"I get by with a little Help from my Friends!"

We all hear the phrases while we're in college but never take them to heart.. "Network" or "stay in touch" or "one day you will need/help each other." But once your not stuck together in a class 4 floors high at 8:30am on a Wednesday morning, then you all start to fall into your own ways and paths.

Over the past years from the start of college to graduation then to early adulthood I have had many friends come & go - some friends I've helped and some have helped me. I want to take the time to talk about the Millennial Mom Marketing Maven: Jessica Avery!

During school we weren't always on the same teams.. We didn't always have the same standards for excellence.. But I did admire her drive, her talent and her willingness to always hear everyone out the first time when it came to brainstorming ideas. Over the years since Convocation I've found Jessica to be one of my biggest fans & inspiration to keep going with the work I do on creative.DUNNING. She has helped me find blogging partners and I talk to her about business advice. We Jessica's have to stick together you know!

When it came to her asking for my help to create a logo I could not have been more honoured. And somehow it is true - it is easier to work with fellow minded people than clients who do not know the process!

I love the graphic design work that I do for people and I love that I could make a design for Jessica that showcases her personality. She is professionally smooth like a well used font & creatively colourful like vast water colours!
And I'm pretty proud of my free-hand paint splatter technique!

As short, sweet and "cheesy" as this post may sound.. The point is that you really don't know where your next friend or business partner will come from. Especially in a business field you need to always be civil if not helpful to each other because that is what makes the business world go round - partnerships & compromise!

So as you continue to show your support for me, please also help me support a fellow IMC grad & friend, Jess Avery.

Another Year.. Another round of Disney ICPs coming your way!

I'd like to give a personal congratulations (full of love) to a fellow IMC graduate, coworker & dear friend.. JJ Tinar! She has been one of the newest Walt Disney International Exchange Program entrants for this year - I couldn't be more proud of her!

After weeks (if not months) of nervous preparation and worrying (and picking my brain for support) JJ picked up the reigns and is now replacing me to show Disney & Florida what SLC, Kingston & Canada are all about!

Everyone should be very excited for this marvelous professional, humorous and cultured ball of fun to join the Cast Member family! I know she will have a breath-taking phenomenal experience like I did.

(And for those of you reading this still wondering how long it will take me to come back.. Don't worry, the plans are in motion - I have not nor will I ever forget! I am coming back! I promised after all. But while I'm gone, please welcome JJ with as much Disney Magic and love that you showed me.)

Just tuning into the DIsney ICP program? Wondering where it all began, or just looking to reminisce? Click here to start at the beginning of my journey!

I'll be checking in with JJ during her adventure so look out for my Details on Disney 2.0 posts on JJ's Journey!

"Everyday I'm Struggling..♪♫♪"

I promised you an amazing new video to start off 2015 and I think this is it. I told you all in my last post I would be giving you a rundown of what I've been up to as of late... since Disney, graduation and such. So here is my video inspired by the tasks & torments I go through daily during my workplace & casual life. For some of you that frequent either of my work, or has previously worked or gone to school with me you may even recognize some of this or laugh at it.

Click here to go to the video!

WARNING: I do not take much or any of this video seriously so please don't either. I just like to make the best of my situation through sarcastic humor and hope that you all laugh along with my creativity.
Pita Pit is an amazing "not so fast-food" healthier place to eat (we are totally better than Subway) and I LOVE working at the Rogers KROCK Centre. You just get a little bitter when you've spent three years and all of your life savings to be working two part time jobs, paycheque to paycheque and no one higher than you willing to retire or take you on as an intent for their position. What a world we live in eh?

Either way if you liked it, great! If you didn't like it.. I've asked before to comment on any ideas you'd like to see and I will again so don't be shy!

Get this School year in Shape!

After a tedious amount of contemplation, creation, animation & patience... the latest creative.DUNNING video is finished! It's been a while since I sat myself down to do a little stop-motion footage, but I hope you all enjoy it - I enjoyed making it.

This video pokes fun at all the health & fitness nuts that we go to school with, or that get that epiphany once they start school. It's like a pair of yoga pants & dumb bells come as a package deal when you get your books and tuition paid.

Many of my fellow students and friends have heard me complain (and have been victim of complaining themselves) about most of the problems in this video. So why not make fun and laugh at ourselves about them?

