The Importance of Making Mistakes

The event held on 1st of May 2012 with the title: ''The Importance of Making Mistakes'' opened my eyes to the common mistakes that people make through their lifes and how similar these same mistakes are when we talk about the adland and brands.

Too often we see things just through our eyes and do not put ourselves in the skin of the other person. We take a superficial interest in the others and say we know them by meeting them once or just because we know their name. Knowing somebody's name is just the first step after which we have to take personal interest that is genuine.

Why, do I make this statement? Because, Rob Campbell helped me to understand my mistake and take a new approach. I abandoned a strategy that worked in the past because I wanted to look more professional and in the end borring. One more among the crowd.

Here is the issue I had to deal with: How to reach effectively strategy directors across advertising agencies in Melbourne? Having the goal to become a strategic planner, I applied a marketing technique learned in the UK while I was working for Lighthouse UK. It consists of knowing your target audience that goes in line with what brands have to achieve as well. After narrowing down my target audience I found the name of 27 strategy directors and I sent them a formal letter that looked professional.

The structure was simple and straight to the point: I explained that I would like to apply for a planning position. I made a general statement about the agency. After, I explained the benefits I could bring for the agency. The befnefits were way to general and focus more on my habilities than on what the agency needs. They looked very cool on the paper and displayed a global attitude. Obviously, I was looking at the agency through my own eyes without fully understanding their concerns. To mention a few: International flexibility, Strategic and Creative Thinking: things that most of the people could claim.

From this attempt, I got 4 replies saying that they do not have any positions available. One planner agreed to meet me for a chat. One week later, I called all the remaining directors from the list and got a negative response in all instances.

Applying a general marketing strategy is old fashioned and may achieve some small results but we are into the era of individualization. Moreover, advertising is a relationship based industry and ironically enough is tuff to get in unless you know somebody, they know somebody else and so on.

Through several conversations with Rob, he displayed genuine interest in my goals and what I want to achieve. His questions went deep to the core of my intentions and I considered them as a creative brief. They made me step backwards and evaluate my goals and realize what I want.

One of the questions he made is:

Why did you do a 'blanket' approach to talking to the planning directors rather than demonstrate a more inventive approach to understanding them as individuals?

 

I understood straight away where he was coming from and the desire humans have to be treated as indivuduals and not like another number on the list. So, I applied this new understanding and got excellent results.

 

 By having made these mistakes I gained a new understanding of how to reach other effectively. My mistakes are part of the learning process. I realized that if you do not achieve results I have to change the strategy. This is a call to all the brands out there: ''If you are doing the same thing over and over again, do not expect to get different results''.

Commend when you like something

Human nature is set on a negative frame and even withought realizing we start talking about things that we hate, bad experiences and so on. Applying this to marketing, every discontent customer tells an average of 11 people, each of whom tells 5 others. You get the idea...

 Let's flip the coin and when we like something talk about it. When you receive a good service, call the waiter and tell him. If the food you tasted is good commend the cook. This weekend I have been doing a road trip from Melbourne to Sydney and I called a caravan park. The lady over the phone sounded like one of those charming women you hear on TV or the radio. You did not know if it was the automatic machine or her real voice. I have been drawn by her warm voice and professional service. I talked to my friend about it. But, why not go the extra mile?

The morning I left, I told her that she has a sweet voice that draws people. She alwas blushed and a big smile coloured her face. How easy it is to make somebody happy by being sincere at the same time that we feel better.

So, here is the manifesto: Commend when you like something or somebody.

Tips for interview in advertising and creative industries

Tips for an interview:

1.Have always prepared and aswer for: What is your favourite brand/product? Why?

 

 

2. Differentiate yourself from the crowd. What is your selling point?

Me in particular:

- I have travelled the world changing countries as you change socks and jumping from continent to continent.

- I am continuously learning about new cultures and humand nature.

- Pushed myself out of the comfort zone.

- Learned 4 languages and I am in the process of learning a 5th one.

All these qualities make me special and an asset for any agency around the world that would be interested in my story and what I have to offer. So, this is how the Global Jumper brand came about.

3. Be flexible and ready to adapt to the culture of the agency as each one is different.

 

 

4.´´ Show the agency that you are an interesting person by being interested in them.´´

 

 

5. At an interview they may not even look at your CV or resume. They will ask you a simple but cutting question: What makes you an interesting person?

 

 

My trip to Canada has been a learning experience that helped me see the best way to contact with a planner and see things through his eyes when it comes to a meeting or a potential interview. Moreover, the major benefit is that it helped to position myself as Global Jumper

Vancouver and strategic planning

While in Vancouver for a 4 weeks course in Business English, I had the opportunity to meet a planning director that has worked in America for a number of years and had a global understanding about brands and communication.

