Jake Newton

Marketing BA (Hons)

After throwing himself into several internships during his time at university, Jake was able to form relationships with the contacts he would need to get his first step on the career ladder. After starting his career at Ralph Lauren, Jake is now working as a CRM Executive for Center Parcs. 

“During secondary school, I was really interested in business and that got me into marketing. I felt like a university degree could excel me to a higher level, whilst still having the opportunities to enjoy myself, meeting new people and gaining new connections.

I remember going to the BCU Open Day and meeting all of the lecturers and some of the current students. I was instantly inspired by them all. I saw their motivation and the passion that the lecturers showed for the course really stood out for me. I knew from that moment that BCU was for me and that the lecturers were going to put all their efforts in to making their students the best that they could be, to get to where they want to be in their careers.

BCU were great in preparing me for the marketing industry after university. The tutors were always providing us with lots of work experience opportunities for us to get involved with, from in house marketing agencies to working with specific clients. I was able to take on a wide range of internships during my time at BCU, which gave me a feel for different industries, environments, skills and so much more.

The beauty of the marketing course is that ultimately, it gives you the opportunities to go into any area within the sector that you want to be in.

I landed my first graduate job with Center Parcs, following a fantastic year as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Intern at Ralph Lauren. I originally started as a CRM Assistant in May 2022, but by September of the same year, I had worked my way up and secured an Executive position. My previous years in marketing, particularly in CRM, really helped me to showcase my skills and expertise in helping to achieve this promotion.

As a CRM Executive, I get to work on projects that are crucial to the business, such as briefing, building, and deploying email campaigns to our database, to encourage engagement, clicks and conversion.

Interacting with a variety of other teams is an integral part of this role, ensuring copy, pricing, imagery, and targeting is all perfect to maximise our email campaigns. I also send last minute communications to guests to let them know important information about their booking; a crucial part of looking after our database.

But I don’t just work on external campaigns, I work on internal ones too, such as sending newsletters to all Center Parcs employees to keep them up to date on what’s happening in the business.

The balance between being creative and being technical is why I love this role; there isn’t a day that goes by when working on important campaigns that I don’t learn something new. And what makes this an even better role, is knowing you work for a great company.

My advice to other students is to take as many opportunities as you can. There will be chance to go on trips, learn about different brands, agencies and so much more. Take advantage of work placements that come your way and use Linkedin regularly to connect with people who may influence your career. Whether it's developing relationships with lecturers or students, it all helps. By the time you graduate, you'll have an abundance of contacts and experience.

For me, BCU means passion, drive and succeeding. If you're a BCU student, you will have the motivation to get where you want to be in life.”