I'd like to give a BIG thank you to DJ LuvSik, who I personally think outdid himself with my music this time. (Check out the post here!) I hope everyone keeps their ears peeled this week, he's been hard at work making some awesome videos for me to produce. So his Youtube Channel is going to be busy & buzzing.

There's no 'Forever' in Facebook Friends..

A while ago I saw an article describing the Top Ten Facebook friends you should Block. Now that's a little excessive I think... if they're your friend than you shouldn't have to block them no matter what ends up on your News Feed. That is why I am one of the thankful Facebook'ers to start using the 'unfollow' button. It blocks your friends actions from showing up on your News Feed; thus lessening the political, food, heartbreaking and other wise posts that your tired of seeing.

None the less I thought I would recreate this article for your viewing pleasure so we could all have a laugh. Because whether you have been one of these 'friends' or you have one or every one of them on your News Feed... we're all victims of Facebook...

 

 Are there any other kind of 'Facebook Friends' that you would rather unfollow or even block?

Advertising isn't ALL about Money.. sometimes it has Heart too

A few days ago I saw a post about a hotel that started a social media campaign... not specifically for themselves... but to reunite a lost stuffed plushie with its owner. The hotel staff at the Kilronan Castle hotel (in Ireland) found the little monkey, that they’ve named Oscar, in a laundry hamper. Ever since he has been exploring the hotel grounds, making friends with all the staff and even had a spa day or two.

Post by Kilronan Castle.

This is a prime example of socially responsible marketing done right. Not only are you creating extra buzz about your hotel, but you are showing you care about your clients even after they check-out, along with added creativity (and cuteness) points! I would certainly be proud to be a member of staff at this establishment (not just because it's in Ireland.)

Please click here to see the original article which has a slideshow of the campaign pictures & also click here for the Kilronan Castle's Facebook! I hope that 'Oscar' find's his family soon!
 

Happy 100th creative.DUNNING

To celebrate JESSICA creative.DUNNING's 100th post I would like to introduce myself formally.

Now this video is special because its is barely edited and was surprisingly a lot of work. I never caught onto that "whiteboard: draw my life" craze but I figured to celebrate my 100th post I would give it a try... Let me tell you it is very hard to do when you have no tripod and no help.

 

 

Many of you know my perfectionist tendencies that usually lead to me doing a lot of things on my own. Despite that lack of proper equipment (caused by my lack of finances) I've been proud to blog for you all and create videos that you've loved (or at least laughed at) and supported so well.

 

This blog all started because of a class project in college (click here to look back at my very first post) and has since grown into the marvelous creation before you! I hope you have enjoyed my work over the years.

 

We have had many adventures together; through college, Florida, Disney World, humorous antics, business education & allergy awareness - and the new addition of DJ LuvSik! And to all of my family, friends and fans I promise the posts & videos aren't stopping anytime soon!

 

(And for those who want to take the challenge and count my posts... cause YOLO they have spare time and nothing to do... I have a few unpublished drafts that are added into my 100 count.. so technically this is my 94th published post... but Hey it fit with the theme!)

Advertising is all in the ink ... literally!

Over the past few years acceptance of the "taboo" in the working world has been making huge progress in the tolerance department! More companies are realizing that they need to focus on hiring and promoting their employee's work ethics and potential than their appearance... I mean we're in Canada anyways we have to wear long sleeves when it gets cold so who care's what kind of tattoo we're hiding underneath? As hot as Florida may get even the Walt Disney companies provide their working cast members with long sleeve shirts to cover their ink during their shifts.

Upon coming back to ktown to finish school my friend found a promotional event being hosted by Don't Tell Momma, a shop downtown that was doing the unfathomable...  In 8-12 hours (I say that because after seeing how many people came to the event they added an extra 4 hours to service more participants,) they would give out FREE tattoos to whomever showed up first-come, first-served. Limitations were that it had to be worth under $100 or less than an hour of ink.

Let me tell you the people of ktown went bonkers! My friend and I got there around 9am and there were 30 participants there before us, some who had been waiting since midnight in order to be first in line. Needless to say it was a crazy long day... people of all different flocks of life gathered together to sing, dance (yes the shop hired a DJ for the day,) play music, bond over tattoos and see who was getting what, people were making friends and buying everyone Timmies and pizza all afternoon. My friend and I made many new friends too!

