At the moment both classes that read Creative Marketing are out doing their internship. They are all over Sweden and at many different companies, departments and branches. Approximately 70 students are out trying out their wings so far, networking big time and foremost receiving new input and ideas.
On the list of companies we find Solentro, SVT, McCann, Scandivison, Isover, Mercedes and many more. It is one of the most valuable parts of the education, to be able to concrete test ideas, go besides someone who has been in the business for years. Priceless if you ask me! Hands on learning, the Swedish word and term we use is “Lärande i arbete” which translates teaching by doing.
KM07 are up for examination in July and KM08 will come back in august. KM09 starts in august.
To all you LIA companies, thank you very much for taking in students at Academedia! Thanks for sharing and giving!
Well, a very popular topic; social media & networking and more important professional networks. But how do you do it? How do you network successfully? In order to do that you need personal branding. How can you brand yourself and why should you? Where is the payoff?
As I go back ten years I didn’t know to much about this, I didn’t think about it like I do today, all I cared about was my relations. To actually brand myself was for me the angle of spiritual matters, to signal what I was, to be honest in every way! A part of my Buddhist life philosophy so to say…
So how did I use my perspective of philosophy to make a conscious personal branding?
Well, it is a journey!
My networking skills were formed in my son’s soccer club; a non profit organization that is driven by people with the love of the sport and kids. As many parents I started out with making coffee, selling tickets and socializing with the other parents. After a while I discovered that I wanted more, both for the club, the kids and foremost for myself. I accepted the nomination to the youth board in Hogaborgs Bollklubb & HFA board of committee. Non profit organization bases the work on networks and relations. I discovered I liked it very much, that I received results from my work right away and that I really liked the interacting with other people on this level. Through out the process my network grew and my relations were formed. This is also where I discovered the value of personal branding. To get your point across you have to be involved, to be someone to be reckon with. Because why should anyone listen to you? You are talking to people who spend several hours for free in order to work with this. What you say has to be honest, clear and direct. You have to be what you say you are. As you can’t be everything you have to choose what you want to signal, what do you want people to perceive you as and keep every promise you make!
In my network within my love for soccer I have a lot of friends with different areas of expertise; police, captain in the Swedish army, several managers within international organizations, pilots, CEO positions, many different areas of business, bus drivers…the list goes on and on! I tried to count how many people I know through my network within my assignments and gave up at 1000! Because it is not just my son’s soccer club, it is 28 other clubs in Helsingborg. It is also Skanes soccer organization and Sweden’s national soccer organization!
So how do I use it? Carefully, consciously and with loads of respect!
Today I had the pleasure attending a whole day of advertising at Nöjespalatset in Malmö arranged by Hilanders, a well known agency in Sweden. The invitation said; come and be affected! And that is exactly what I did!
The set up was simple; successful campaign projects, both national and international that ended with a lecture of Steve Trygg talking about how Barack Obama is the first internet president. Word…
The lecturers where careful and thoroughly chosen. Hilanders had to get a bigger place because more people attended than they had originally suspected. The moderator worked his role perfectly and it was a great flow in the agenda, lectures and brakes.
As I get to attend a lot of events and most of them are just ok it was refreshing to see other peoples work and to hear the background story the whole way so to speak. I was really blown away by Claus Lindorff, CEO at BETC Luxe in Paris talking about to major French brands; Louis Vittton and Air France. I perceived his lecture as honest, clear and direct. He knew exactly who the audience was….and yes, I want one of the bags! I think I will have to wait just a little bit for that one….
I LOVE Delicato! Carola at Ogilvy took her client with her and that was a great move. I just love the ad campaign with the message; “ 0% whole grain”. They have been careful and respectful both with Delicato and with the customers. It is a great statement shown in a very funny way. I second that! I want to have the ads as wall paper please!
The highlight of the day for me was with out a doubt Fredrik Hjelmquist, CEO at Pause Ljud & Bild in Stockholm. He was funny, his gerilla campaign was even funnier and he proved himself to be a great entertainer.
