For 10 weeks in the summer of 2025, before my last year of college, I was able to intern at Kohl’s Corporate in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin along with 150 other interns spread throughout areas of the company. I was on the marketing creative concept team in which I was able to take part in hands-on projects, deepen my understanding of Kohl’s branding, and develop creative pieces that contributed to impactful campaigns.I participated and brought in creative work to present in high level meetings to visualize written concepts given from strategy. I was also able to participate in a Shark Tank competition within the marketing area in which we were tasked to bridge a gap at Kohls, and got the chance to volunteer at Penfeild Children’s center in Milwaukee.
Kohl’s 10 Week Internship- Creative Concept Marketing
FOCUSES
Adhere to brand guidelines
Branding & Visual Identity
Mood Boarding
Strategy
Broadcast
Commercials
Presentations
Men’s Private Label New Brand
Position Statement: Brand (Z) is rooted in youthfulness and speaks to both young men and those young at heart. At its core is individuality - expressed through fit, texture & lived-in washes. The brand highlights self-expression without compromising everyday wearability - offering styles that feel personal, relevant and effortlessly versatile at a great value.
Business Objective: Acquire New Young Men’s Customer, actively acquire new male customers aged 18-34 from mass retailers offering young men’s brands, and capture & gain market share with the “young minded” audience.
Customer Overview: He seeks a brand that provides quality, easy-to-wear options that enhances his personal style, making it simple to build a versatile wardrobe that reflects who he is. He defines “versatility” as items suitable for everyday use rather than occasion-based. He wants clothing that allows him to express his individuality, while still being functional in casual and everyday settings. He integrates his personal style with broader lifestyle choices – expressing himself through his wardrobe.
He is:
Adventurous: Open to new experiences and exploring different paths
Confident: Self-assured in his life choices and priorities
Authentic: Unapologetically true to himself
Independent: Seeks opportunities to show off his individuality in a way that feels personal and relatable
Potential Product:
Competitor Benchmarks:
Brand Moodboarding
NEO-NOSTALGIA
Neo-Nostalgic: mixing new ideas with vintage styles, which is having a comeback especially, mens fashion.
Cursive/decorative fonts to enhance nostalgia, or differing sans (serif) font weights to enhance the authentic self
The color palette draws on pickleball/golf greens with an off-white to contrast.
Photography focuses on studio shots, comparable to competitors, but with lifestyle campaign photos to enhance real life moments
Name consideration: Dalston Project, Early Standard
MODERN MINIMALIST FLARE
Minimalist is a simple design approach that focuses on reducing a design to its essential elements
Clean minimalist fonts such as a sans serif or a mix of sans serif with accent cursive elements will complete the mix of minimalism and flare
The color palette draws on neutral tones with pops of color
Photography is in studio, with a mix of posters/physical elements to enhance the lifestyle
Name consideration: Anydays Club, Early Standard
COOL HERITAGE
Emphasizes clean lines, and natural materials like wicker and rattan, alongside casual fabrics like linen and cotton.
A bold, modern sans serif font with an artistic flare could combine with a script font to evoke the neo-nostalgic vibe.
The color palette draws inspiration from cool-toned blues and earthy textured naturals.
Photography is in-studio with neutral backdrops. This enhances the clothing style and natural textures.
Name considerations: Anydays Club, Dalston, Sutton Club
UNAPOLOGETICALLY BOLD
The brand evokes unconventional elements to create a bold and distinctive style.
Sans serif typography can be enhanced with a type bleed, or a serif font with a mix of a semi-bold and semi-bold italic within one type family to enhance an edgy feel.
The color palette has a stark contrast of black and off-white to accentuate the bold and daring brand.
Photography focuses on life-photos with neutral scenery, with occasional studio-driven pieces. Accentuate detail-crops and creative crops.
Name consideration: Civic Threads
Finalist Moodboard & Logo Ideas
Moodboard Design Credit: Nicole Lynch
Within this project I was able to pitch my ideas, along with my other team members up to the SVP of creative level. Although none of my mood boards made it to the finals, I did get to experiment with a few logos before my internship wrapped up.
Kohl’s October Broadcast
Assignment: Develop one :15s video spot that drives urgency to shop Kohl’s during the Lowest Prices of the Season event.
Messaging hierarchy:
Kohl’s Mom bumper (captured at Fall shoot)
Find great deals on quality essentials for the family and home
Feature 3-4 specific offers / items at a price
Considerations:
Signal quality as part of value equation
Directional product priorities
W/M/K: sweaters, fleece, outerwear, denim, LS tees, intimates, sleepwear
Home: bedding, kitchen appliances, toys, seasonal decor
Ftw/Acc/Beauty: boots, makeup
Note: Kohl’s Mom bumper means no on-fig in rest of spot
Managers: Kelly Galbraith & Lane Petrauskas Art Director: Nicole Lynch Designer: Katie Scaffidi Copywriter: Emily Uecker
Spanish Version
Creative Agency: Triptent
Marketing Shark Tank
Theme: customer loyalty and brand connection
Prompt: Anchoring on Kohl’s mission to put families first, create a marketing plan that aims to strengthen customer loyalty and foster deeper band connections by engaging new, existing, and loyalist customers in a 10 minute presentation.
Our Goal: To create an omni channel strategy highlighting on trend, high quality pieces within proprietary assortments, driving relevancy and brand connection amongst shopers
I focused on strategy, presentation look, and all forms of ad graphics shown in the presentation.
VISUAL APPLICATION FOR THE KOHL’S MARKETING INTERNSHIP
Overview: Kohl’s purpose as a company is to inspire and empower families to lead fulfilled lives–to let our customers know that the things that make their lives better are within their reach. As a creative marketing department, it is our job to bring that purpose to life through design in our marketing channels.
Prompt: After researching Lauren Conrad and Little Co., create a print example a customer would receive in the mail, an email, and a social media post that showcase that brand.