This was a great idea for a tattoo shop, they're located right downtown so not only did over 600+ people try to wait around for a tattoo, but all the cars passing by their shop saw all the buzz and the massive participants throughout the day - Not many noticed other than me but even some local news and photographers started sneaking behind parked cars and hiding in other shops to record the event. Many people were taking to social media all day about what was going on and Don't Tell Momma's gained a plethora of new devoted customers - my friend and I included! We were numbers 31 and 32 (or something like that, and ended up getting our tattoos around 5pm.) Plus the devoted participants that stayed until midnight received $100 gift cards to come back the next day in thanks for waiting 12 hours in the parking lot with everyone.

The cool thing about their strategy is that it didn't stop there... several weeks later they housed another event! This time a draw for 65 participants to get FREE tattoos worth between $60-80 the day after the drawing. This time it wasn't as crazy (I think they planned to have it the weekend of Mother's Day so that people would be too busy to flock in masses.) Around between 70-80 people showed up in their parking lot this time (myself included because who can pass up a FREE tattoo - beats me saving up the money to get it years down the road!) Second time around I was number 13 and got in just after 2pm.

I really enjoyed my time with the shop - the artists are very great to work with and it's a very laid back and fun atmosphere! I wish I could have saw the official numerical results of both events but I definitely saw the physical results first hand with how much buzz they created around town! It just goes to show that even the more "un-business" cliché kind of establishments can come up with some wicked marketing strategies if they try. I'm sure the people of ktown will be talking about this for a while. I definitely have a few stories to tell now when people ask me about my ink and where I got it!

Let's Celebrate... College?

It's that time of year for a lot of College (or University if that's your choice) graduates to celebrate their freedom! Or bankruptcy... either way I thought I would celebrate my past three years with IMC@SLC with a video to remember some of the 'everyday college life problems' we've had to suffer through over our educational careers.

For anyone who knows me well you should be warned it is in the style of homage to my favourite Youtube celebrity... JennaMarbles! I will admit the song (and its original) is a bit repetitive but hey, its catchy and gets the point across in a hilarious manner!


Click here to go to the video!

Please click here if you haven't seen the Original video to my inspiration... I Hate being a Grown Up; it's one of the first videos I saw from Jenna and it's been "videographer love at first sight" ever since!

Please feel free to comment on your fondest or 'far from' memories from college/university! And if you haven't graduated yet.. well hang in there?
And if your just starting college... please disregard this post and wait for my upcoming video on "How to be a College Kid"

Welcome to the Tandem Region!

I've always fancied myself a writer; whether its poetry, stories, song that will probably never see the light of day... or blogging! I've been blessed with so many family, friends & fellow classmates that have supported my writing over the years – and the newest supporter has been one of my fellow IMC alumni (and one of my idols) Nick Rayner! Who is currently working on a new project and in need of some contributions...

The Tandem Region Times (TRT) is a horror-themed online newspaper about a fictitious Canadian municipality called Tandem Region. The site publishes stories from a frightening, obtuse alternate reality that share a dimensional rift with Tandem Region.

Stories, editorials, columns, classifieds and any other content are published bi-weekly. These stories can be utterly scary, creepy, frightening or just plain weird... but interestingly dark is mandatory!

So what is Tandem Region exactly?

Tandem Region is a fictional Canadian municipality of 4 towns...
- Laughing's End
- Hatchet Hill
- Spinning Head
- and Museum City

Tandem Region Times also publishes news reports from an insane alternative reality, that they share a strange dimensional schism with...
- Invisible Place
- Bent Embers
- CCCCC
- and Yyelp

As the site grows and more stories are run, the area will come into focus. Its geography, demographics, culture, art scenes, topography and public institutions are constantly being defined and will continue to be an ongoing basis.

 
Now comes the best part... ATTENTION WRITERS! Submissions are eagerly accepted 24/7 if you have any ideas or unreleased creativity that you want to contribute to the Tandem Region. Go to their Submissions Page to check out how! (Or if your too shy then send me your ideas and we can collaborate on them together!)