As the conversation flowed:  he took a napkin and draw a map explaining how insight works across the human nature and where to find that crossing point between the brands personality and the needs/desires of the target audience

There are many insights and strong points that form the personality of a brand. All of them are valid traits. But, are all of them appealing to the target audience? Which one to select and concentrate on, so that the public feels identified with the concept.

You want your core target to sense that the brand cares about them and see them as valid users.This is achieved by establishing a dialogue and get to know them personally.

Jumper.

Brands and communication my particular point of view

      Brands give you the power to create something and make a real contrinution to the society as a whole. A brand is like your ´´baby´´ that you procreated with much effort and dedication. It needs all your attention and involvement in order to grow into somebody you can be proud of. It is your child that soaks the personality you want to inculcate in him. You cherisc him although sometimes it drives you crazy. A brand becomes part of our lifes either as a beloved child, as a friend or a companion. It is something you are proud of and want to display in order for other to appreciate the values you have discovered or the ones that are a reflection of your personality.

    Communication it punched me in the face since I was but a kid. I began to realize the effects of communication by observing my parents talk. Straight away, I found out that they had issues that needed to be addressed. As I wanted to help them I started reading books on the subject and had individual sessions with each one of them. Over time they have improved their skills when communicating, although I consider it work in progress. There is always something to improve. Just finished reading´´Man are from Mars, Women are from Venus´´(excellent and intuitive on how we send messages and the impacty it has on others).

     Brands and communication go hand in hand and are powerful tools that throw you behind the scenes and make you responsible for pulling the strings.

     Brands allow room for innovation being forced to keep up with the changes in the social culture and media scene. I have seen brands growing, reaching maturity, getting old and dying. My mum is a business women with more than 20 years of experience and my dad had developed a real estate business. Over the last couple of years I have been surrounded by different kinds of business people So, I have walked along persons that can appreciate what creating a start-up means.

Remarkable selling experience in Melbourne

It has been more than 3 weeks since I have been searching for running shoes, compared prices, brands and qualities. One day, I go to Fitzroy on Johnson street where the oulets are located. I visited them all, but it was when I entered Adidas that my heart started to beat.The ambience of the store, the smell and of course the shoes. There were 3 models that I liked and I found it difficult to decide, one was red(favourite colour), the other one blue and trendy meanwhile the last one was just ultimate with an innovative soil. Would I go for the colour I like? What about the performance? All this questiones passed through my head when a lovely shop assistant explains the benefits of some shoes to a customer nearby.

Seeing her expertize, I asked if she could give me some information. With a big smile she came and asked me to take off one shoe and put the barefoot on the ground. She looked at it and her diagnostic was that I gave a medium plane sole. Her feedback was like going to a doctor that takes interest in you and has a look at your appearance. Then, she asked: What do you want the shoes for? Do you want them to last for a long time?

After getting all this information she compared all the 3 models I have selected and highlighted the benefits of each one and emphasized that the blue ones are going to fulfill my requirements. At this point she left me alone to have a better look at all the shoes. After 2 minutes she saw me with the blue shoes on and encouraged me to go for a run inside the shop so that I can try them out.

Once at the counter she said that the colour looks extremely good and the model is a very good one. I commended her for the professionalism she showed and remarked that she really knows her product. Her reply was: ´´I have to´´. The reply was more than accurate and reveals a winners attitude, go beyond what is in front of you and know what surrounds you.

Find the kid you have inside to connect with others

Kids have a special ability to observe when someone is really interested in them and wants to get to know them as a person. They may lack understanding of many things that surround them but they have this innate ability to spot when a person makes an effort to be their friend.

Unless you leave your imagination free and enter their world you won't be able to be their special friend for as many kind words you say, money you offer, gifts you buy. It takes little to conquer a child, BE GENUINE and take a REAL INTEREST in them. When we were little it was so easy to do this as it came so natural, we asked questions, observed the world and wanted to discover as much as we could about everyone. As we grow older, social formalities, the fear of embarrassment, and cultural events make us loose this beautiful ability we once possessed. Why do not learn from kids how to enhance our social skills and take a real interest in others without waiting for something in return.

Do not be satisfied with a superficial knowledge of someones life. Do you have a superficial knowledge of your close friends? It means that they will not be close friends for a long time if they were ever your friends. So, if you put all this effort in knowing people you like and love, the same concept has to be applied when it comes to other people that we are interested in. People we want to make part of our lives. Persons that would be pleased to open up to us and be by our side.

Can you picture how it looks a day of the life of someone you are interested in? When you reach this understanding, knowing how every hour is structured, what they are doing, why the are doing it... You will have made real friends that would be really interested in you as well because you have made an enormous effort to know them and enter their world.