It includes both students, professors, faculty and staff. I think I will always feel very nostalgic towards AAU. It was a great place to find yourself, what you want to do in life.

Not only is your office in beautiful architectural masterpiece with a great view, you’re in Letna, one of Prague’s up and coming neighborhoods. What are the best lunch spots on your radar?
Definitely, some of the best places in our area are Bar Cobra, Cafe Letka, Farm Letna, Mr. Hot Dog. And you want some coffee, you shouldn’t be disappointed of it in places like Dos Mundos, Bistro 8, Solista espresso bar.