I certainly haven't written much journalistic work in a while so I'm super excited to take some time every week or so to see what transpires from the weird 'lil head of mine you all have grown to know and love!

You can find out more about TRT from this article by Speculating Canada and please follow TRT on Twitter to keep updated on stories and news!

Inside IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications)

It's taken me some time but I've finally finished another Creative.Dunning production! Why have I been so busy? Between graduating, looking for a job, looking for a place to live in ktown and keeping in touch with friends - old & new.

I decided to make a parody video of what goes on in a business students life. I've explained before that in the world of business you need to learn how to balance all sorts of things like networking, advertising, personal branding, market research, budgeting and of course the newest craze... social media!

So here it is, making fun of rap.. advertising.. and myself.. IMC@SLC 101 thanks to my inspiration: Swimming Pools (Drank) by Kendrick Lamar!

Toronto... there and back again, an IAB Adventure

So off I travelled again to Toronto to take my final IAB Canada course in Interactive Digital Marketing. For those who missed the first part of my adventure please find it here. The traffic was still horrendous, the trains were unorganized, my taxi drivers were eerily quiet (probably because they knew little English) BUT none the less I can say I appreciate Econo Lodge rooms more than Howard-Johnston suites... although their beds leave nothing to compare!

Another full house of eager 'students' of business professionals and students later and we were off on our journey of mobile marketing, video advertising and what the future holds for us all...
The same as before we were welcomed with open hospitality and a spectacular view of downtown Toronto life. Our teacher was marvelous- and it didn't help that the content isn't as ... dry and tedious as SEO. Again the day's survivors were awarded certificates and bid farewell until the next course (I only wish I had the money & time to take more, surely anyone who has either should look into bettering your knowledge with these seminars - they are certainly Creative.Dunning Approved!)

As terms of my 'graduation agreement' I needed to write two "mini reports" on what I learned from each course; I have uploaded them for your viewing pleasure but please don't take them too seriously... They did start our very essay/report styled but as I had to continue through my course content my ambition started to fade quickly. It also doesn't help that the "textbooks" they give you are the thickness of bricks..

 

That being said I would gladly share any more added information on either topics with anyone inquiring. Of course I am keeping all of my seminar material (maybe I will make posts or videos on it so that many will not have to suffer learning on their own as I did.)

Public Speaking... Perfection or Peril?

Public speaking is a 'must' in life, whether its a phone call, conference call, public meeting, working lunch, office boardrooms or classroom presentations. Whether it comes naturally to you or your natural reaction is to hide behind the podium (or someone else) we all have to face our fears eventually.

This is why I'm sharing a Prezi presentation I found, about the 10 Most Common Rookie Mistakes in Public Speaking.

1.) Don't be afraid to take up some space. Hesitance  in your movements comes across like an apology and under-confidence to the audience.

2.) Speaking in a very quiet monotone level will always seem uninvolved, uninteresting, and unenthusiastic. If you really want to impress then speak with moderate volume and demand the audience's attention. Make changes in your pitch and speed also so that you don't sounds like a voice recording.


3.) Keep calm and study on! Experienced speakers do plenty of research so that they feel confident in their material and their ability to respond to any question the audience might throw at them.


4.) Practise DOES make perfect; Always practise on your feet - never sitting or laying down gazing at your notes or computer screen. Experienced speakers will often do a dry run of their material with a trusted audience of friends, family, or colleagues.


5.) It's not always about the facts! Make sure you balances facts, data, visuals and real life examples/experiences to keep your audience engaged.


6.) When your presentation content is too safe, it usually comes across as boring. When the most important ability as a speaker is the ability to garner attention, can you afford to avoid taking risks? Keep it entertaining, exciting AND informative!


7.) "Everybody hurts...sometimes!" Use example stories where you make mistakes but learned from the experience in a positive way. This shows vulnerability and less like a plagiarized perfectionist.


8.) My main way to curb nerves is humour, over my 3 years at SLC I've gotten very good at it (so say my professors..) Respect your audience’s professionalism but relate to their humanity informally. By speaking to them more informally, you project that you are equal. They will read that as confidence. Make a joke here or there and don't be afraid to make light of yourself - but not the entire time!


