Get to Know our Team: A Q&A with Judi Prugger, Digital Marketing Strategist

Q&A: Get to Know Judi Prugger, Digital Marketing Strategist, Real Food Bar

Judi Prugger has served as a Digital Marketing Strategist for Real Food Bar May – August 2020. We are sharing her unique insights working with our team and partnering directly with our founder, Anna Sullivan. She can be reached directly at: [email protected] or through her LinkedIn here.

Where are you from? Where do you go to school? 

Originally, I am from Italy but I am living abroad for 7 years already now (mostly in Austria and the US). I underwent an internship with Real Food Bar in conjunction with my master’s program in International Marketing at Hult International Business School in Boston.

What drew you to marketing? What fascinates you about it and what aspects do you enjoy the most?

Before my digital marketing internship at Real Food Bar, I worked as Senior Audit Assistant at Deloitte in Vienna. Deloitte has proved to be a highly dynamic and international environment where I had the opportunity the improve my overall business knowledge, my teamwork, and particularly my analytical skills. Having had the possibility to look into various businesses while providing a financial service to help them succeed for 2.5 years, I discovered marketing as another way to enhance their success. Especially my exposure to CPG companies triggered my desire to work closely with a product I personally enjoy and a job that is more human and creative. Ultimately, my journey led me back to business school to learn more about digital marketing. 

What fascinates me about marketing are the endless learning opportunities in the field of marketing but also in the industry you are working in. The aspects of marketing I enjoy the most are the ability to inspire and educate people, be creative, and support a company with a mission that is meaningful.

Tell us more about your experience interning for Real Food Bar. What are a few projects you worked on and is there something in particular that you learned (e.g. about marketing, the brand, the industry, etc.)? 

Since my start as a digital marketing strategist I strategized, executed, and optimized digital marketing efforts across social media channels, email marketing, and the brand website. More specifically, I created a content calendar, ran email campaigns, worked on SEO, and partnership outreach. In addition, I had the opportunity to support the launch of the new vegan bars.

I gained a lot of marketing knowledge at master’s school as it was a marketing-specific program. However, at Real Food Bar I finally had the opportunity to make use of my knowledge in a real-life scenario, which implied learning a lot of new things and learning by doing. For instance, I learned how to use a new ESP and a new social media management tool, I learned to work with WooCommerce, learned about new trends in marketing, and I had the opportunity to improve my graphic design skills (Adobe).

In addition, I gained a lot of industry knowledge. Specifically, the snack bar industry and plant-based foods industry. With consumers becoming more health and environmentally conscious, the consumption of snacks and healthier food is increasing. It’s incredible to think that plant-based food sales increased five times faster than overall U.S. retail food sales over the last years.

Lastly, I learned about the most important skills to thrive in a startup environment. They include industry and competitor knowledge, the ability to juggle many priorities simultaneously, problem-solving skills, and strong verbal and written communication skills. Other skills that are important specifically for marketing are graphic design skills for content creation, networking skills to establish partnerships, coding skills to understand how a website functions in order to better optimize the customer journey.

Has this experience helped you with the next role in your career? 

My internship at Real Food Bar was an insightful and fun learning experience which helped me to set foot in a new career path and industry. I had the opportunity to look into many areas of digital marketing, be creative, and come up with ideas and suggestions to help the company succeed. In addition, I was able to learn about the food industry including market trends. These are valuable experiences employers are looking for.

What do you do in your free time?

In my free time, I love to be active, spend time in nature, cook, travel, and be surrounded by friends and family.

What is your ideal scenario for eating a Real Food Bar? Tell us how you like eating them. Put us in your shoes by setting the scene. 

I love to be active, I love healthy, tasty food, and I love coffee. That’s why eating a Real Food Bar on the peak of a mountain after a long hike accompanied by a cup of freshly brewed coffee (e.g. Hiker’s Brew Pouch) would be my ideal scenario. I love eating them when I crave a sweet treat or I am hungry and just need a snack for more energy. They satisfy me, make me feel healthy, and energized.

Last but final somewhat but not really serious question: what should our next flavor be and what should we call it? Get as creative as you like. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter OR Banana Chip Chocolate Peanut Butter!