Kickstart your marketing career by exploring internships in digital marketing, brand management, and SEO with top UK companies
What is a marketing internship?
A marketing internship is a structured work placement designed to help you develop practical experience in marketing and communications. You'll apply your skills to real campaigns, real audiences and real commercial objectives.
Most internships run for eight to 12 weeks, often over the summer. However, some programmes last three to six months, while others offer year long industrial placements depending on the employer and scheme structure.
What marketing internships are available?
Opportunities are available across agencies, global brands, tech companies, charities and more. The organisation you choose will shape the experience you gain.
Advertising and marketing agencies
Agency internships differ from in house roles because you usually work across multiple clients instead of focusing on one brand.
- Havas UK - 10 week internships across creative, digital, account management and strategic planning teams.
- WPP - placements within media, branding, data and communications agencies such as Ogilvy and Mindshare. Interns support campaign research, client reporting and creative development.
Retail and consumer goods
These placements often focus on consumer behaviour, brand positioning and measurable commercial impact.
- Adidas - three month internships delivering multichannel campaigns, tracking digital performance and supporting analytics
- Amazon - 12 month internships involving data led marketing strategy, campaign planning and customer insights
- Dyson - three month roles specialising in campaign optimisation, search engine optimisation (SEO) and analytics in a tech led environment
- Lego - year long internships supporting internal and external communications for major franchises
- L'Oréal - ten week summer programmes across brand and marketing functions
- Procter & Gamble (P&G) - ten week internships working on live product launches and digital campaigns for brands such as Head & Shoulders and Pampers
- Tesco - 11 month placements in CRM and brand marketing, with exposure to loyalty strategy and data led campaigns.
Technology and digital platforms
These internships often involve performance marketing, analytics and reactive digital campaigns.
- Adobe - internship placements in digital strategy and content operations within one of the world's leading creative and marketing software companies
- Google - internships in digital strategy, performance campaigns and audience engagement
- PayPal - year long internships supporting global marketing strategy, digital optimisation and market research
- Samsung - year long roles in product marketing and management, shaping how technology products are positioned and promoted.
Media and entertainment
Marketing in this sector combines creativity with audience data to build engagement and subscriptions.
- NBCUniversal - 12 month placements across film and TV marketing, including media planning, brand activity and events
- Girls in Marketing - short virtual programmes building digital marketing knowledge and confidence
- Sky - year long internships contributing to advertising campaigns, customer insight analysis and content promotion
- TikTok - 12 week summer internships supporting content strategy, influencer campaigns, and brand marketing
- Warner Bros. UK - 10 week summer placements with interns supporting campaign planning for TV channels and children's brands.
Engineering and manufacturing
Expect to work on business-to-business (B2B) marketing, technical products and long term brand positioning.
- BMW Group - year long placements in digital marketing, communications and brand strategy
- Scottish Power - ten week internships supporting marketing and communications for sustainability projects
- Siemens - year long roles in marketing and communications, including event management and recruitment marketing.
Charity and not-for-profit
These roles typically focus on storytelling, public engagement and donor communications rather than commercial sales.
- Bridging Barriers - digital marketing internships managing social channels and monitoring performance
- Cancer Research - 12 week internships supporting fundraising campaigns and digital communications
- Macmillan Cancer Support - 12 week summer roles liaising with clinicians and commissioners
- Rainbow Trust Children's Charity - three month internships in marketing, PR and digital communications.
How are marketing internships and spring weeks different?
Internships are usually aimed at penultimate year students, though many companies now offer shorter programmes for first year students, often called spring weeks or insight days.
Spring weeks:
- focus on learning about the company and its culture
- help you explore whether a company or sector is a good match
- last one to five days
- typically run around Easter.
During a spring week, you might:
- attend presentations on marketing strategy and campaigns
- meet marketing teams and network with employees
- receive guidance on applications and careers in marketing
- take part in workshops or mini case studies.
Companies offering marketing insight days and spring weeks include:
Publicis Groupe, for example, runs insight days through its Showcase programme, giving students a taste of agency life and exposure to different marketing disciplines.
Performing well can increase your chances of being selected for a summer internship or graduate scheme. Even if you don't secure a placement, insight days help you understand what employers expect, build your network and demonstrate genuine interest in marketing.
What do marketing internships involve?
Marketing interns contribute to live campaigns and measurable business goals. At Sky, for example, interns on the eight week summer placement help deliver advertising activity, explore customer insight, support product launches and analyse results with internal teams and external agencies.
At L'Oréal, interns support digital campaigns, product launches and social media strategy, gaining insight into how a global brand drives engagement.
Common responsibilities include:
- increasing email open rates using A/B testing
- improving social engagement through audience analysis
- presenting campaign insights to senior stakeholders
- supporting product launches that attract significant website traffic.
You're also likely to use industry standard tools such as:
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Canva
- Google Ads and Google Analytics 4
- HubSpot or Salesforce
- Mailchimp or Klaviyo
- Meta Business Manager.
Start ups and scale ups also recruit marketing interns. In smaller teams, you may take on broader responsibilities and gain faster exposure to multiple areas of marketing.
