Diving into Consumer Marketing at Apple

Becky Lin (MMM '25) spent her summer supporting the Apple Cash team while getting hands-on experience with business-to-consumer marketing.

On March 13, 2015, Becky Lin (MMM '25) found herself outside Apple's global headquarters in Cupertino, California, ready for training as a campus representative.

Nine years later to the day, Lin signed paperwork securing her internship with the tech company. She spent this summer back in Cupertino supporting the Apple Cash team.

Apple Cash is a digital card built into Apple Wallet on iPhones. The peer-to-peer payment system allows users to use their phone to pay at stores or transfer money to contacts through iMessage, or by bringing two iPhones together.

“I was super excited about working on a product that millions of people use,” Lin said. “Because I hadn't worked on products before the summer, it was a really cool and new experience for me.”

That was Lin's goal when she first started Northwestern's MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM) program — a dual-degree program between Northwestern Engineering and the Kellogg School of Management. She entered the program with plenty of business-to-business (B2B) experience, but she knew she lacked opportunities in business-to-consumer positions (B2C). She wanted an internship that would provide her with that B2C experience.

The Apple internship did just that.

"I knew I wanted to move over to B2C," Lin said. "I had a great time doing B2B marketing, but I wanted to work closer with consumer products in tech. I was flexible in terms of whether that meant product management or product marketing, but I knew I wanted to work with something that has a lot of impact. By working on a marketing plan for Apple Cash, I got exactly that."

Lin developed a data-focused skill set during her internship that she hopes will help her find a rewarding post-MMM job.

The MMM program’s reputation should help, she said. She saw it play a role in landing the Apple internship.

“My manager worked with a MMM intern a few years ago at a different company and had a great experience,” Lin said. “When she saw my resume, she recognized the program and said, ‘I want to interview this person.'”

That brand recognition was part of the allure of the MMM program for Lin. She said the first year of classes was full of lessons she could apply to her internship and that the internship, in turn, gave her knowledge to take back for her second year in the program.

MMM’s Research - Design - Build course was particularly useful at Apple, Lin said. That course is a hands-on studio class with a strong focus on innovation based on user needs. It gives students the opportunity to solve complex challenges for real clients.

“Going through that process of figuring out what innovation is to the client, looking at what insights you derive from first-hand customer research, and then creating solutions, that was all really helpful,” she said. “It helped me hone in on the end result I was looking for and how I could reach customers where they are, in a way that makes sense to them.”

With her internship complete, Lin is now focused on bringing an entrepreneurial mindset to her second year in MMM. Her goal is to launch a line of scented lip balms designed to pay homage to Asian heritage. Early ideas for scents include lychee and bubble tea, which originated in Taiwan.

She also wants to build on her Apple experience and dive further into consumer marketing.

“Constant measuring and testing is exactly what I would be doing with my own brand,” she said. “Apple was unique in my career experiences so far because they have so much access to data. They want to understand how their efforts are moving the needle. That's something I want to take forward into my journey as an entrepreneur and begin really understanding the rewards I'm getting from my efforts.”