THE END!

I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!

As a chapter closes, another begins

So, I have a TON of research to do for my interviews tomorrow so this is going to be short but I wanted to commemorate a couple events:
1. I finished the last paper of my college career tonight. It was a weird feeling hitting save and knowing that was it, but it also brought a huge wave of relief and excitement
2. Tomorrow is my first post college interviews. I have two interviews with Edelman in Seattle which is my dream company. I'm being interviewed for its Tech team and the Xbox platform team. So, none the less, as I am not a gamer, I've spent the past two days doing a lot of primary and secondary research. I've been researching the company, xbox, the tech team's companies, played Xbox for the first time last night (I'm really bad at Guitar Hero) and took a guy I know who's big into games out for a drink tonight and had him teach me the ins and outs. I hope it goes well because I want to work for the company so bad, you have no idea.
3. I am tired beyond belief. I think the 4.5 years of kicking my own ass and doing as much as will humanly fit in with my schedule has finally caught up with me and all I can say is I'm exhausted. The sad thing is, I'm so used to 5-6 hours of sleep a night that it doesn't even phase me. I couldn't tell you the last time I slept in. Even though school will be over after tomorrow I've still got so much to do. I do, however, intend to give myself a couple days without an alarm and let myself recover.
4. It's a weird feeling being done with school. I've looked forward to it for so long and now that it's here I don't know what to do with myself. A big chapter of my life has ended and I can say that I'm really excited for whatever comes next but I'm also very stressed out and a little scared. I'm not good at taking risks. I like to have a plan and know where I'm going and right now I don't have that. I know it'll work out so I'm not worried but it is still a bit overwhelming.

So here's to the future and what's to come! I'm off to bed so I can get up early tomorrow and learn more about Edelman, Xbox, and the tech team. Wish me luck!

Free time? What's that?

So sorry for that lapse in blogging there, I forgot my password! As you can tell, I figured it out. With that aside, I haven't had much time for blogging anyway. I have 9 days of actual class left (plus weekends and thanksgiving break) and in that time I have to finish a 30 marketing plan, create a powerpoint for that and then give the presentation, write a final paper for my capstone, create the final book for my strategic management class, create a powerpoint for that and present there too. Oh, then add in I'm going to drive 5 hours to my mother's house in order to fly to Indy and back for Thanksgiving, then drive 5 hours home. Oh, and then I still don't have a job and probably won't for a while and I have no idea where to go or what to do. Can you tell I'm a bit of a mess?

I've just got so much going on and I'm not doing a good job with dealing with stress. Like clockwork, for the last two weeks I've been waking up at 3 am, wide awake, ready to get going on stuff. I can eventually coax myself back to sleep but it's getting frustrating. I'm exhausted, can't get rid of my cold, and just want everything to work out.

This is a bit of a rant and I'm sorry but I'm frustrated. It doesn't help that my group members "are over" our projects and don't want to have meetings to get everything done. This time last year, I went on a trip to Portland, OR for my advertising competition class, and came back to face this same thing; two presenations back to back, to huge papers, and the added stress of finding out while I was gone my dog had died (something I've been meaning to blog about; another time). I'm not good with dealing with painful things and I since I had so much else going on, I didn't deal with my dog dying. I still really haven't. I think that's where part of my stress is coming from because it's going to be the exact same situation after I come back from Indy.

I have to go to work but the plan for the night:
-work
-go kick my ass at the gym to relieve some stress
-apply to at least one more job tonight
-work on my papers
-sleep (?)

I know I'll get there because I always do, but it's just one of those times where I feel like I have a lot of climbing to do to get to the top...here I go...

Finally, Microsoft!

So I'm making a new resume. I decided after a lot of feedback that I didn't like the old one. I'm working with my strategy professor on this one so I'm getting a way different perspective. I'm hoping to have my application stuff all in to my dream company sometime this week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Also, I just want to congratulate Microsoft for finally responding to Apple's commericials. I love the Apple commericals; I think they're hilarious but I've just been in awe of how long it's taken Microsoft to get something, anything, out there to advertise. Finally, I feel validated.



I actually thought it does a good job. It's subtle enough to not be direct throw down but if you've paid attention to advertising you know it's in response to what Apple says and it at least trys to get away from the stuffy image that Apple portrays. But still, Apple's commericals make me laugh...



Plus, I love the Mac guy!

Internship happenings

So I'm interning at a marketing company in town called Marketplace Media with a woman named Linda and her daughter Megan. It's been a great experience so far and the company is awesome. Here's a little update on something Megan's been doing...

MTV Coverage!

I'm so crazy busy right now that I really don't have much drive or time to be updating this a ton. I'm sorry about that. I'll try to be better. Once I find a job and get through the next two weeks of school I'll try to update way more frequently!

My resume is D-O-N-E. DONE. Now, onto the cover letters...

