Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The travelling gnome effect

Source: Amelie - The Movie


For the first time ever I watched Amelie tonight. Such a random and creative piece of international filmage, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I did not expect was to see random use of the Travelling Gnome in it. Amazing how a prank can popularize itself so much to the point of being utilized in a movie.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk


Apparently this "effect" first took place in the 80s, originating in Australia. Garden gnomes have established quite a rep for themselves, with Travelocity even using the traveling gnome in a viral marketing attempt. Now that's a harmless, lols-worthy effort, with a bit of smart ingenuity to boot. I'd be flattered if it happened to my garden gnome it least.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Self-branding: positioning myself in the job market

Desperate times call for desperate measures… due to the very nonexistent amount of attention my resume has received, I have drastically pulled a "Hagan Blount" (this guy is severely genius) and drastically made over my resume into the Facebook Timeline theme to position myself as THE "outside-the-box" thinker of all time. As I am applying for mainly creative roles, I've tried to brand myself as an "outside the box thinker," aiming to portray this - how else? - with my resume.



Out of the two applications I've used it for (creative roles), I've had one call back. Never mind the fact that my Australian permanent residency is still processing, counting me ineligible for said job, I finally got a call back!!!!

I'm currently reading the book Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout, and in it they mention, "Today's marketplace is no longer responsive to the strategies that worked in the past. There are just too many products, too many companies, and too much marketing noise." YES! That is exactly how I feel in this competitive job market!! And so, this is how I've chosen to position myself. Hope it works!

Special thanks to Facebook and Google Images!!

Monday, March 12, 2012

The difference between excessive and depressive

Puns in advertising... they are everywhere. Sobrebruary cleverly turns the month of February into one of detox. The classical Movember relates the fad of the mustache in raising awareness of prostrate cancer. Then there's my fave, Taco Tuesday... mostly because it's weekly and food-related.

Source: American Australian


What I think is amazing is the power of social media, ably turning these trendy causes into something fad-like. I once tried to accomplish Sobrebruary, after one week of excessive bad music, bad clubs and one two many bad McDonald's experiences... only to epically fail about 2 weeks in. What I've learned is that there is the fine line between excessive and depressive in life. And what branding tends to do is support the excessive, a too much too soon sort of approach. And I'm not just speaking of abstaining from liquid products... although, I do hope the "French Paradox" is true and that a glass (maybe two) of red wine a day truly is beneficial. And the Got Milk ad campaigns are just a subtle stroke of genius with their combo of "sex sells and so do celebrities... buy some milk and boost our sales today."

Source: Listal


I am talking about technology and clothing and automobiles. Newer = better. I'm no tech-savvy individual but I do know that, if everyone else is doing it, that's the best campaigning in existence and my interest is automatically spiked. But ethically speaking, is it right to assume that overwhelming a consumer with a product is the right thing to do? Slapping a celebrity on a perfume bottle or in an awful hat, and voila!, its God's gift to mankind!



Now, I can't even remember the last time I saw a Von Dutch hat available for purchase. But I do know that if I had purchased one back in the day, it would be collecting dust in a corner of the garage. Or in its rightful place in a landfill. So much of my disposable income, wasted [insert Tamagotchis, Barbies, and in my later years, alcohol and clothing]. What I am still learning, is how to balance between the excessive and depressive line of finedom, figuring out how much is too much, how little is not enough.

"Everything in moderation!" That's what moms across the globe say. Whether it is in branding or alcohol or eating. And frankly I'm quite tired of seeing Lindsay, Beyonce and Kate in that watch with that dog drinking that brand. But on a side note, it least red wine still is full of antioxidants so I won't be giving that up anytime soon.
Source: Fabulous Buzz (pun intended)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

ROI of an MBA: categorising my personal worth

All this babbling about careers and postgrads and marketing... how appropriate that I try to delve into the not-so-coveted MBA? I think it is safe to say that a majority of the population used to look at a Master's degree in Business as hot stuff. It was something the cream of the crop of the business world held... and back in 1993 I could care less. In fact, 4 years of the college life would suit me just fine. Well, it turns out that what was once a prime piece of paper is no longer a prized rarity.

Well, wishful thinking 7-year-old me. Finishing my Undergrad in December of 2008, in the heat of an economic downturn (also coined the Great Financial Crisis thankyouverymuchAustralia), what better option than to travel (I did major in International Business after all - that's somewhat relevant)? So I did. I left San Diego with my best friend and I lived in Australia for a year; I traveled throughout South East Asia for 3 months, and I worked hospitality jobs that I hated - still hate - with a passion. I saw the world, was living the travelin' dream; it was a much better option than slaving away as an underdog. But reality always comes around sometime, and when it did I realised that, nearly 2 years later, I was no longer prime graduate hiring material. And thus, back to school as a starving student I went!