For more information, see our guide to internships.
What are the benefits of a marketing internship?
Beyond pay, internships help you build a strong professional network. The connections you make - managers, colleagues and industry contacts - can lead to mentorship, references and even job offers.
Many large employers use internships as a direct pipeline into their graduate schemes. Strong performance can fast track your progression into brand management or commercial roles.
Even without an immediate job offer, you'll leave with measurable achievements, industry experience and growing commercial awareness.
Discover jobs in marketing.
What will I earn on a marketing internship?
In the UK, interns who are classed as 'workers' must legally be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. This typically applies when you:
- aren't simply shadowing staff for experience
- carry out tasks that directly benefit the organisation
- have set working hours.
It's important to read your contract carefully so you understand whether you're entitled to a wage.
Most paid marketing internships fall within the equivalent annual range of £20,000 to £28,000, with pay typically offered on a pro rata basis - meaning your salary is calculated proportionally to the length of your placement.
For example, if a role pays £24,000 per year and you join for three months, you'd be paid a quarter (£6,000) of that amount.
Some employers offer above this range. Marketing interns at L'Oréal are paid £20,000 pro rata, while at Tesco, you could earn £26,000. The salary for Sky's marketing interns is £27,010 per year pro rata.
London‑based placements exceed £28,000 once adjusted pro rata, with Cancer Research paying interns at the London Living Wage (£13.45 per hour).
Am I eligible?
Marketing internships are competitive. Employers typically look for:
- analytical thinking
- commercial awareness
- creativity and problem solving
- familiarity with digital tools and social platforms
- strong communication skills.
Discover what skills employers want.
Academic requirements vary. Some employers ask for a minimum degree classification, while others are open to school leavers or students in the early stages of their studies.
While Sky welcome undergraduates from any degree discipline, other employers look for students studying relevant subjects. For example, Scottish Power requires interns to be current undergraduates in:
- communications
- marketing
- stakeholder engagement.
When should I apply?
Large employers typically open applications between September and December for the following summer. Deadlines may close in January, and some companies recruit on a rolling basis.
Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) often advertise throughout the year and may run shorter, more flexible processes.
To maximise success:
- apply as soon as applications open - some programmes fill spots on a rolling basis
- research vacancies early - so you can tailor your application effectively
- track deadlines carefully - set reminders for opening and closing dates.
How do I find marketing internships?
Securing a marketing internship usually means taking a proactive approach. A good starting point is checking specialist job boards which regularly feature roles across agencies, brands and non‑profits, such as:
Your university careers service is also a valuable resource. Alongside CV feedback and practice interviews, it often provides access to exclusive employer partnerships and events that can help you strengthen your applications and discover new opportunities.
Social media can play an equally important role in your search. Following companies you're interested in and engaging professionally with recruitment agencies on platforms like LinkedIn can help you to demonstrate genuine interest in marketing.
Maintaining a professional online presence - whether by sharing marketing insights, commenting on campaigns or showcasing your own creative work - helps reinforce your enthusiasm for the sector. Read our guidance on social media and job hunting.
It's also worth looking beyond well known brands. Small businesses and non‑profits frequently offer flexible roles with the chance to take initiative and gain experience across multiple areas of marketing.
Don't be afraid to send speculative applications either; reaching out directly can be surprisingly effective, especially when you clearly highlight the value you can add and the skills you're keen to develop.
How do I make my application a success?
Competition for marketing internships can be intense. To stand out, your CV and cover letter need to be carefully tailored to the role.
Rather than submitting a generic job application, show clearly how your skills, experience and interests align with the specific requirements outlined in the job description. See our example internship cover letter for detailed guidance.
As marketing is a practical and creative field, visible proof of your ability - drawing on relevant coursework, part time work, volunteering or personal projects - can make a real difference. Creating a simple online portfolio- whether that's a polished LinkedIn profile or a personal website - lets you showcase:
- analytics dashboards
- campaign mock ups
- design work or writing samples.
This gives employers a clearer picture of your capability and potential.
It's also important to prepare for multi stage selection processes. Many employers use assessment centres to evaluate how you think and work, so you may be asked to:
- analyse a real campaign
- develop a mock social media calendar
- interpret performance data
- respond to a fictional product launch brief.
Approaching these tasks confidently requires you to be tuned into the company's audience, competitors and recent campaigns - so taking time to research the organisation thoroughly will put you in a strong position.
What happens after a marketing internship?
Strong performance during your placement can make a real difference - many interns progress into full time graduate roles, and a successful internship can translate directly into a job offer.
Even if a role isn't guaranteed, you'll still leave with valuable hands on work experience, clear evidence of your achievements and a network of professional contacts - all of which strengthen your employability and help you stand out in future applications.
As you move forward, start exploring opportunities early, continue building a portfolio that showcases real examples of your work, and treat each application as a chance to refine your personal brand and demonstrate the breadth of skills you've gained.
Find out more
- Search marketing, advertising and PR work experience opportunities.
- For other opportunities to enter the sector, see work experience.
- Discover how to ask employers for work experience.