Alumna Vanessa Markopoulos pursues passion for brand marketing
| December 13, 2017 |
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by Virginia Barreda
School of Communication alumna Vanessa Markopoulos recalls everyone at Loyola being 鈥渦niversally鈥� kind to her as a student.
鈥淚f you needed help with something, I never worried that I couldn鈥檛 ask,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was always a sense of community that I really loved.鈥�
Now, Markopoulos is helping her clients solve their own problems as a digital marketing manager at The Habitat Company, a residential real estate management and development business in Chicago.
Vanessa Markopoulos graduated from the SOC in 2012 with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations.
As a Chicago native, Markopoulos knew she wanted a university close to home.
鈥淭here was such an attraction going to a school in the middle of the big city,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 looked at other schools in the Chicago area, but I kept coming back to LUC. I just knew it was the right one.鈥�
Markopoulos was a marketing major in the Quinlan School of Business, until she realized she could pursue a different side of business.
鈥淚 had this really creative side that I enjoyed鈥ut as I started taking business classes, it was pushed to way side,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I saw [advertising and public relations] as a great balance of having savvy business skills, while coming up with new and creative ideas and seeing how they would run."
She transferred into the SOC her sophomore year, and held onto a marketing minor.
While her in-house marketing role at The Habitat Company is 鈥渢o manage all of our properties,鈥� Markopoulos said no day at the office is the same.
鈥淚 work to make sure we鈥檙e competitive from a digital perspective,鈥� she said. 鈥淸That includes] social media, campaign strategies, working with internet listing service (ILS) partners to allow us to hash out a plan, getting vendors at the door鈥︹��
Additionally, Markopoulos said she is always trying to 鈥渂eef up鈥� the company's social media account and website, keeping it up-to-date.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always working on having more videos out there, being more progressive with company and catching up with the times,鈥� she said.
She also teaches experienced colleagues and managers how to work with digital media. 鈥淭here are people who鈥檝e worked at the company for 25 years, and don鈥檛 know the digital media side,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 help educate them.鈥�
Markopoulos said she was drawn to Loyola鈥檚 Jesuit values and the school鈥檚 quickly-evolving campus.
鈥淭he school was making so many changes 鈥� like building a lakefront,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was something very appealing and enticing about [Loyola]鈥� it just clicked.鈥�
One of her favorite courses was communication and conflict management taught by Professor Gilda Parrella, Ph.D.
鈥淚 took it back then thinking it was going to be a piece of pie,鈥� Markopoulos said. 鈥淲hen I took it, I thought 鈥榟oly smokes this is insane鈥�.鈥�
Parrella transformed theory into real-life experiences in class, according to Markopoulos. She was fascinated with her professor鈥檚 in-depth teaching methods. 鈥淚t opened my eyes to deal with people and deal with issues 鈥� a skill that she said is still relevant in her job today.
鈥淚 learned that everyone has a different personality, different skills and handle their conflicts differently. Being able to harness our skills has been useful,鈥� Markopoulos said.
Parrella said Markopoulos was a 鈥渧ery engaged and lively student who was eager to participate in all the course exercises鈥� and 鈥渂rought strong, positive energy to the class.鈥�
Markopoulos said that Public Relations and Digital Media Associate Professor David Kamerer, Ph.D., who taught her new media campaign course, also told great stories about real-life experiences that resonated with her.
鈥淵ou could read the information in the textbook, but it鈥檚 nice to hear about someone鈥檚 experiences in the field, she said. 鈥淗e made it easy to be in class and to learn and understand a concept.鈥�
When Markopoulos was in school, the idea of digital marketing was new and 鈥渞evolutionary,鈥� according to Kamerer. A small group of people tended to enroll in the class, but were rewarded with 鈥渇resh, cutting-edge information.鈥�
鈥淣ot every student could see that revolution,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut [Markopoulos] could.鈥�
Markopoulos鈥� early understanding of digital marketing has served her well in her career.
After graduating from Loyola, Markopoulos worked as a marketing associate at Digital Design Corporation, an engineering consulting firm based in suburban Chicago.
Her hands-on experience involved sales pitches, managing distribution, traveling to trade shows and re-launching the company鈥檚 web presence
After two years, she tried her hand in two larger agencies, One North Interactive then Civilian, before coming back to an in-house environment at The Habitat Company.
Markopoulos said she wants to continue pursuing a hand-on, in-house marketing career.
鈥淚 have a passion for brand marketing,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I feel most comfortable. I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 because that where my first gig was鈥�.there are always new challenges, opportunities and changes. It keeps my job exciting.鈥�
Markopoulos encourages others to also follow their own passions with hard work and diligence.
鈥淚 tell people that as far as when they鈥檙e trying to define themselves and work in a field, push yourself,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ecause that鈥檚 where you鈥檒l reap rewards.鈥