Montana Symone loves bras, panties, yoga pants and puppies.
That's why when she saw an internship opportunity with Victoria's Secret's Pink brand, she decided to apply.
Now, the telecommunication junior is one of thousands of students across the United States working as an on-campus brand ambassador.
Her job is to represent Pink on campus by promoting to students.
"What better way to market our collegiate collection than to talk directly to college students?" Symone said. "It's all about direct contact."
In this way, companies like Victoria's Secret, American Eagle, Google and Sony Music can raise brand awareness and figure out exactly what's working and what's not for their young-adult markets.
Symone uses this direct line to give girls surveys about products and then communicate the results to Victoria's Secret corporate.
Keivan Zolfaghari, a campus representative for Google, said one of the biggest parts of his job is answering students' questions about Google products - from troubleshooting to basic setup.
He is also able to send his peers' suggestions back to Google's product teams.
"Google really values college students," said Zolfaghari, a food and resource economics junior. "Those are the people who will be using Google and Google products in the future, so it's important to be in touch with them."
Brand ambassadors like Symone and Zolfaghari reach out to UF students through events, giveaways and social media.
For the first week of school, Symone and her five other team members passed out Pink folders stuffed with school supplies on Turlington Plaza.
The group planned to be on the plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. but ran out of products by 11:15 a.m., Symone said.
In addition to Pink folders, people around campus can be seen sporting Chegg sunglasses, American Eagle T-shirts or Google water bottles - all given out by students working as brand ambassadors.
Although these giveaways and promotions are becoming increasingly common throughout the U.S. - Google has a presence on about 100 campuses and Pink is represented on 54 - UF's policy remains that outside vendors are not allowed to distribute anything other than printed materials. These materials can be given out only on the North Lawn, Turlington Plaza or the Plaza of the Americas.
Advertisements written in sidewalk chalk are not allowed either, said Cheryl Wise, the administrative assistant for UF's business affairs department.
According to the Division of Student Affairs' website, these regulations exist to prevent distraction and keep students and faculty safe.
Wise said they don't actively police campus for organizations that may be bending the rules.
"If we see it, we'll send the company or organization a notice," she said.
However, Symone said she's never had a problem getting approved to host promotions on campus, whether it was Pink's first week of school event on Turlington Plaza or its tailgate before the UF and Florida Atlantic University football game on the Plaza of the Americas.
"It's just really, really important that we have a presence on campus," she said. "We give college students products that cater to them and raise brand awareness of the store everywhere. It's a win-win."