9.) Short, sweet and to the point. Speakers often expand even further on their topic when they see audience’s reactions instead of leaving them curious for more...


10.) As previously stated, use a range of speed and volume when presenting. A range! As in don't continue to speed up and don't continue talking without pausing for breath. Taking pauses can...
a) Increase audience perception as well as your feeling of confidence and ease.
b) Give your audience time to digest your key points and give those points greater impact.
and c) Give you time to formulate your thoughts into more succinct and cogent sentences.

Life after Disney... in Toronto??? An IAB Adventure..

After returning back to college life in Canada after the Disney International Exchange Program I was left with the dilemma of how to graduate on time with the rest of my classmates... One of my professors found a solution in IAB Canada, an interactive advertising bureau that is fully-dedicated to the development and promotion of digital/interactive advertising in Canada.

IAB Canada is the national voice and de facto thought leader of the Canadian digital marketing and advertising industry, and is a not-for-profit association representing Canada’s most well-known and respected advertisers, agencies, media companies, mobile and video game marketers & developers, measurement companies, service providers, educational institutions and government associations operating within the space.

The Game-plan? I take 2 day-seminars (at a thankful student discount of course) in two of the courses I missed during my Spring semester, write a report on what I learned & my experience, all in exchange for the passing grade and certification that I have full knowledge in those subjects enough to graduate properly!

The Solution?
Course #1: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Course #2: Interactive Digital Marketing

So as much as I HIGHLY distaste Toronto... (Not the city or the people in general... for the most part... just the congestion) off I went on a 2hr 'Escape' VIA train ride at 8:30 at night to arrive at my hotel at basically midnight... I now know I probably should warn the hotel of my overly late check-in... although it is funny to walk up to the front lobby and see the scared looks on their faces when I try to open their locked doors and say "Good evening I have a reservation.." (ugh I distaste Toronto...)

I received a beautifully warm welcome from IAB's head hostess & clerk Amberlea Bruch and indulged in a more awakening breakfast fit for business professionals alike (heaven to an allergy-sufferer!)

There were many big names in the 'classroom' that day, Mercedez-Benz, Canadian Tire, George Brown College and ING Direct just to name a few - and all job positions ranging from account directors, media buyers and financial teams.

I won't get into the details of our long day (plus they gave us a 'textbook' the side of an old desktop computer and twice as thick..,) and I thought college was bad, wait until your in a room with business professionals that for a day get to become college students all over again! But it was definitely interesting to view first-hand how our current industry leaders think, analyze and learn.

The day's survivors got a beautiful certificate to show their knowledge and strength! I'm sure in the near future I will post a blog about my understanding of SEO and Google Analytics... (whether it will be factual or funny I have not yet decided..) In any case, for a day I suppose Toronto was fun... if not tolerable. And although I distaste Toronto I was thoroughly impress with my Interactive Digital Marketing course!

Job Interview Jitters...???

I was recently reading this article on LinkedIn about job interviews and how to answer particularly trick (or relatively stupid) questions that you may face on the spot.

"A job search is a test of your fortitude. The struggling economy doesn't make it easy, and an even bigger challenge is the dysfunctional recruiting process used by nearly every medium-sized and large employer."

We've all been in those nerve-wracking interviews, after staying up all night practising your monologue long answers to every scenario possible. But what really gets me is after all of the rehearsing, and worrying - they start asking foolish or irrelevant questions just to throw you off your game and waste time. Almost like they're using a script or just don't know what to ask for the job description...

The article is quite long and in-depth but I thought I would share the jist of it for you.

First off the article explains various ways to turn the tides on the interviewer and merge in your own questions - this throws them off and sometimes even into a panic when they know their script is disrupted. Many interviews have two clear roles... the interviewer & the victim; many don't like to switch roles or turn the interview into a casual or pleasant conversation (those are the people that should consider switching jobs, companies or retiring...)

1. If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
Hmmm, probably some kind of wild cat, like a jaguar - I enjoy the hunt.

2. With all the talented candidates, why should we hire you?
I love this field and I'm excited to keep growing muscles in it. That being said, I haven't met the other candidates and I'm sure there are smart and capable people in that group. That's going to be your challenge, to consider what's ahead for you and which person can best fill that role. I have total faith that if we're supposed to be working together, we'll figure that out.