Conclusions after a long day of listening?
Hilanders made it all happen! Great theme, great lectures and foremost I felt inspired walking away! And that is what is all about.
So a great thank you to all you people who gave lectures today, thanks for sharing!
Today we had the pleasure to listen to Ivana Hrdlickova, information and communication manager at IKEA Retailer.
Ivana originates from Czech Republic and has worked within IKEA for several years and the perfect example for IKEAs latest marketing campaign – diversity! Ivana talked a lot about IKEA brand value and how the company incorporated the overall vision for the campaign, they started internally! Workshops and information brochures in order to really make a clear communication, because it all starts with the people on the floor. Diversity is like she says, many things; ethnic, age, sexual preferences and sex. And she also highlighted the different family constellations that we see today; two dads, two mums, one mum or dad…the variations are endless and therefore also the possibilities for IKEA are too. She emphasized the importance of learning language and how it can open doors, at the moment there are 44 different languages within the IKEA Store. Talk about many doors. This is also one of IKEA strengths, to be able to use the knowledge and power within, the dynamic working group.
Ivana showed her favourite commercial ads from all over the world and this one is my favourite from her selection;
It is funny, unexpected and foremost it is written IKEA all over it!
I could hear a lot of pride and especially joy of working at IKEA in Ivanas lecture and it is not strange that is also why the company is top three favourite employers. I think IKEA is extremely loyal to the brand, to the business idea and therefore it is so successful. Diversity is here to stay!
Today I attended a breakfast meeting at MiM, the speakers where two people I know; Jetmira in class KM08 and a co-worker Anders Printz. They were talking about social media and networking. How it works and why we should use it but foremost HOW we should use it!
The lecture was fully booked and was really interesting! For all you teachers out there, take a moment and listen to the younger generation J You might discover the future is already here!
For me personally, I use LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter. And these I have connected to each other as well as my blog. Why so many networks? It is all about how I use them. Facebook is for friends and family, LinkedIn is a professional network, my blog is my communication as a program manger for Creative Marketing at Academedia and twitter is an additional micro blog. Getting a bit complicated? It isn’t! Trust me!
If you are new to this, start out with a planning strategy! Why should you be anywhere, how can you use it to your advantage and what do you want to accomplish? Simple….result!
As everything else, be clear in your communication, be aware of what you are sending out and make conscious decisions accordingly! It is the same basis either you are a person or a company. Incorporate them in to your own personal life strategy and plan, to get ahead, to create possibilities and get results.
Lately I have been focusing on TV commercials from an aspect of communication. Who is talking to me, good or bad! It is a big difference between liking a marketing campaign and what I am really buying, the result so to speak!
After days of TV watching I can honestly say there is not too much I really like but I can list at least 20 commercials I don’t like at all. My least favourite ones are all the products for cleaning, washing and related matters. Although I hate housework there is not one commercial that is funny, creative or communicative! I perceive them as boring, fun less and foremost non communication! They don’t talk to me at all…
The first thing I focus on when I don’t like a commercial is do I belong to the target group? 9 out of 10 times I am not so that is not to strange perhaps!? But when it comes to house products I am the target group; right age, the responsible for buying in the household and the one doing the cleaning! Especially when it comes to spring time I should be the target all over for these household products as it is a time of cleaning and getting rid of winter!
Maybe I am overanalysing the factor of creativity? Perhaps I am trying to make me a certain customer from the aspect of feelings and desires, trying to create a certain type of profile for myself that I want to be and not what I really am? I just don’t feel like anyone is talking to me! I can’t relate, I feel lost and this makes me a non loyal customer, could and would buy any brand.
Please, can’t someone come up with a marketing strategy for a TV commercial that gives me the illusion of that housework is fun? How hard can it be?
My beloved son turns 16 today! Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday I had his little hand in mine and heard him say; can we get ice cream mummy? Now days the little boy is not so little anymore, he is 1.97 cm tall, 48 in shoe size and will start gymnasium this fall…and yes it is not very often I get to hold his hand anymore!