Now it's done. I'm still living in Australia 2 1/2 years later, battling student loans and Visa applications, trying to buy a car and wondering what most MBA-grads must at some point wonder, "Was it worth it?" Well thank goodness we have Google to help us with that. Ironically, the first thing that pops up in that helpful list is exactly what I was going to type next:

Double-ironically, the first link is an 'AskMen' one... hmm


Well, the list is endless: how to get the perfect job, how to make your resume look like Jack Welch's (who, by the way, has an online MBA program... if that man isn't a genius I don't know who is), internships for new grads, etc. etc. etc.

Antony Davies and Thomas W. Cline state 4 economic benefits related to obtaining an MBA: higher starting salary, greater compensation growth, more stable long-term employment and a higher likelihood of participating in the workforce. Well that sounds good, and to be honest makes me feel a whole lot better, but let's not forget the downfalls: lost compensation, career setback, loans and interest, not to mention you're not getting any younger.

What was concluded in this article is that on average, all things equal, an MBA investing US$162,000 into an MBA could expect increased earnings of $1.4 million (again, in 2001 dollars) over the course of their career. While everyone is different, and others have more or less money to burn, this is all taken on average of course.

To go on, Businessweek states that more companies will be hiring MBA grads in 2012. Although of course those with limited-to-none experience will be cheap labour, this completely works in my favor and hope it pans out.

Personally, the intangible outweighs the tangible (it least as of this moment). I graduated feeling more motivated, more excited, more capable, then I had when I finished my Undergrad. I'm living in a strong economy, I've proved I can accomplish something big. And the level of confidence I achieved... a trait that plays 99.9% of the job process, might be one of the better aspects. Unfortunately, going to school overseas (my choice) and paying tuition on a weak American dollar: my timing seems to be severely flawed.

Some people go back to school for the prestige, some for the knowledge, others just because they need a kick to jumpstart their lives again. I guess as long as whatever personal goal is achieved, then ROI is positive and thus beneficial. And lucky for me, the marketing field (within Australia) is expected to grow, with a strong demand for product marketing skills (field marketing, or face-to-face marketing, has been especially popular) and stable expected salaries:

Source: Michael Page Marketing Forecast


One of my favorite lecturers once said, "In order to be successful, you have to dedicate yourself to lifelong learning," and I'm starting to see how relevant and true that really is. Or maybe, MBAs are just an evil marketing ploy by Universities across the world to reel in more students and hike up tuitions to outstanding levels. We all gotta pay our bills someway.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Intro to brandvertising.

I've been asking myself, "What do I want to be when I grow up?" for not just the last 25 years of my life (or since I could speak a word of English), but every day for the last 2 realistic years of my busy life. Finishing up my postgraduate studies signifies such a huge step in my life... right?! More than a reason for celebrating, post-MBA has been a sobering reality check; so in the quest for my future dream job, I might as well gain new insights and knowledge relevant to my progression in the marketing field.

The first day I began to look into the variety of marketing roles available, I didn't understand what half of them meant. Marketing Coordinator... yeah, easy, someone that coordinates stuff... but as John Foster Dulles said, "A man's accomplishments in life are the cumulative effect of his attention to detail." I'm slowly learning, it's all about the detail and energy that one puts in, in order to get something back.

Why I want to work in brand management; source:Toxel

Pursuing a lifelong career in marketing has turned into something more than, "I want to do that because damn, my marketing professor from 4 years ago was awesome." But to be fair, she did work for Coca-Cola pre-lecturer days...

Source: Danlandin


I've recently been focusing on the long-term idea, rather than trend, of brand management. Definitions are always relevant, but the best all-encompassing one I've heard yet of a "brand" (pictured above) is by Marty Neumeier:
"A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or organization. That's my short definition. The brand isn't what you say it is. It's what they say it is."

That quote alone sums up more than just marketing, it's my version of the 3 Ps of branding: perception, psychology and power. The majority of which, mankind has no idea how to ethically use and/or maintain. But in my opinion, I think that's what's so alluring about the field of marketing. It encompasses creativity, human interests, competition and preference with a product and service offering, and allows one to utilise both strategy and tact (often wit helps too) in the ability to create the perfect placement. Of course, increasing sales growth and market share helps too. But the intangible aspects of a powerful brand are so compelling, and to figure out what makes Consumer A in Market A want Product A is the name of the game. I think pictures are pretty effective too...

Now, hopefully if I'm asked "Why are you going for this ?" a bit of theory and creativity will fly.