3. What's your greatest weakness?
I used to obsess about my weaknesses when I was younger. I took classes and read books like you wouldn't believe, and then over time it occurred to me that I should be focusing on the things I do well, like designing financial reports. Other things like graphic design, for instance - aren't for me, so I steer myself toward the work that jazzes me and where I can make the biggest impact.

4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I love Finance, and I don't have plans to move out of it but then again you never know what influences will hit you. I'm interested in getting my MBA, so five years from now I could be one year out of school and I may think totally differently at that point than I do now. The things I can say for sure are that if I'm alive five years from now, I'll be working hard at something I love and supporting the people around me. For me, the team is as important as the work.

Reading the full article is a bit more comical and it even gives examples of better questions to ask whether your the interviewer or victim.
How do you handle tricky or irrelevant job interview situations? What are some of the craziest questions you have had asked upon you?

Do you know the 'Big Five' of your Workplace?

I briefly discussed the importance of learning your personality colours in order to better contribute of efficiency and effectiveness within the workplace, but I recently attended a workshop that dealt even further into personality examination.

The Workplace Big Five Profile is a personality assessment that is used to help better understand and problem solve through...
- Team building
- Leadership development
- Performance coaching
- Job Selection and hiring
- Succession planning
- Management/supervisory training
- Career development
- Sales training
- Conflict management

The five 'Supertraits' of the WorkPlace in this assessment are:
1. Need for Stability: Explains how people at work respond to and handle stressful situations, a critical aspect of today’s successful work environment
2. Extraversion: Defines how people at work tolerate and deal with sensory bombardment or the lack of it, as when people work alone at home, which can come in the form of people, situations, and sensory experiences such as a three-day senior management off-site strategy meeting
3. Originality: Illustrates how open and accepting people at work are to new experiences, ideas, and change
4. Accommodation: Measures how easily or uneasily people defer to others—this Supertrait relates directly to power and how to use it effectively
5. Consolidation: Explains the degree to which people at work focus on their work, goal accomplishment, and needs for achievement and success

When you can reflect on your own personality and learn how to benefit it to your advantage in life you can be a very powerful and inspirational asset. It can help you relate to others and understand why you act or react the way you do to specific situations. As with Dr. Stephen Covey's work it can help you to become a better person and a better leader.

Think about what each subtrait involves and how you think you would score in each? Would you consider yourself with a very high or low sense of sociability or humility? Would your family or peers think the same?

If you're interested in learning more about the Workplace Big5 Assessment, or my results, feel free to comment :)
 

Agency Additives

One of the most important things about working on a team is collaboration and cooperation. No matter what team you're working on it is always important to make sure that you can communicate and work proactively.
In many business settings leadership and teamwork is concluded by using the Four Colour personality system. Each colour represents your morals, values, work ethic, communication, interaction...etc.

Many organizations form their agencies or groups specifically so that at least one of each colour personality is represented. That way there is someone to organize, lead, focus on the facts, make sure that everyone's opinion can be heard and shared & finally brainstorm the creative ideas.

For my I am predominantly gold, then my green and blue are matched, then shortly after is my orange. Although I am a very highly creative person, more so in my youth when I had more free time and disposable income... I am the spitting image of a military Type-A organized, authoritative, optimistic worker. Someone goal oriented with the task always at hand and determined to give 120% at all costs.

Client's for Agency IMC

Our client is The Boiler Room Indoor Climbing Gym; and like all good ad agencies my team (classmates) and I spent a Friday afternoon getting to know their products/services. Yes, that means that I, Jessica did indeed attempt to climb a few walls, in a harness, a rope and safety lock for protection... expected to fulfill some sense of accomplishment and challenge by hauling and crawling over grades/rocks no bigger than a computer mouse.

I'll have to admit I was scared for my life, I don't like the idea of a rope keeping me save, having to climb up stubs fearing slipping and dangling by a harness wedgie & finally when your ready to come down u have to lean back and let yourself dangle by your harness wedgie after all! I'd rather go back to karate competitions and getting kicked in the stomach...

I will say despite having to actually climb myself, I did have fun getting to know the members of my team and doing some team building/bonding. We were one of the first teams to do so and I'm sure that once my initial de-stress-ification wears off we will continue to have more fun and produce amazing work - we already have so far.