The love for a child is the most powerful feeling on earth! For my son anything and everything! Never give up, never brake down and always do my best. He has made me a better person, more loving and understanding and foremost he has given me the gift of discovering the world! He has changed my life like no other…
These are also the feelings marketing prey on when selling products to children; I write prey because that is how I feel sometimes! It is aggressive, it is everywhere and it almost attacks you when you least expect it! For companies that is only successful marketing but for us parents it is hard to fight off desires, wishes and requests from our children when “everyone” else has it and costs several thousands and there is no way we would be able to afford those products in the nearest future. As a parent I hear very often other parents say that they want their children have what they themselves never had, especially when it comes to material things. And believe me, I am no different! We don’t want our children to be left out, to be excluded from the group, to be without. We want the best; it is encoded in our parent dna. But what about the parents that don’t have the financial status, single parents that has to save up for months in order to give their children a pair of soccer shoes? I have seen parents go without dentist work, new clothes and shoes in order to be able to purchase the latest stuff to their children; I use to be one of them….
When creating commercial ads and campaigns for products where children are the target group I feel there lays a great ethic and moral responsibility, especially if the products are expensive! All those companies should include a sponsorship for less fortunate and now days it is no longer just single parents. Puma, Adidas, Nike, Nintendo, Microsoft and World of Warcraft should all have a marketing strategy that includes specific activities to target these children in order to give something back. I feel it should be a major part of the brand value. Now days I don’t have to turn every penny, I can buy things more or less when I want too but I will never forget where I came from, every time I get a chance to help someone else I do it! Especially if it is a child, anytime and any day…
Happy birthday dearest son and have the best of days J
Creativity….what is that? According to whom? Who decides what is and what is not? What makes it and what brakes it? How can you get creative?
For me it is necessary to get inspired, to find out new angels to old problems. In order to do that you need input, new people with different views of the world than yourself and foremost thoughts that you have never been thinking about! I need to create new thinking patterns in my brain and that requires that I put myself where I have never been before. To explore the mind is a beautiful journey!
I love when people say; I have never thought about it like that.
To be creative you also need to be brave, to be ready to take a chance. You also need to really listen….not just between the lines but listen to what is not said and perhaps just being thought about! Just because something has never been done before it doesn’t mean it can’t be done! And this is the arena I am creating for students of creative marketing at Academedia, a starting point to go where no one else has gone before…..
So what do I find to be creative when it comes to marketing? I really like the campaign with World of Warcraft staring Ozzy Osbourne, it is clean and direct! Very target group specific and age appropriate. My 16 year old son even asked ME with a touch of suprise; do YOU know Ozzy Osbourne???
My favourite is Adidas commercial for Fifa Womens world cup 2003. This is creative because it fronts soccer and women in a way which have never been done before. You can really feel the competiveness between USA & China. It is brave, it is beatiful and well exicuted!
So how do you think outside the box? Remove the box and you have the whole world in front of you J
What do you really make of your time? When you are old & grey what will be your stories to your grandkids? Worked a lot? Had a great carrier?
For me the worsted thing would be talking about missed opportunities! Besides wanting to be the coolest grandmother there I really want to be able to say;
I did what I wanted, I made things happen, I have fulfilled my destiny!
I will be 39 years soon and I often think of where I am in life, where do I want to be and foremost where do I want to go? Do I do the things I have set up for myself? Do I fill my life with the things I love and care for? If not how can I make it happen?
I have a plan. A three year plan, a five year plan and a ten year plan. My plan is where I keep my dreams, goals and visions clear in order to make sure I am on track! Life is what we make it out to be and I will not get forward and ahead if I don’t know where I want to go. This I have learned the hard way…
When I sit there as a 90 year old woman I want to have the best stories, the greatest happenings and most interesting people to talk about!
So what is coming up for me 2009? A one week course in UGL (leadership training in the army) is waiting for me week 20. An inspirational event for Academedia in week 42 is being planned at the moment and yes not to forget, one class of creative marketing is starting the 10th of august!
