The following essay examples were written by an applicant who was admitted to INSEAD. These essays are intended to provide examples of successful INSEAD application essays.

Essay 1 INSEAD

Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, where relevant, employees under your supervision, budget size, clients/products, and results achieved.

I work in Coca-Cola USA’s commercial division as Shopper Marketing Manager. ‘Coca-Cola’ is the world’s most valuable beverage brand, with a turnover of $37 Billion.

My core responsibilities include:

• Developing an annual business plan for Coca-Cola.
• Developing commercial execution plans.
• Leading new variant launches to increase market share within US’s extremely competitive beverage industry.

I have adopted a data-driven approach to gain a competitive advantage and actively pursued key shopper trends to design in-store visibility plans for traditional and modern trade channels.

Taking over the role last year, I designed the full-year marketing calendar, supervised it through one direct report, and influenced an array of cross-functional teams. For example, I judiciously initiated a strategic partnership with Allied Snacks, an upcoming local snacks player, to compete with Pepsi & Lay’s pairing in the market to drive the brand’s volume. The collaboration resulted in a 30% volume increase at activated outlets. Furthermore, I spearheaded partnerships with digital platforms and explored mobile-marketing solutions, which has helped Coca-Cola gain traction in the growing e-retail segment of the US.

To accelerate the trial for Coke Zero, I identified key segments to target the right shopper. As a result, the product reached 30K outlets, the highest for the niche Diet segment.

The top management well received my efforts, and I was recognized as one of the top talents in the recent performance review for delivering unprecedented results for the brand: 25% sales growth and a market share gain of 3.3% over Pepsi strengthening Coca-Cola’s leadership. This resulted in an increase in budget by 30% to $400mn.

I am currently executing a commercial campaign aiming to churn out a share for Coca-Cola within Turkey’s huge tea market. In addition, I have identified new channels across the retail landscape and developed relevant shopper toolkits to facilitate tea-to-Coke conversions.

Furthermore, I mentor work recruiters and have been assigned additional responsibility to champion the implementation of KO Lab – Coca-Cola’s global customer collaboration hub – for which I travel to Dubai and frequently coordinate with my counterparts in Turkey.

Essay 2 INSEAD

What would be your next step in your position if you remained in the same company? (50-150 words)

Suppose I were to keep working at Coca-Cola; I see myself being promoted to Strategy Planning Manager by Q-4 on a fast-track growth within the commercial division, leading a team of three employees.

In this role, I would be responsible for developing the long-term corporate strategy of the organization through a rigorous decision-making process with local and regional leadership. In addition, I would oversee the optimization of the current portfolio concerning sparkling soft drinks and juices worth US$28 billion. Moreover, I would identify sources of growth for the business through portfolio expansion into energy and sports drinks, potentially worth US$12.5 billion, ensuring sustainable value growth in the future.

I believe I would be the right fit for this position as I have experience managing diverse commercial portfolios, which has prepared me to drive the business through a holistic perspective. 

Essay 3 INSEAD

Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. Describe your career path with the rationale behind your choices. (200-350 words)

With a background in mathematics, I started my career in category operations at Makro, a Dutch retailer. However, I always wanted to work in a bigger organization to develop my business understanding, and I joined Unilever, one of the leading multinationals in the US, as Territory Manager.

At Unilever, it was an enriching experience to deal with a large portfolio of products. As Territory Manager, I focused on sales force management to exceed my monthly volume targets and successfully launched eight new brands in the market. Within 15 months, I was promoted to In-Store Manager of a global key account, Walmart. Here, I learned account-management skills and activated the company’s first-ever Health & Beauty section, helping my account grow at approximately 2x the overall company sales growth.

Based on my solid performance in driving sales and relationships on-ground, I was promoted as Assistant Trade Category Manager in a stretch role to manage three recently launched home care brands. With a wide-angle perspective of trade channels and geographies, I focused on increasing product availability at key outlets, which led to 43% sales growth. My performance caught the leadership’s attention, and I was placed in Unilever’s coveted fast-track leadership program.

To gain a functional knowledge of marketing in consumer goods, I seized the opportunity to work at Coca-Cola, the fastest-growing beverage company. As Trade Marketing Executive, I used my diverse skill set and holistic business understanding to develop the first-ever modern trade activation program, which improved channel profitability by $200mn through reduced-trade discounts and won me the ‘Innovation Award.’

I was promoted to Trade Marketing Manager for traditional trade within a short period. In this role, I designed cost-effective, innovative tools and cascaded customer value propositions to 600 account managers at distribution premises. This helped increase the reach of ‘Share a Coke’ packs to 225K outlets, the highest ever for any beverage brand.

