Hyundai “First Date” Commercial

This is the first 2016 Super Bowl commercial I saw that I really liked. In fact, it ended up being my favorite.

While many other advertisers hired 20 celebrities, wrote lengthy copy read by Morgan-Freeman-like voices, and used flashy graphics and women, Hyundai kept it simple. By doing this, they not only promoted their product in a classy way, but they entertained. When this aired, everyone in the room was laughing. It reached a general audience and not just a select few.

I found that this is one of the few commercials that made me remember the product upon the first impression, because Hyundai made the product a part of the story. People, in general, like to hear a story. Stories are inspiring and memorable.

But Hyundai didn’t stop there. The product wasn’t just part of the story, its features were too. The Hyundai Genesis wasn’t just the car that the two teens on the date were riding in, but the dad (Kevin Hart) also used the car’s tracking feature to keep an eye on his daughter. Without those crucial factors, any car could be used in the ad without changing the story at all.

Congrats to Hyundai and their ad agency, INNOCEAN Worldwide, on an awesome commercial and a USA Today Ad Meter win!

 

 

 

Super Bowl 2016!

I was SO happy to see Peyton get the win. I heard a lot of people say they were predicting a Panthers victory, but I never doubted those Broncos.

There were a few great commercials this year, and some not so great. We saw a puppy-monkey-baby (what?) and some more toe fungus. There was even a town full of Ryan Reynold’s!

Overall, I have to say that I expected to see more than just a few awesome Super Bowl ads. I was disappointed when most were just okay. That being said, I’ll be posting my thoughts on some of the ads over the next few weeks.

Stay tuned!

 

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Working Your Way Up 101

In my last post, I talked about my promotion from Sales Assistant to Construction & Marketing Administrator in 2015.

I know I couldn’t have gotten there without the help of mentors, colleagues, professors, and friends. Here’s some of the advice that I took from them that I’d like to pass along to you.

  1. Learn as much as you can. Take every opportunity to learn from those around you, in and outside of the office. The more you know about the company and the industry, the more valuable you are.
  2. Be the BEST at what you do. My last semester of college, I took a class called Hire Ed with Frank Blossom. One thing that stuck out to me in learning about starting in advertising was mastering that entry level position. You might be the intern that’s getting the coffee and sweeping the floors everyday. But if you’re the best floor sweeping, coffee fetching intern they’ve ever had, they WILL notice.
  3. Stay humble. Just because you’ve got the fancy degree now doesn’t mean you’re entitled to anything. You have to give 110% at every networking event and every interview to land that floor sweeping internship. Don’t pass up a low level position at an awesome company because you think you’re above it.
  4. Ask and you shall receive. Ask for projects from the company’s Marketing Manager, or the manager of the department you’re interested in. Maybe he or she won’t have anything the first time you ask, but don’t stop offering up your help. Be persistent. The next time there’s a project or even a marketing position open, you’ll be top of mind.
  5. Show off your skills and share your knowledge. Take your current position and incorporate what you’re good at. If design and creativity are your thing, decorate your broomstick and a coffee mug for your boss. Send your supervisor a cool article about something happening in the industry. Show that you love the career path you’re on, you’re great at it, and you’re working hard to advance.

This applies to more than just entry level advertising professionals, this advice is useful in almost any field. What advice can you give the next generation of young job seekers and entry level employees? Comment below!

It’s Been a While.

Who’s ready for an update? You know I’ve been busy, because the blog is looking pretty low on posts!

After working as a Sales Assistant for Pinnacle Homes for a few months, I was offered a position as a Construction & Marketing Coordinator at their main office in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

I am happy that the company has given me a chance to try things I’ve never done before. They trust me with a lot of projects that many recent grads don’t get to work on until they’re in the industry for several years. For that I am truly thankful. I’m excited to post some of the work I’ve done in recent months, I’ve worked on everything from infographics to website pages, to brochures and a commercial.

This is the most challenging job I’ve ever had. I was born ready for the marketing part of the position, but the construction part is a completely different story.

The construction part of my position focuses primarily on two things: Permitting and reports. I work with project managers to submit plans and applications to the city for each home we build. The process isn’t that complicated once you learn it, but as someone who knew NOTHING about building a house, it was like learning a new language.

I also produce reports for our executives, including a schedule of all of our houses in production. I was surprised they trusted me with something so important right from the start. Knowing that our finances were based on the accuracy of these reports made me VERY nervous. I made mistakes in the beginning, but I didn’t give up, and now I can hand over a spreadsheet with a lot more confidence.

One piece of advice I can give after this experience: Your first job after college won’t be your dream job…but it might be the stepping stone to a really great opportunity.

How to avoid wasting money on advertising

“It’s not about the number of people who will potentially see or hear your ad. It’s about who those people are.”

Love this post! Small business owners often struggle with advertising because of cost. If you have a small amount of money to use on advertising, it’s all about the way you spend it. Reaching 100 people in your target audience is better than reaching 500 outside of it!

Updates!

Wow, it’s been a while since I posted anything, so I think it’s time for an update!

I graduated on April 25th, and moved back to Livonia a couple weeks later. As much as I miss Grand Rapids, I’m so thankful to be close to family and friends again. I was able to slowly transition out of one of my roles at Marketplace Homes, so it gave me some much needed time off! I got to see Jason Aldean front row, spend some time downtown, go to the beach, and even kayak through downtown Chicago. Taking a break was nice, but I’m very happy to be working full time again!

That brings me to my biggest update: I have a new job! I started at Pinnacle Homes a couple weeks ago as a Sales Assistant. I’ve learned a lot in the past two weeks and I’m thankful for the countless experiences the job has given me thus far. Real estate and new construction has been a passion of mine for several years, so I’m happy to continue exploring the industry.

Now that life has settled down a bit, I’m hoping to spend some more time blogging! I’m doing my best to stay up to date on all things advertising, including producing new work for my portfolio. Stay tuned!

Workshop Twelve: The Fashion Show

Here is the final Hire Ed blog post, written by yours truly! Special thanks to the head author, Angelica Pasqualone, and all of our readers. It’s been an awesome journey!

As we near the end of Hire Ed, careerists focused on the final portion of landing the job: The interview. After focusing on general interview rules in Workshop 10, this week careerists got the opportunity to sit in the hot seat. Frank spent the first portion of the class discussing some questions that may pop up in an Ad/PR job interview. Check out some of these questions and his advice below!

“Why do you want to work for my company?”
Be specific. Give examples of things you like about the company’s culture. Indicate to your interviewer that you did your homework!

 “What do you bring to our company?”
Bring up an experience in the past that shows your creativity, drive, and work ethic. People love to hear stories, so tell a story that will make you stand out from other candidates.

 “What is your dream job?”
Your interviewer knows that…

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