Lately I have found profiles on twitter with really strange work title. I don’t get it. Guru in social media, what is that? What is up with that? And why would you call yourself that???
According to Wikipedia it is a spiritual teacher within Hindu. Ok so far so god. This is also my own perception of the word. Some sort of teacher or leader within spiritual matters.
Of course there is a lot of buzz when it comes to social media. The explanations of the phenomena are many and divers and so are the work titles as well. Combined with the issue of title chasing mania there is also some kind of competition for the most advanced and complicated one.
My students of Creative Marketing have asked me for a list of work titles in media, marketing and social media. Let me tell you it is impossible! Some titles are ok and work everywhere but due to new media and new markets there are so many to choose from. The big problem as I see it causes confusion and perceives as unreliable. I mean who would actually take someone seriously with the title social media guru? Not me!
Social media has great potentials for both people and companies, can accomplish amazing things and connect people and by that also create fantastic business possibilities. Make it work on your own terms and be clear, honest and concrete.
More and more companies are showing up on twitter, facebook and youtube. Some of them with a clear vision of strategy and most of them don’t really know why or what they are doing, just that they need to be there.
From what I can tell, the gap between customers and companies profiles on for instance twitter is wide open when it comes to expectations from both sides. As dialog and communication are key elements for any social media strategy, I believe customers really want customer service value, what else? Twitter is right now, right here and straightforward and that means 24/7 service information, more or less.
Some years back I worked as a Customer Services Manager at an international company with B2B, giving customer services value was my assignment. Whenever I would talk to a client I was the brand talking and I believe this is where companies fail and struggle at the moment on twitter because they haven’t incorporated their twitter profile with their customer services department. Add to that no clear strategy, inexperienced personal and new media! Yes, twitter is still unfamiliar territory for most people I believe.
When it comes to twitter where I have my own profile, I have probably made all the errors in the handbook! For me personally it is not about getting followers, for me it is a great source of inspiration as I follow companies such as SJ_AB, celebrities such as aplusk (Ashton Kutcher) and my own students of Creative Marketing. I receive answers, tips & tricks and get to retweet the latest news within for example social media. I also try to tweet things I find important, personal and interesting.
Another year has passed and as usual you’ll find lists everywhere. The best and the worst. The biggest and the most memorable. What is on your list? If you go back a year, did you accomplish what you wanted for yourself? Did you fulfil your dreams? Or is it just another year that have passed?
I get very emotional on New Years Eve as I try to conclude my year and the one thing that keeps coming up is thankfulness. Thankful for my fantastic family, for my great friends and loved ones. Counting my blessings is a tradition of mine but I have added a new tradition this year; value my mistakes and failures. Truly and faithfully. Honest and straightforward because where would I be without them?
A major part of my jobtitle as education manager for creative marketing at AcadeMedia Masters is to broaden the horizons for the students, try to offer a bigger picture and overall perspective, not an easy assignment! I am on a constant look out, all the time questioning everything I do and say. The main purpose is to inspire as that is the true core of education.
So for 2010, where do you see yourself? For yourself? What do you want to achieve? What do you want? Attitude, goals, visions, desires and dreams. All good but do you believe? That anything and everything is possible for you? What will 2010 bring you?
Both classes are taking the course New Media & technology, advertising or PR. AcadeMedia Masters have been visited by many interesting people with great knowledge and background.
KM09 have met Sandra Nilsson from the action marketing department at Skånemejerier. This was a real treat for the class as Sandra has herself taken the same course. Sandra works as a action project assistant and loves every minute of it!
Next person to enter the stage was Yacir Persson-Chelbat who has a background in mobile technology and development at www.tat.se Yacir took us on an exiting trip, from old to new, from the past to the future.
Henrik Jansson, copy at Glenn is also a former student of creative marketing and had some really interesting things to say. From his way to Glenns way and some things in between and it was very interesting to hear his point of view.
Last but not least came Patricio Silva from Navigator which is an agency that focuses on communication and building brands through trinity. Patricio talked a lot about how Navigator works and how internet has changed the world of brands.
Anders “prinsen” Printz has been responsible educator during this course and you can follow his tips & tricks at http://twitter.com/prinsen where you also find his contact details to linkedin and blogs.
KM08 was visited by Tina Kaikkonen from The Astonishing Tribe. Tina works as an office manager and networking is her thing! A fantastic lecture about her company, their products and ways of working.
Pia Jansäter, CEO at Jansäter Communication took care of PR and crisis communication and offered some great advice in how to handle difficult times.
Both classes of Creative marketing are really busy at the moment.
KM08 is making a marketing campaign for Tourism in Skåne under the watchful eye of their tutor Hans-Erik Duck in the course Lateral marketing. The class has been divided in to groups of four & five and they have their presentation at Thursday. It is the end of 7 weeks of hard work, long nights and careful studies of the market. From week 1-20 next year all the students are having internships and after that all that remains is the examination work that concludes the whole education.