Later, to understand the brand perspective of the business, I opted for the opportunity to work as Shopper Marketing Manager for Coca-Cola, my current role in the organization.

Essay 4 INSEAD

Discuss your short and long-term career aspirations with an MBA from INSEAD. (250-350 words)

In my six-year career, I have performed successfully in two dynamic consumer goods multinationals and have evolved into a mature and confident leader. I am excited to take the next big challenge in my life and feel ready to gain formal business education through an MBA experience.

Yet through my international outlook on the transformation of the retail landscape, I am fascinated by the booming e-commerce growth, which has impacted business strategies in every aspect. Going forward, I want to compete as a global savvy professional in the technology industry to learn modern processes while working in multicultural teams.

Hence, with an MBA from INSEAD, I want to immediately join Amazon in the Consumer Leadership Development program based out of Europe. Leveraging my commercial knowledge of the consumer goods industry, I want to join the technology world to solve complex business problems and lead innovative business development.

I believe INSEAD would provide the ideal resources to achieve my short-term goal. I want to take specialized marketing electives such as ‘B2B Marketing’ to learn the customer-centric approach and use the INDUSTRAT simulation to learn the application of business marketing techniques. In addition, I want to join the TMT Club to attend treks and build my network through interacting with highly approachable INSEAD alumni. Finally, as technology firms frequently hire at INSEAD, I look forward to leveraging the career support, the internship opportunity after P3, and Fontainebleau’s proximity to Amazon Europe’s headquarters to land my intended job.

Also, INSEAD is a lifestyle that I look forward to. One with exposure to multicultural teams, greater cumulative intelligence, meaningful experiences, and lasting friendships. Simultaneously, I am eager to enlighten my peers by sharing stirring stories from my emerging economy experience and also contribute to the ‘desi’ national week.

In the medium-to-long term, I want to keep immersing myself in understanding the latest business practices and data-driven decision-making in the technology industry. In addition, I want to build my expertise while taking on bigger roles and working extensively across geographies. With INSEAD, I feel sure to achieve my short-term and long-term goals.

Essay 5 INSEAD

Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary (approximately 500 words).

If I were to summarize my life in one word, it would be Kaizen – continuous improvement.

As the eldest son of a teacher, I inherited a knowledge-sharing environment. At the same time, social gatherings were infrequent. As a result, I grew up as a shy person and lacked the confidence to initiate conversations with strangers.

Yet, I had a strong desire to differentiate myself, not as a rebellious teenager but as a dynamic human being whose knowledge people would seek out.

On a path of self-discovery, I tried to expand my social circles in which I would learn from other’s expertise. Self-directed, I took decisions with high financial and emotional costs. I knew that to conquer my fear of leading a moderate lifestyle, I needed to break the shackles of living in a joint-family system.

To do so, I actively pursued international opportunities at NYU to come out of my comfort zone. First, I applied for a one-year university exchange program in the most multicultural city in the world, Toronto. Being the only Asian in my class, I actively expressed myself and my culture and engaged in an intellectually stimulating exchange of ideas with my peers. This period helped me improve my social intelligence and cross-cultural awareness, an experience I want to foster again.

Later, my efforts in driving the journalism society earned me participation in ‘International Journalism Conference in Hong Kong. I had the opportunity to give a speech on political and social issues in front of influential international journalists, helping me overcome stage fright and boost my self-confidence.

My maturity was again tested when I decided to move to Dubai in my corporate career. My professional role demanded leadership and empathy, as I led a team of 20 merchandisers, all older than me. So, I learned to manage and motivate others around me in harsh environments. 

My transformational journey in life has helped me discover my competitive strengths: the ability to improve the status quo and adaptability to new environments.

However, my conviction to learn through new experiences also posed challenges. I tend to struggle when I need to multitask. I experienced this when I tried to manage my academics and host social events at my university. Preparing material for meetings at the office, I often skipped my breakfast and exercise routine.

This triggered a deeper introspection and helped me understand my weakness: lack of prioritization. 

My professional career has allowed me to capitalize on my strengths and pre-empt weak areas. I have consistently flourished in new teams and demonstrated effective thought leadership, making my peers seek my expertise in various strategic matters. In parallel, I constantly adapted to overcome my weakness. I ensured I scheduled my priorities effectively and performed my best in high-pressure situations.

I continue seeking opportunities to help break old boundaries and improve myself, excelling in a progressively balanced lifestyle.

Kaizen. It all makes sense.

Essay 6 INSEAD

Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned (approximately 400 words).

Rockn’ Coke is the biggest music asset of Turkey, and my proudest achievement stems from the commercial planning experience of this platform. 

It was a matter of growth and survival as the three-month-long plan covered 50% of the annual marketing budget, and the leadership gave paramount expectations on driving business results.