Welcome to the Agency of IMC

Welcome to the world of paperwork, stressful deliberation and rewarding sense of accomplishment!

Although it is apparently hard for me to re-integrate myself back into IMC society after my abroad adventures... I have been trying my best to explore our new semester project.. Advertising Agencies.

"Ad agencies execute marketing campaigns that cover a broad range of media. Ad agencies employ a broad range of advertising strategies to create marketing campaigns tailored to their clients’ needs. Ad agencies can range from small, home-based businesses to corporate franchises with departments for market research, account management and sales, copywriting and graphic design. Ad agencies work closely with the client to gather information and pitch their campaign ideas followed by the creative process of actually making and distributing the ads."

It all sounds intimidating... but if you focus on the fact that you would have a nice comfy desk,
in a cubicle,
on the 4th floor of a 10 floor office building,
owned by one big corporation,
and the only thing you have to stress about is one report/presentation/design in department A-2,
and the other 8 floors around you focus on their departments,
and once all the departments have finished working/collaborating/arguing together then you give your final product(s) to the head floor... (yes, like in all the movies you watch) it all doesn't seem THAT bad... does it?

The big agency life isn't for everyone, personally I'm not sure its completely fit for anyone. I'd rather work for a small business, or freelance my services to many companies versus wearing a suit everyday and 100+ lines of communication to manage. In any case, this is what the highly coveted 3rd Year of IMC@SLC is about; and to give a better view on what I'm explaining, our professors showed us this video... I WILL warn you it's definitely rated PG-20 with a high need of self-humour.

Many people in the industry themselves feel this way about their jobs but are able to create videos like this to make light of their situation or make themselves feel better... Or just to give themselves a laugh every once in a while to keep from having an anxiety attack.

Ad Agencies are competitive, fast-paced, tedious and exciting. If you're in the market for any time of agency jobs, here is a list of all the possibilities that agencies have...
Account Planning
Account Planner, Strategic Planning Director, Senior Account Planner    
Account Service
Account Coordinator, Account Executive, Account Group Director, Account Supervisor, Assistant Account Executive, Group Account Director, Group Management Supervisor, Management Supervisor, Managing Director--Client Services    
Administrative
Administrative Assistant, Administrative Assistant to the Chairman, Executive Administrative Assistant, Mailroom Clerk, Receptionist, Travel Supervisor    
Analytics
Analyst, Digital Marketing; Associate Director of Analytics; Associate Director of Analytics, Social Media; Director of Analytics; Manager, Analytics; Senior Analyst, Social Media; Senior Interactive Analyst    
Broadcast Production
Associate Director--Commercial Production, Broadcast Administrator, Broadcast Editor, Broadcast Production Manager, Executive Producer, Traffic Coordinator, Traffic Manager, Talent Payment Coordinator    
Chief Officer
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Operations, President    
Creative
Art Director; Creative Coordinator; Creative Director; Creative Manager; Graphic Designer; Studio Manager; Vice President, Creative Services    
Financial
Accountant, Accounting Supervisor, Biller, Controller, Junior Accountant, Vice President, Finance    
Human Resources
Assistant Director, Director of Human Resources, Human Resources - Recruiting, Human Resources Manager, Manager Training & Development, Payroll Supervisor     
Information Technology
Application Development Manager, Business System Manager, Database Developer/Data Analyst, Director of Information Technology, Senior Database Administrator, Software Developer    
Interactive/Digital
Digital Designer; Flash Developer; HTML Programmer/ Developer; Interaction Designer; Web Architect; Web Designer; Interactive Designer; Senior Interactive Art Director; Quality Assurance Engineer    
Marketing
Associate, Marketing Services, Director of Marketing, Director of Marketing Services, Manager, Marketing Analysis, Manager, Marketing Services, Senior Associate, Marketing Services, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Strategic Marketing Director
Media
Account Director, Assistant Media Buyer, Associate Media Director, Executive Director - Media, Local Broadcast Buyer, Media Supervisor    
New Business
Coordinator of Business Development, Director of Business Development, New Business Coordinator, New Business Director, New Business Manager
Print
Art Buyer, Director of Internal Print Controls, Print Buyer, Print Producer, Production Coordinator, Traffic Manager    
Project Management
Assistant Project Manager; Creative Operations Manager; Director of Project Management; Project Manager; Senior Project Manager    
Public Relations
Corporate Communications Specialist, Director / Public Relations, PR Assistant Account Executive, PR Management Supervisor,Public Relations Assistant, Vice President, Director of Public Relations    
Research
Associate Media Research Manager, Associate Research Director, Media Research Associate, Media Research Director, Media Research Project Director, Research Analyst     
SEO/SEM
Group Search Director; Search Engine Marketing Manager; Search Engine Marketing Strategist; Search Engine Marketing Supervisor; Search Planner; Search Engine Marketing Account Director    
Social Media
Associate Director, Social Media; Community Manager; Content and Community Specialist; Social Media Coordinator/Community Manager; Editor-in-Chief; Digital Strategist/Planner

