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.
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| HE DIDN'T SAY THAT! IT WAS MY DAD! |
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| Yum. |
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| Brush your teeth, kids! It's important. |
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