KM09 is in the final weeks of the course commercial operation with Staffan Olofsson. Ten weeks has nearly past and I think they are all happy to start the next one! It is a very demanding course and some of them has been forced to confront their biggest fear; math! They have a presentation and one test to go next week. Next course is new media & technology with Anders Printz.
The format for Creative Marketing is focus on the business world. So far the students have been able to listen to Bodil Jönsson, Torbjörn Jörgensen and Stina Tjebbes. One class has visited TBWA in Copenhagen and listened to Paul Clements. Ivana Hrdlickova, information and communication manager at IKEA Försäljnings AB and Lars Carlson, senior advisor at Inter IKEA Systems have been giving lecturers. On their way in are Tina Kaikkonen, office manager at The Astonishing Tribe, Yacir Persson-Chelbat from the multicultural association, Sandra Nilsson, project assistant action marketing at Skånemejerier, Henrik Jansson, copy at Glenn and Patricio Silva, consulting director Interactive communication at Navigator ends this years guest lectures.
I was actually dreading writing the headline to this blog post. Social media. It is everywhere. A lot of buzz. Do this, don’t do that. Be there. Constant update mode all the time! Social media analyst, social media strategist, social media business analyst….the list goes on and on but what do they really do? What does the title mean? What is social media?
Facebook, twitter and youtube are the most common social medias out there. On a personal level you create your own profile and create constant updates on what you are doing, what you are thinking and feeling. Celebrities and international companies do the same. More and more people with thousands of followers on twitter keep on showing up with links to their websites more or less confusing and most of them have some sort of social media in their title. Good or bad, social media is here to stay, I believe.
I have seen people tweet about how many comments they have received on facebook and my 16 year old son’s words keep ringing in my ears; facebook is for old people. He doesn’t like it; he doesn’t understand the need to constant update a profile on what one is doing. Twitter makes him yawn and he is baffled with all the nonsense people are writing. What I do think is very important is that we are experiencing a back lash of the social part on some level or another – anti social or social on demand which is the new thing I believe! The median age at facebook has gone from 26 years to 33 in just a year and the trend is very clear. The parents have found their way in to facebook and their kids are leaving!
What is very interesting is what will the next big thing be? If kids are leaving facebook, where are they? If the age group that my son belongs to is so anti constant online update mode, what do they like? What do they prefer? I love facebook, I have my own twitter profile and youtube channel and of course I am one these old people. I follow with great interest people, companies and leaders. For me is a great source of inspiration and new thoughts. I get to stay in touch on a daily basis with my sister and her family in Australia and my brother in New Zealand. I love it and I am 39 and that is old.
Students of Creative Marketing have 2 periods of internship during their education; one of 8 weeks and one of 20 weeks. Internship gives the students added value to an education, a possibility to walk besides someone else, to practice what they have learned and a chance to go their own way. Priceless!
KM08 have week 1-20 next year and are right now in the middle of seeking, searching and finding out. They are all over the world; they are all over the spectra of marketing & advertising. Most of them are already members of Linkedin, they are attending BNI breakfast and lunch meetings and networking big time! The dream companies are many and divers, what about Unicef, L´Oreal, Elle, The Astonishing Tribe, Hilanders, Navigator, McCann, TBWA and Sony Ericsson and many more! Some of them have a great interest of producing media; others are looking forward to be working with PR & event and ALL of them have a desire to learn, grow and work very hard!
So where are they in the process of education? What can they actually do? Wrong question! What do they want to do? They have been taking the courses law & ethics, sales & crm processes so far, they have two more courses to go this fall; lateral marketing and new media & techniques. They are already on twitter, facebook is a second world to them and their blogs are updated regularly. Social media is something they already live by.
All students in class KM08 have also been involved in AcadeMedia Masters inspirationsdag, sales and marketing. The event itself is taking place Thursday the 15th of October and we are working very hard in order to make this a very happy and inspirering event for all of us! Stefan Einhorn, Johan Fallby & Thomas Bergmark are talking.
Yes, what are they? Ok, according to what you ask perhaps? Life, love, finance and business? Well are there any actual difference? And why are they important? Well, success is something we all want but how do we get it? How do we become it? What are the key factors?
Here is my analysis of the CSFs;
• Personality
This is your best asset! Who are you? What are you? When it comes down to it, you don’t really change your personality that much so if you are perceived as a problem person from the start you won’t stand a chance! No matter what, you are the only one that can change you. How well you work with others is most important!
• Attitude & gratitude
This is key to success what ever you do in life! Your attitude determines most times the outcome! If you want to have different kind of result, try to change your attitude! To have an attitude of gratitude will take you far & further.
