From Goldsmith to Community Management: Interview with Product and Community Manager Van Anh

Hello Van Anh! Thank you for taking the time today. Please introduce yourself briefly. 

Hi, I'm Van Anh Nguyen, I'm 25 years old and actually come from the south of Baden-Württemberg. I moved to Hanau for my studies and training and have now been working here in Mainz as Product and Community Manager at Local Brand X since November 2023. 
 

Have you always been interested in product management or how did you end up at Local Brand X?  

I originally studied design management and trained as a goldsmith on the side. After that, the big question for me was whether I wanted to pursue a trade or stay in the field of my studies. I then had the feeling that I would be able to develop better in a management job and have more opportunities to work, which is how I became aware of Local Brand X.
 

As Community Manager, you are mainly responsible for maintaining and supporting the Community Center, which has been live since March. What is your experience with the Community Center so far? 

The Community Center was my first big project at Local Brand X. It took a lot of time to set up and prepare, but it was also a lot of fun and I had great support from the marketing team. I think the Community Center is constantly evolving. We have already held several Q&A calls and webinars and many customers have already signed up. I regularly fill the community with articles about the Local Marketing Platform, i.e. help, training videos or marketing articles. I hope that more customers will register in the near future and that the mutual exchange and interactions on the platform will increase. 
 

In addition to maintaining the Community Center, you also have a number of other tasks at Local Brand X. Where else do you support our team? 

As a product manager, I am also responsible for maintaining the demo portal, the knowledge center and the master system. I occasionally write concepts for new functions in the Local Marketing Platform. Another important aspect is documentation, i.e. ensuring that all content in the knowledge center is up to date and that everything is visually appealing. If necessary, I also create new articles in the system. All in all, I create and update new content and contribute to the further development of the systems and platforms. 
 

How would you describe the working atmosphere at Local Brand X and what do you like best here? 

I generally find the atmosphere here very relaxed and humorous. Sure, work is work, and of course there are stressful phases, but the atmosphere here is always pleasant. The people in the office are very cheerful and always willing to help you. You just feel like you're in good hands here. I have to admit that I had previously imagined working life to be more of a strict dress code and not much fun. I was very happy to see that the opposite is true at Local Brand X! 

The team events and office parties are always a highlight for me. I also think it's great that our office chef cooks meals for us twice a week and that we also have regular home office days here. There is also always plenty of tea, snacks and fruit. So we're well catered for when we get a little peckish. 
 

And what do you like to do when you're not working? 

I like to relax, sleep a lot and watch series, especially K-dramas and anime. I also love going out to eat. Whether it's Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese - the main thing is authentic and delicious! I also like to paint with acrylic paints on canvases or draw classically with pen on paper. Due to my long commute, I've even started a new hobby - crocheting. 

Thank you Van Anh for the interview and good luck with Local Brand X!