I am an assistant again...

Not officially, but I am now doing the same work I did 5 years ago on my first day as a media assistant. Requesting media kits, putting together costing sheets and getting copies of magazines sent to review. It's good to know that leaving a senior position to do my MBA has resulted in... junior level work?

Independent study strikes again!

I have enjoyed the experience for the most part, but I miss having a team to work with. A few, short weeks ago, before understanding the scope of the project, I agreed to be a team of 1 as my friends wanted to work in their regular group of 3. Oh how I have come to regret this decision! The majority of the work has been interesting and I have learned as much as I could have hoped, but week after week I noticed that my dear friends in their group of 3 was able to accomplish 3 times as much work as me - time constraints and all.

Thankfully, my media kit requests have all been sent with some prompt replies. I can't help but note that advertising is always the same - it's hard getting my questions answered, but when the client asks jump, I always ask 'how high' and then try to jump a wee bit higher. Oh how I have missed this media planning game!

I can't wait until school starts again so that I can continue with my lofty dreams and aspirations. When working on an ISU, I find that my goals are still FAR out of reach... in fact, I may have moved back a step. Sigh!

Copywriting

For years I had no idea how difficult copywriting actually is.

No longer.

I am sitting in a little cafe in the beaches. Each table is occupied by others with open laptops. It is clear that this is a popular 'office' space in this neighbourhood. Good coffee, non-offensive muzak in the background. I should be inspired.

Why am I not inspired? Where did this writers block come from?

I am in the midst of writing copy for my summer independent study. Who knew that populating a website with important information and product features would be so difficult!

I must get this done! I have only an hour left on my battery and power outlets appear to be at a premium in this location!

Sitting by the phone sucks!

As you know, I had been interviewed for a corporate strategy position with a company that I would love to work for. I was pretty sure that they said they would call regardless, however after waiting patiently by the telephone for 2 days, I emailed my friend who was also a finalist to see whether she had heard. She had. Alas, I was not the successful candidate, but I am very happy for my friend as I'm certain she'll do a fantastic job.

As for me, I'll continue with the independent study and networking. Surely hope remains.

Independent Study - Just like the real world!

After months of "safe" school work, I'm thrilled to be working on a meaningful project again. As I mentioned earlier, as part of an independent study project, a few of my colleagues and I are acting as consultants to a foreign company looking to enter North America. All of the products, 5 in total, are innovative technology products in a variety of sectors. My client (to remain anonymous until the product has launched) is in renewable energy.

This project is quite timely as I have been overly preoccupied with the BP disaster, thus I have developed a personal interest in renewable energy. I now know more about the generation of electricity than ever before. Considering how little of our power is generated using sustainable sources, I'm amazed at the clutter in the marketplace - there are a heck of a lot of players manufacturing, designing & installing energy components and integrated systems.

You'll be happy to know that I've officially culled my list of important players from over 300 to just over 200. What a day!

Independent Study - Hectic, Involve, Interesting, Overwhelming!

I am now on my third week of the independent study - launching a new technology into the North American Market. As it is a real client, I am not permitted to give you specifics on the company name and/or industry, however, I can share some of the activities that I have been involved in over the past 3 weeks:

This phase has been all about the research - specifically analyzing the competitive landsape, developing a list of competitors, buyers etc. Performing an analysis of the product and compare to competitors, developing a list of relevant trade shows, conferences and associations, etc.

Unlike the others participating in this project, I am a lone wolf - AKA, as I was in India, I didn't have the opportunity to see whether any of my other classmates were interested in the project, thus signed up solo. While the project has been extremely interesting, it has also been a heck of a lot of work!

I have been quite thorough in my research and have developed a list of over 300 players in this market. As the next phase is positioning and developing marketing messages and finally launching a website & conducting SEO initiatives, I am now reviewing each and every website.

I wish I could share more info on the project as it is REALLY interesting, but alas, I cannot. Rest assured though, this phase should be the most time intensive - research report is due on Monday!! Eeek!

Presentation Success!

Well dears, apparently I panicked for nothing. The presentation was great - I even got voted as having the 'best slide' of the night. The key is pictures, not bullet points. Plus, as I am able to speak fast (yet clearly), I was able to get through the deck in a record 5 minutes!

I will let you in on a little secret - I snuck in an extra slide! So glad no one was counting.

Presentations - In Brief

I am currently working on a status update presentation for my independent study project. We've been asked to present in no more than 6 sides, and 6 minutes what we've done in the past week. This is proving to be extremely challenging as I have a lot to say - as usual!

*sigh* I guess I can keep some of these slides for the final presentation.