Clarification On My Freak Out Session

So, here's my problem. I like to plan and be in control of my life. This fact, mixed with my Type A personality, is making me a frustrated wreck. I don't like not knowing what I'm doing and I will just tell you, I don't know. I don't know how to effectively job hunt. I don't know how to make myself feel sane. I don't know how to plan for the next few months. I don't know about anything in my life at this point and it's driving me mad. I want to be in Denver with a job by early January. I'll even take a job in Seattle. I just need to make something happen or I need to learn to let it go and stop stressing. Considering I haven't been able to do that in the 22 years of my existence, I wish myself luck.

Goal for tomorrow: have my resume DONE!
Goal for Friday: have it sent to the people who said they would send it to people they know

Gross.

Today I'm feeling stressed and like I'm on a huge uphill battle to find a job. I thought talking to my former professor who used to do PR would help. Although she did agree it would be a good fit and offered to be a reference for me, she just made the whole thing seem so daunting. I walked out of her office ready to scream/cry/twitch uncontrollably and the feeling just won't go away...

Now off to work, more later.

Bre's Adventures in Career Land

So I'm just going to tell you now, this blog is going be career focused for the next couple months and my friends, I will tell you the obvious why. I need to find a job. I went to visit my brother, Casey, in Boulder shortly before school started. My escapade turned out to be much more than just a trip, however. I had a lot of revelations on my trip starting with the thought: "holy shit, I'm graduating in four months and have no clue where I'm moving or what I'm doing."

Now, this isn't totally true. I know I want to go into PR and before my trip I had Seattle and Portland, respectively, as my top spots to live. I found, however, that I loved Denver. It wasn't the love you get after you live in a place for a while and it starts to feel like home. I drove into the city, took one look and knew I love it. My intuition proved to be correct as I continued my tour and it wasn't long before I knew this was where I wanted to be.

So, step one of the career search is done. I have my top locations:
1. Denver
2. Seattle
3. Portland

From there I have spoken with a couple of my networking contacts who have very generously offered to recommend me not only at their companies, but also help me in any other way they can (i.e. sending my resume to friends at other companies I like, etc). I love my networking contacts. I'm 95% percent done editing my resume and have the majority of my cover letters hashed out. Tomorrow is company research day and then begins the writing sample process.

Have I mentioned I like to plan, be prepared, and also stress until I have things figured out?

The whole point of this blog is not tell my avid readers (do I have any?) about my plans but to tell you that I'm planning and that I'm dreaming. I'm finding myself and deciding the rest of my life. It's stressful but it's amazing. I can't tell you about the feeling of driving into Denver and feeling your heart swell; of feeling like you're home in a place you'd never been.

The trip was influential in my life. I had a lot of revelations about what I want out of the next couple months and a couple changes in plans. So, wish me luck on my journey into complete adulthood. I think I'm ready, I hope I'm ready. It's going to be an adventure and that's the best part.

Also, check this out. It's a hilarious commentary on birth control advertising. Everytime I see I laugh even harder and now because of this clip, I have friends telling me how excited they are about my vaginal ring. Watch it and you'll get it...

Bennigan's and the Leprechaun Cards

I'm sorry for the lack of posting but it's been a crazy month between cousins visiting, my birthday, friends moving, work, and planning some other trips. In honor of my birthday I'm just going to highlight a site my friend Michal found and used to send me a birthday card. If you go to this site you can create an e-card of a leprechaun that has your face. It's fun, entertaining, and a little creepy to see your face with a red beard, at least it was for me. It's close to a Madlibs in the respect that you choose the occasion, scene, and have choices of what the leprechaun says.

It kind of reminds me of the OfficeMax Christmas promotion of "Elf Yourself" where you created yourself as an elf. Bennigan's did a good job of making it entertaining. As a plus, when you do it you get a coupon for a discount.

I'm sorry this is short but I'm tired and not feeling all that well so I'm off to bed. I'll try to be better about posting from here on out!

Really ,Taco Bell? Really?

So, I it's 1:45 am and I just got home from work. Although I would like nothing better than to go to sleep right now, the restaurant business has this horrible after effect of leaving me wired when I get home. So, I will post because I've been meaning to do it for a few days now. I heard about this on the radio a few days ago and was appalled. I'm still appalled, probably more so.

Taco Bell approached the rapper 50 Cent with the idea of a name change to either 79, 89, or 99 Cent to promote their fast food prices. Oh, that's not the end of it, folks. The also asked that he would come to the drive through and rap his order. Can we say sell out? Oh, but don't worry Taco Bell would donate $10,000 to the charity of his choice in exchange.

Do they know who 50 Cent is? Somehow, I'm not surprised that this idea was very, very quickly turned down. Oh, and Fiddy sent his lawyers after them too.

So, now that we have the background let's look at this from Taco Bell's standpoint. I can see how this could be spectacular for creating word of mouth and media buzz if Fiddy would have signed on to this idea. That's dream-worthy promotion, right there. I also see the cleaver thought process of finding a celebrity who already has numbers in his name. Maybe there's no name attachement and he'll sellout. I also see the goodwill side of things. Taco Bell is donating money to support whatever Fiddy does. They are giving back to the community and creating huge buzz in the process. When you put the pieces together though, it's just a big, hot mess.

