Advertising Week takeaways. And candy. Lots of candy.

I started this blog to give you, dear reader, a sneak peak into the Advertising industry. I wanted to pierce the alluring, sparkling shell that masks the hard work and long (but enjoyable) days that go into planning and executing a campaign. I want to educate you, and I will. But damn, today was fun.

I started the day with a three hour training seminar called "The Art of Business Communication." I went into the class expecting to be fed fluff and be flooded with generalities about the right way to communicate with colleagues. Eye contact! Listen, don't just hear! Always stay professional! I ended up learning an enormous amount that I definitely plan on applying in my everyday life. Did you know that there are four types of communication styles? The are Analytical, Driver, Amiable, and Expressive. Of the four styles, I am primarily Analytical, which is succeeded closely by Driver. Amiable and Expressive follow. The diagram below lays out the four styles:

                                          

To be the most successful communicator in both business and personal settings, you have to recognize your own style, but more importantly, the style of the person you are communicating with. So, while I like to stick to business, outline all the facts clearly and concisely, and ensure that everything is well-thought-out whenever I speak or write in a professional setting, not everyone will be receptive to that. The Amiables and Expressive will indeed likely be deterred, as they seek to make some personal connection as they speak business.

After my class ended, my team and I hurried over to the Times Center to attend an Ad Week presentation. Well that's not true... First we went to Shake Shack, where I had my first ever Shake Shack burger. It was a beautiful, piece of beefy heaven on a bun.

We then headed to the talk, which was given by Nigel Morris, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Americas and EMEA, and Dana Anderson, CMO of Mondelez. I jotted down as much as I could in my little black notebook, trying to absorb as much of their wisdom and wit as possible. I am not going to recap everything they said, but I want to lay out a couple of their main points:

1. If you're not a start-up, you're a turnaround. Okay, so this was the title of the presentation, but it is indeed crucial to understand. Nigel discussed how we are headed towards a world where the consumer's demand overshadows the producer's supply. The question is not what new, shiny technology can be made, but what does the consumer need. Nigel cited Airbnb and Uber as two companies that exemplify the modern business. These companies win their success with ideas and capital, not prodigious offices, thousands of employees, and a deep legacy. If you are not a start up, you have to adapt to the demands of a consumer driven, Millennial-ruled world. Otherwise, you'll be left behind.

2. "Vision without execution is hallucination." Who was the first person to say this? Don't know, let's say my dad. Anyways, as advertisers, we must always be looking forward. We must know what the consumers need and want, what they will need and want, and often before they know it themselves. Innovation is the cornerstone of agencies that breed the greatest success. You can't, however, have innovation without action. We have to try and thus learn to fail. How can we build brands and campaigns differently (and better) than how we're doing so now? Just some food for thought.

When I got back to the office, I worked on billing and actualizing plans in our online planning tool (after snacking on Dannon's leftover free lunch). At 4:30m the Culture Club put out a Candy Bar, hosted by About.com and Dylan's Candy Bar, and supplied the agency with free adult beverages... yes, it was amazing. I then completed the rest of my work on a sugar high. 

What more does she have to say?? you think. Yes, yes, I'll let you be. In my next post, I will write a little about the talk I went to on Monday (LOCATION! PROGRAMMATIC! BIG DATA!), more on what Nigel had to say (CONVERGENCE! ONLINE TO IN-STORE SALES! BIG DATA!!), and more about about the specifics of the tasks I've mentioned so far.

HE DIDN'T SAY THAT! IT WAS MY DAD!

Yum.

Brush your teeth, kids! It's important.

The little fish goes to work.

You know the phrase, "A little fish in a big pond"? Well, that's me. Granted, at 5'10" I'm a tall little fish, but in the world of advertising, I'm that little minnow that just might actually be a tiny piece of debris in the water.

I'm starting this blog because I know that many girls and guys my age, those fresh out of college or approaching their final semesters, are intrigued by the world of work that is advertising. I'm here to temper all of your Don Draper fantasies with talk of pivot tables and flowcharts, powerpoint and planning tools. I am not the Don Draper you want, but the one you need. I want to give you a glimpse into agency life, and to let you follow my journey across the advertising universe.

So let's begin. 

My name is Molly, and I am an Assistant Media Planner on the Burberry account living amongst the masses in NYC. Every weekday morning I walk over to my agency, weaving through the blocks according to the stoplight patterns. I do my best to avoid mysterious and odd-colored puddles on the sidewalk, and I dive away from puffs of cigarette smoke coming from the mouths of people in front of me. If you are one of those puffers, I might give you a dirty look as I scurry by you. Sorry. Kind of.

By nine o'clock I am taking the elevator to the 13th floor. Would I rather be on the 12th or the 14th? Yes. The superstition that surrounds the number 13 does not bother me. I am simply not a fan of prime numbers.

I get to my desk and open up my emails. If there is an urgent request, e.g. an MAF that needs to be sent or some discrepancy that needs to be resolved, I tend to that right away. MAF stand for Media Authorization Form, and it gives us on the agency side permission from our client to buy media. When all that is pressing is settled, I head up to the 14th floor to get my snacks for the day. Free (good) snacks. All day. Yes, my workplace is awesome.  

The start of today, however, was different, because it was the beginning of Advertising Week. I spent the morning listening to shop talk at a conference. But that is too much fun for right now. I will talk of that tomorrow.  For now, enjoy this picture of a dollar store snow globe that sits on my desk, taking cover under a miniature bus shelter complete with a Burberry posting.