Ups & Downs

So this blog is to everyone out there who is in advertising, or considering to get into it! Also, I suppose this is directed to all the consumers out there (aka everyone in the world) so you can appreciate the hard work we advertisers do. This blog will also probably explain why most advertisers are so well done based on their appearance. We need those monthly hair dyes to cover all the grey hairs we receive from all the stress we try to overcome just to con all you consumers into purchasing items you may or may not REALLY need.

In my previous blog I mentioned how chaotic things were already starting to get just at the beginning of 2nd year and as the semester goes on the stress just keeps on coming! In the advertising world, you just have to live and learn. Deal with it, and sell some stuff. There will be many ups in your career but those ups will also come with a few downs.

Top 3 Things I Love About Advertising:
1) The people – you get to meet some real cool ones! And they are a great way to network. It’s like a chain reaction, once you meet one, more come along, and before you know it, your name is known by huge people in the industry.
2) The money – though I have yet to experience the income for a full time employee in the industry I am aware of how high a raise can go in a matter of one year. Your first year will suck because you’re pretty much the coffee runner for the big ones in the agency, but after you work through that, you’ll be glad you did for what will come.
3) The outcome – after days and days of long hours of working on one thing, it pays to sit back and relax while glaring at your gorgeous blocking chart you took forever to perfect and colour coat. Also, to have others review your work and give you wonderful feedback puts a huge smile on my face! I love knowing that others know I’m doing an amazing job. ☺

Top 3 Things I Hate About Advertising:
1) The people - most of your work is done in-group forms and this may or may not be such a good idea. Sure, you have more people to help and portion the jobs respectively to relieve some stress…right? WRONG! To me, there is nothing more stressful than wondering if your group member who can’t seem to understand he or she has to communicate or maybe even show up for team meetings is capable of completing their work by the due date. Communication is key.
2) The money – you have to work your arse off to get to the top, and from previous interviews, I know that most in the industry feel they do way more than what they are paid for at the end of the day.
3) The outcome – sometimes you will tend to spend hours and hours on a project, and feel amazing about it. The feedback may change your mind about it though. You have to learn to take critiquing very well, because at the end of the day someone may not enjoy your hard work as much as you did.

“Sell or else.” - David Ogilvy

Fight the bug!

It appears that evil bug is roaming around at the moment! I would know, I just got better from being ill for about a week and a half, and it obviously sucked! Sucked every little bit of energy out of me. Swollen glands, constant headache, fever, quite possibly the worst combination anyone would ever want. So as I laid in my bed for a weeks time and got extremely bored and annoyed without doing anything but lying down and rolling around every five seconds to find a new “comfort spot” I thought of ways to keep healthy….and the idea to blog about it for my next blog as well! I’m sure this will come in handy, especially when fall and winter heads around the corner soon.

What can I do to be healthy?

1) Exercise Regularly – even if it’s playing Wii, or jogging on the spot, do something active to help keep you in shape and healthy. Actually, I heard once before and believe it’s a proven fact that if you think about the weight you’re loosing while you do some sort of activity (walking to school) chances are you’ll lose weight more that way. So just use your mind & think!
2) Purchase a handy bottle of sanitizer – the first thing I did when I found out I was sick was run out to Wal-Mart (on the grand opening – so not a smart idea) and invested in a cute little bottle of “Cucumber Melon” sanitizer for the sake of myself & my roommates’ health. It was only about a buck! I would consider that a pretty good bargain for staying healthy. Bonus side, my nose was never stuffed up so I was able to smell the strong, lovely scent on my hands! LOL
3) Leave the pack behind – also an organization at Mohawk College to help inform students about the impact of smoking. Smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer, therefore a higher risk of getting sick because of smoking itself. Try to stay away or if you’ve already become a victim of smoking unfortunately, then visit the Health Clinic in the C-wing and ask them about more information or even visit the website. www.leavethepackbehind.ca
4) Check what’s on your grocery list – when shopping look at the items’ nutrition facts and compare. Little things like drinking water over carbonated beverages, 100% real fruit juices, avoid caffeine (stick with tea, coming from a “tea-aholic” herself, it’s healthier for you, less caffeine, and in some cases non-decaf, and also very beneficial to your health), eat brown rice, whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread oppose to white.
5) See your doctor regularly – probably one of my biggest mistakes is never seeing my doctor enough. Always go for regular check ups, not just visit when there’s something wrong. Chances are, you’ve had it for a while and it could have been prevented if you checked it out earlier. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away…..but if the doctor is cute, screw the fruit!”

As for a bit of information on myself from the past week…I would consider myself a trooper by landing a few on-campus interviews and heading out to them while I was pretty much bed rested. I’m proud to say I got the position of the Alumni Tracker – to some it up, I joke around saying I’m getting paid to creep on past graduates hahaha. I’m quite excited to have a job that will most likely keep me sane from the constant school work. Oh and I suppose it’ll be nice to have an income coming into my bank account again! Can’t complain about that.

As for me, that is all that is pretty much new! All that’s left that I can say is…go out there and GET INVOLVED! Whether it’s with the school or community. NETWORK! Meet new people and remember their names! Especially if you’re heading out in the Advertising world…or some sort of media world. Make the big people remember your name!

Tootles,
Lu Ann