Quickly realizing the profound impact of my decisions, I segmented the trade channels and devised solutions for specific shopper needs. However, the biggest hurdle was to drive discipline and accountability among cross-functional teams. To streamline the process and promote inclusion, I nominated operational champions across geographies and devised incentive plans for motivation. I shared weekly progress reports with the management and kept my nerves intact when discussions heated up, triggering my tolerance test. 

My segmented shopper solutions at 50K outlets grew sales by 32%, generating $155 mn incremental profit for the company. I was invited to Coca-Cola offices in Dubai to present key learnings based on the tremendous results. I emphasized the value of sturdy coordination, which creates stronger bonds. I still remember it as an experience of true motivational leadership, my joie de vivre.

I had a glaring failure that taught me a harsh yet important lesson. I was tasked to develop a turnaround plan for Unilever’s ailing toilet cleaner brand, Domex, which had lost 8.3% market share over six months to the established competitor Harpic. Taking the job as a gateway for enhanced face value with the leadership, I decided to employ my analytical and problem-solving skills.

I quickly analyzed to identify loss-enduring segments and decided to drive trade incentives around product availability at 35k outlets. Unknowingly using the wrong product-efficacy scores, I planned to achieve share parity in 3 months through an accelerated 20t volume gain. 

In the first month, I was able to achieve the availability targets. After that, however, the volume trend showed a limited upsurge, majorly impacted by the low product off-take. Baffled by the findings, I reviewed consumer metrics with the brand team and discovered a low consumer confidence score. As a result, budgets wore out, and Domex barely achieved 5t incremental volume.

I stood up to my mistake in the business review meeting, mortified that I should have confronted the brand manager before making assumptions. But unfortunately, in professional relationships, information gaps can transpire missed opportunities.

Essay 8 INSEAD

Describe all extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc.). How do these activities enrich you? (approximately 300 words)

I teach secondary level Science and English to underprivileged students in a local school to impart education to the children of domestic workers of my colony. I feel a strong responsibility to use my knowledge to help my community since education is the basic right of all. I feel privileged through this uplifting experience, and I always look forward to my bright students.

I am a member of the Emergency Response Team of my colony and have helped my local neighborhood organize earthquake relief efforts. I also initiated shoebox drives to collect food and clothes for children. These activities allow me to create a meaningful impact in my community by helping those in need.

Event management has been a passion for me. I realized my passion for managing events when I volunteered for the Annual Drama Festival at NYU. Later, I hosted the flagship journalism event, The NYU FESTIVAL, a 400 delegates event with considerable participation from all over the world. At Coca-Cola, I have been assigned the responsibility of managing corporate conferences due to the management’s confidence in my capabilities. These experiences have taught me to plan meticulously, pre-empt crises and create a collaborative environment to achieve mutual success.

I have also co-founded the first journalism society at NYU, the NYU Daily Student, which started as an on-campus media coverage initiative but later evolved into a legitimate journalism entity. So, taking an idea and then maturing it to a solid level was key learning here.

I am also a sports enthusiast because it keeps me mentally and physically energetic, and thus I play competitive cricket regularly, representing my university and employers at various tournaments. I am also an avid Arabic calligrapher, helping me express keen attention to detail. 

Essay 9 INSEAD

Is there anything else not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (approximately 300 words)

Coming from a family where the only criteria for success were strong academic performance, I joined one of the best schools in the US to maintain a balanced life. However, I believed that strong academics needed the support of strong social skills to succeed in life.

At NYU, I tried to stretch my social horizons and maintain a strong academic performance. At first, I enjoyed the intensity of juggling multiple objectives, but later, I stressed out, and my GPA took a hit. 

Although painfully aware of my average academics as an undergraduate, I challenged myself to enter my professional career with a core ethos of hard work and commitment. To this day, I have never doubted my academic aptitude. Instead, I believe I was overwhelmed by the social opportunities and lost focus on academics. Fortunately, this feeling has catalyzed my evolution into a polished professional.

My interest in INSEAD got fueled when I interacted with peers within my professional circle who had successfully joined the INSEAD MBA. Discussing the MBA experience with Carolyn Maurell, Class of 16J, I learned the emphasis INSEAD puts on diversity, academic rigor, and international outlook, which closely match my career aspirations. I have already started learning French to advance my preparation for the third language.

My willingness to join the INSEAD MBA program was firmed up when I visited the serene Fontainebleau campus to better understand my fit. Escorted by Ms. Hélène Destouches, I attended the Managerial Accounting class by David Young and thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic class discussions. In addition, I interacted with current students who promised a buzzing social life. Passing by the Family Room, I imagined my wife and kid in a baby music class and decided that INSEAD was the place for my MBA.