By BECKY GAILEY
J Alumni News staff
Julia Stumkat
Five minutes after her third interview for an internship with TOMS Shoes, Julia Stumkat had the job.
Stumkat graduated from the J school’s Marketing, Communication and Advertising master’s program in December 2009. By Jan. 21, she had moved to Los Angeles and was working at TOMS headquarters as the company’s first ever international online marketing intern.
Stumkat was responsible for maintaining TOMS’ Canadian and UK websites, which included researching the different holidays and sales patterns of these countries. Stumkat’s international background and dedication to her work were good preparation for the job.
From Rostock, Germany, to Kearney, Nebraska
Stumkat grew up in Rostock, Germany, and moved to Nebraska in 2002 to attend the University of Nebraska at Kearney as part of an exchange program. After completing her undergraduate studies and working for Kearney’s local television station, Stumkat decided to study for her graduate degree at UNL.
Stumkat had a graduate assistantship that allowed her to work with her fellow German, Frauke Hachtmann, an assistant professor of advertising who is the chair of the J school’s graduate committee. Stumkat said Hachtmann became a good friend.
“Frauke was so helpful,” Stumkat said. “She had such good insight and made sure I was on track. She really inspired me because she’s been in the same position before. She really gave me strength … It’s important to have a mentor like Frauke.”
When Stumkat was working on her graduate thesis about Germany’s patriotic campaigning for the 2006 soccer World Cup, Hachtmann was able to put her in contact with a top German advertising executive.
Background, research work gave her an edge
Hachtmann said the thesis, along with Stumkat’s interest in foreign cultures, has made Stumkat a well-rounded student and given her an edge, an edge that definitely helped her earn the TOMS internship.
“She is interested in international cultures and marketing, and a lot of students don’t understand that [connection], but she has studied it with her course work and thesis” Hachtmann said. That kind of understanding is appealing to an employer.
Stumkat said working with TOMS has only reinforced her desire to work in international marketing. She would particularly like to work with the U.S. and Germany.
Along with researching and proposing campaign strategies, Stumkat was in charge of the online marketing calendars for the UK and Canada. Based on the different sales patterns and holidays, Stumkat posted promotion banners and new stories that she thought would be the most effective in each country.
“You always have to keep in mind these are different cultures, and you can’t do everything like in the U.S. … There are cultural differences, and I think some companies fail because they ignore those,” she said.
Hard work pays off
Along with this understanding of different cultures, Stumkat has an excellent work ethic, according Elise Korte, whom Stumkat met when the two worked together as graduate assistants in the J school.
“Julia impressed me right from the start,” Korte wrote in an e-mail. “It was the fall of 2007, the week before classes began, and she was already working on a project. This showed me her dedication and enthusiasm for her work and passion for her classes. It was on this first day that we went to lunch, and I knew that we would be great friends. Julia’s love for life and ‘work hard, play hard’ attitude really drew me in.”
Now that Stumkat has graduated from the MCA program and interned with TOMS, she looks forward to working for several years before pursuing another degree. Stumkat imagines that one day she may go back for her Ph.D. and ultimately become a professor.
“I want to have a job in international marketing that allows me to travel … and then when I’m older teach one or two classes while still working. I think it would be great to share those experiences. Those are the best teachers — the ones who can share their own experiences and not just repeat what is written in textbooks.”
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