Welcome back to 'the Grind' lil Black Sheep

After a long 'summer vacation' and a short 'winter break' and jumping back into the swing of college life I've found myself thrown into the world of advertising agencies and client work.

It's not easy keeping up with schooling and preparations back home while your abroad, and for some it's not any easier once you land... Some end up feeling very left out and far behind or 'the black sheep of the pack.'

Scheduling has to give you a specific day once a month for you to meet and have classes with your sponsor school (your sponsor school chooses this and they may vary depending on the month.) So in my opinion your home school program (or your recruiter/head of your Disney Exchange at your home school) should have a volunteer or system in place so that during that Off day or even on a different schedule Off day each week you are updated in the classes and lessons your missing.

Being in advertising and as beautifully and intricately complex as our course is, we missed quite a bit of knowledge, work, certifications and tests and important portfolio/resume building classes while we were off gallivanting around Florida with Mickey mouse and friends.

I wonder how hard it is for other ICPs to readjust back into non-pixie dust society... I thought I would provide a list of re-entry challenges or stages that most students or travellers that go abroad have to go through... Gathered by Dr. Bruce LaBrack.

I suppose this post is more of a warning for future ICPs... YES you will have the most fantasmic time of your life, but just make sure that you have a great friend-system waiting back hoe for you that can lend you notes on the classes you've missed and consider greatly how much catching up you will have to do when you get back.

(This also is a warning that I may have some inconsistent timing with my posts but I promise to be diligent none-the-less now that Creative.Dunning has so many wonderful and well loved supporters.)

The Facts don't Lie about the Difference you can Make

Blogging is one of the best ways to communicate your creativity, knowledge, advice and stories with other people in a vast way. It can be used just for personal or family use, to educate the public or to enhance your business. It is also very hard to keep up with; it takes a lot of self-motivation to keep up with it consistently and to find topics to write about (another reason why I have various different categories to write about in case I get stuck on one.)

I wanted to show you how much blogging does make a difference. Online communication is a great way to see how many people your messages really get to. Just like an advertising campaign blogging websites can track all sorts of different facts about your viewers to let you see that people really are paying attention to what you're saying.

This posts isn't necessarily informative, but more like a little ray of 'inspirational hope' to my other fellow bloggers that people are paying attention - even if it seems no one is or no one bothers to comment or share your posts.

Today I found out that most of the viewers from my blog are actually American.

This doesn't really surprise me because since coming in June on the Disney ICP Program I have been blessed with many new friends, co-cast members and managers that have taken a liking to my blog.

Other countries have surprised me... such as Malaysia, Lithuania, Germany, Australia, France and Denmark.

Another great thing about online communication is that Google now let's you translate your blogs so that you have the opportunity to have so many viewers from around the world that speak multiple languages.

Next I made a list of the websites that either have 'ads' about my blog posts and the 'search words' that people have been typing into search engines that bring up my blog posts the most.

 

Finally, I made a list of the most viewed posts I have done in the now 3rd years of my blog (awe I think its going to be time for a birthday celebration soon...) If you see a post you haven't read yet, please feel free to poke around and see what you can find.

Every once in a while it's just good to step back and realize that what you're saying is being heard and not to give up even when it seems pointless. I for one take time every now and then to search new blogs and read what they have to say - so you never know I may find yours one day so keep writing!