Come on Taco Bell, you really thought the hard-core rapper would do this? I know he signed on for endorsing Vitamin Water and I have to say, I enjoy that commercial, but that is too far. You have to be a major sellout to change your name to a fast food price. Way to "think outside the bun" Taco Bell, but I don't think anyone was surprised by the "No" that was returned.

However, I still have to give them props. This is not for their unrealistic dream, but for getting themselves into the media. I just devoted a whole blog to discussing this and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Yes, the idea was outlandish but it got people talking. Taco Bell is all over the place for this. I would pretty much guess it's the first time the fast-food chain has been a topic of discussion on shows such as E! News. Taco Bell created buzz and didn't even have to donate the money they suggested (although they should anyway). Now the only problem is the legal fees the company is going to have to pay to ward off 50 Cent's lawyers. Good luck, Taco Bell.

And here's 50 Cent's Vitamin Water commercial, in case you don't know what I'm talking about.

The First "Something"

Please excuse my absence from my new blog but I had to finish my summer school project. One all nighter and one career blueprint done, I am finished with summer school. I am only two classes from a marketing degree. Why is it that I feel those two classes are going to be the longest ones of my life? Don't get me wrong, I love learning and I love college but I'm ready for a new adventure.

Anyway, on to the first cool something I found! If you go to this site The Something Store you will certainly find something. The whole premise of this site is you send the site $10 (this includes shipping) and they send you something. You don't know what it will be, but it will be something. According to the site, "yours may be a cool gadget, rare book, table game, handmade necklace, reverse clock, box of gourmet chocolates, set of shiny shower curtains, popular video game, big-box retailer gift card, the latest version of a software, a set of kitchen knives, a pair of designer jeans, garden tool, kitchen appliance, unique home decor item, electronic equipment, magazine subscription, office supply item, or ..." So! Now that you have the idea, I'm going to order something and see what I get.

I find this a very interesting idea. Every person I've told about this site has been enthralled. Now, most likely the something you're really going to have no use for. It's that element of surprise, however, the seems to interest people. People generally like surprises; it's like Christmas morning or getting a piece of mail that isn't a bill and wasn't expected. So, with that in mind I am ready for my surprise. I will pay $10 to get something random in the mail from a stranger. Being a college student, this says a lot for the element of surprise. I don't have a lot of money. I do have a lot of debt, however. This $10 could take me to a movie, but me dinner, or with current gas prices, I could drive 5 feet. But I am going to spend it on something. Just something. I, like all the other people who have been excited by this, will probably be disappointed but I think it's the sometimes high hopes of consumers or maybe the kid in all of us but no matter what the reason, I hope I get something good!

An explanation

I wanted to explain the story behind my headline on this blog. Last week I was given a valuable experience to network with many people across the marketing industry in both Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Last fall I applied and was accepted for a Marketing Field Experience class through The University of Montana. The class is focused on providing a hands-on experience for the 11 students selected which includes learning more about the various options within marketing. We set out in our 15 person van on June 1st and returned on the 7th. During this time we visited with individuals at Nike, Respond2 and CMedia, Nautilus, Inc., Wieden and Kennedy, Microsoft (mainly focused on Xbox) and Edelman. We met with one of the most interesting individuals I've encountered while at W+K, Jelly Helm. He spoke with us about how he got to his current position and gave us insight into advertising and what sets W+K apart from other agencies. At one point during the conversation he commented that he believes in "walking in stupid". In other words, temporarily discarding egos and past beliefs and using every experience as an opportunity to learn. This is not to say one should truly be stupid but instead, as he worded it, have "naive intelligence". An individual should, of course, be intelligent but also be able to learn and absorb information like a sponge. This comment really struck me as interesting and it is one that I have not forgotten. So, I said the point of this blog is for me to reflect and learn more about the marketing industry, but do it in a public format. I want to learn and express my opinions, but I gave my blog it's current title as a reminder that there is always more to learn and always another opinion. I think that's enough background for today, I need to go work on my career blueprint and enjoy the sounds of the rain outside. To those of you in Montana, enjoy the mixture of rain and snow.

The Beginning

Welcome to my new blog! There is a little background needed to really understand my motivation behind this new venture. I'm graduating in December with a degree in Marketing. With this in mind, I have begun the arduous, but exciting, process of finding a job. I see this as more than just searching the classifieds and making phone calls, however. I want to find a company and a position that I feel is right for me. I need to find a place that meets my goals and objectives but is a place where my employer will be satisfied with me as well. I feel that in these last months of my education I need to further my marketing knowledge and take it out of the school setting. I need to learn from the market and apply my education to what is going on in the world. That is the point of this blog. I am constantly seeing interesting things online, in the media, and in my everyday life that I can apply to marketing. I am going to use this blog as a platform to voice my thoughts on what I am seeing, as well as my process of finding a place for myself in the marketing world. I would love to hear your thoughts on all that I'm doing, so please, interject your thoughts as well. Now, off to my Field Experience homework.