Alyssa Stang has built a marketing career the fun way: by saying “yes” to big brands, big moves, and big questions about what people actually want.
She started at Kraft Foods on an iconic product (yes, Cheez Whiz), then took her consumer-centered approach overseas with Philips in the Netherlands before returning to the U.S. for a food-lover’s dream role at HEB in Texas—traveling the world to source products customers would love at the right price.
Now back in Wisconsin as a Senior Instructor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Alyssa blends marketing theory with hands-on, project-based learning—helping students find their strengths, build real skills, and start shaping careers that aren’t defined by a title, but by meaningful work and the people around them.
Tell us about your career path in marketing and how you ended up at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a professor?
My career in marketing started with an internship at Kraft Foods which led to a full-time job there after getting my undergraduate degree at UW Madison. My first assignment at Kraft was working on an iconic Brand, Cheez Whiz. I then became part of a cross functional team of people that took a product from concept stage to shelf. This was a tremendous experience getting to see how all functional areas of a company come together to successfully design and launch a new product based on a thorough understanding of the consumer.
From here I then took this initial opportunity to understand consumer behavior and design products that met consumer demand to many different companies and many different countries across the world.
Included in this extensive list is Phillips Electronics in the Netherlands and HEB grocery store in Texas.
I eventually came back to my home state of Wisconsin to be closer to family and was fortunate to be given the opportunity to teach at the University of Wisconsin Madison. I was now able to instruct students not only in the theory of marketing research and consumer behavior but the application of these important theories to real world examples from my diverse set of industry experiences.
Looking back on your past jobs, what has been your biggest career lesson and how have you changed because of that?
Knowing that it is not about the job title or even the company or industry that makes a career fulfilling. It is about what that job does and who you interact with. For example, working in electronics or food, I still was able to be a part of understanding consumers and bringing the right products to them. Working with people from around the world added to this experience and helped me grow as a person as I met and interacted with people from many diverse cultures.
Based on your experience from prior jobs to your current position, what aspect or field of marketing has been your favorite to work in?
I really enjoyed my time at the grocery company in Texas, HEB. While working there my focus was to understand our customers behavior and needs, travel the world to find products that would meet those needs and bring them to the grocery store shelf at the right price. Basically, I travelled, ate, and bought food and beverages from around the world as my job. It was not only interesting as I love to travel and see new cultures but also, to be successful, I knew that the consumer had to be at the center of all the decisions made to bring a product to shelf no matter where in the world it was sourced.
You worked for multiple food related companies until taking a break to work for Philip Consumer Electronics, and then returning to the food industry at HEB. What caused this break in the food industry related jobs, and why did you return?
This is an excellent question, and it was one of the most challenging changes to my career. I had an opportunity to live overseas in Belgium and since I had always wanted to live in Europe, I moved there without having a job yet. Like any good marketer, I looked at the market around where I was living and identified companies that could benefit from my background. Eventually after a lot of searching and networking, I was offered a job as a manager at Philips in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Here I managed a department of people whose mission was to understand our consumer’s needs and find suppliers from around the world who could help meet those needs through innovative designs and technology.
The interesting thing was that it really drove home the point that the process or theory of effective marketing is the same whether you are dealing with food or in this case electronics.
I returned to food as I was ready to come back to the US and had an opportunity to work at HEB.
Can you discuss some of the daily responsibilities you have had while working at UW-Madison?
Overall, I see my job as senior instructor at UW Madison as a guide to students in their learning journey. This is the focus of my day-to-day activities as I decide the content, layout, and activities the students will do throughout the semester. It is all so that they have a collaborative learning environment that enables them to not only understand the theory of marketing research and consumer behavior but also how that theory is applied.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most, that makes you look forward to going to work every day?
As I am sure my students will tell you, I am very passionate about the semester long group project. My strength as an instructor is in the application of theory through my many jobs and I hope to bring that into the classroom by guiding students through a project that is based on real world market opportunities or challenges.
As someone who attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, what do you value most about having the opportunity to teach UW students marketing?
I value most the ability to come back and be a part of this world class University helping students realize their career dreams whether it be in marketing or any other field they choose.
Based on your past experiences, what skills have you learned that you think are necessary for individuals working in marketing?
Analytical, creative, and communication skills are the top three that come to mind. Although, the most important skill that has helped me the most is more of a mindset which is a consumer focus in all decisions. It is sometimes called being the voice of the consumer. Realizing that your customer should always be foremost in everything that you do to make a business successful.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter the marketing industry but isn’t sure how or where they fit in?
Talk to everyone you can about marketing. Gain as much knowledge as possible from people working in marketing (network, have informational interviews with people in the industry, read articles, etc.).
Knowing what you know now, what tips would you give your younger self coming out of college about looking for a job?
Have your career goal in mind as you look for a job and use that to continuously network, talk to people in industry (i.e., informational interviews) and read everything you can find.
What I mean by a career goal is not so much a specific job or job title but more of having an understanding about what it is about marketing that you love. For me, it was being part of understanding a consumer and using that understanding to develop (or source) amazing products that would delight customers. That is what guided me throughout my entire career or job search and led me to work for companies like Philips and HEB and eventually gave me the ability to be an effective instructor.