• Failure & mistakes
This is what we call experience! It is not that we make them, we all do, it is how we handle them when they arrive. When things don’t go our way, how do we handle it? Just because something doesn’t work doesn’t mean it is bad, wrong or a failure. It is simply life telling you to walk another way.
• Strategy
As there is a huge difference between dreams, visions and goals, the key factor is strategy! This is what separates them from each other. This is the HOW. How am I going to fulfill my dreams, visions and goals in life? Do you have a plan? A strategy? Do you think you can get one? DO IT!
For me personally, networking is a huge part of me due to my social personality but also my love for volunteer work as I am a board member in two soccer clubs. Where would I be without all my mistakes? My failures? Great co workers and managers that have given me feedback and constructive criticism during my professional life? Fantastic friends and family members that with their support keep me grounded? It is a never ending progress and development for me personally and I am most grateful to all of them!
So the next time someone gives you feedback & constructive criticism, thank them! It doesnt have to be true, it doesnt have to be right! If nothing else, they have given you a chance to reflect over yourself and your assignment! And by doing so you are one step closer to your dream, vision and goal and that is priceless!
The 15th of October I am organising a day of inspiration on behalf of AcadeMedia Masters. The Swedish theme is jaget, laget & organisationand it translates I, the team and organization.
The background is simple and clear; inspiration! When I first started the job as the education manager at AcadeMedia Masters I very soon discovered the need for inspiration. This is what I need to do with my students and in order to do that I myself need inspiration. What inspirers me and is it possible it can inspire others?
I started with asking myself who and what inspirers me? Who makes me want to learn more and if so how can they inspire more people? I am very fortunate to have been able to work with people with versatile knowledge and background and therefore great bank of resources to pick from. I wanted a red thread through out the day and foremost a day to remember, to inspire to new thoughts and actions.
I have read his books many times; I have seen him on TV shows discussing moral & ethics. His books; Konsten att vara snäll and Medmänniskor gave me many chances to reflect. Stefan is an author, medical doctor and head of the ethics board at Karolinska Institutet. Stefans lecture is all about me, focusing on how I can change and how other people’s stories can make you think. Here is the I or jaget!
Here is a sample of one of Stefan’s lectures from TEDxStockholm the 6th of June of this year;
Through my volunteer work within Högaborgs Bollklubb & HFA I came in contact with Johan. He is in charge of motivation the Swedish national soccer teams from the age of 15 in Svensk Fotboll. Besides being a motivator to so many he is also a sport psychologist and a social scientist. Here is the team or laget!
Here is Johan Fallby interview from a soccer game earlier this summer;
While I was working at Inter IKEA Systems Media I was the responsible coordinator for an event with the theme sustainability. Listening to him and learning more about what sustainability really is made me want to learn more. Thomas is Sustainability manager of IKEA and his department is in charge of amongst many things the codes of conducts and the decision to donate 422 million Swedish crowns earlier this year. Here is the organization!
So, if you look at the people who is giving lectures, what does this have to do with Creative Marketing? Well, we all need inspiration in order to proceed in life. Whether it is on a personal level, team level or organization level! We are all connected and integrated. If this is so, how about doing it together? This day is for you and me, for us!
The event will be held in Swedish at Nöjesteatern in Malmö and we are all looking forward to a day full of new ideas, new thoughts and new solutions! Lets create new brain patterns!
Yesterday I had the pleasure to visit TBWA together with Anders Printz and class KM08. Anders has worked at TBWA some years back so for him it was a long time and no see visit, for the rest of us it was a great adventure!
Class KM08 at TBWA
TBWA is one of the worlds leading agencies with popular brands like Apple, Adidas and Playstation 3.
Paul Clements, Creative director welcomed us and gave us the tour of the place and an almost 2 hour lecture of clients, commercials, ways of working and brand value communication. Paul is a brilliant speaker and he spoke with such a passion for his job that we all felt he had just started when it was all over.
Paul Clements, Creative director at TBWA
Things that made a great impression on me;
Don’t be loud – be clear!
Made me think about parenting. Screaming doesn’t help at all, doesn’t matter if you are right. The customer of today is bombarded with thousands of commercials every day and in order to shine through you have to be clear.
Do your research
Know your stuff. Easy and uncomplicated. No shortcuts.
Be humble.
I asked Paul for advice on behalf of the students regarding how to contact agencies for internship and his answer was humbleness! Be humble, express what you want to do and be specific about what you bring to the table!
One of TBWAs latest work;
During his presentation I thought of things I have to change, things I want to do and foremost things that will be done, differently! True inspiration! Curious at TBWA? Check out their blog at; http://blog.tbwa-denmark.com/
Here is a film made by Anders Printz after our visit!
Thanks Paul and most welcome to Malmö, AcadeMedia Masters and Creative Marketing! Anytime!
