Why This Exists

I am a doer. I'm not that interested in being an expert or even a blogger. I know my stuff and I'm cool with that. I don't need everyone to know it in order to walk with a little swagger. And even when I am in a brand strategy job like the one I have now, I am always launching work. Strategy without implementation is academic. I'm a race horse that needs to run. If I'm in the stall or with my reins too tight, I am thrashing. So why on earth did I launch a blog? This ain't short. Get your coffee. But I believe you will find it worth the read.

I did it to help "marketers in the making."

First,
I am witnessing that a lot of young "up and coming" women marketers, introverted personalities or the misfit toys in corporate jobs are not creating a professional social media presence. I think it will hurt them getting jobs down the road. I have a hypothesis that they are scared: from bullying; lack of confidence that they don't have something to say; fear of seeming arrogant by spouting opinions; guilty that their "work-related" time should be fully dedicated to their job; or who knows. And I am guessing that it gets even harder when you work in businesses farther from publishing, advertising, etc. From what I can tell, only 6 of the top 50 AdAge Marketing Blogs are by women or from businesses founded by women. Even after 15 years serving customers, I felt the same way. I have no interest in putting myself out there and even eschew it. I swallowed hard and hit post when I started this blog and then emailed a posse of soul-sisters. But marketing and technology are mashing up and branding has a lot to do with creating and curating content. So in the spirit of fearlessness, I am trying to help set an example for our flock--a group that is a vital voice in companies for customers. We have to do this together. Don't just follow me on Twitter, follow each other. Creative marketers and brand builders are a minority in many large corporations and this can be exaggerated for tech brands. There is a whole dialog going on--about creative technology, work that crosses communications and products, agency planners sharing knowledge--that the "client" marketers need to be a part of and even help to define.

Second,
School by itself can't teach you to be an instinctual and passionate marketer, let alone how to get the magic out the door. The really good marketing comes from learning the craft on the job. Doing it yourself. Listening to the experienced creative folk who you get to work with. That's how I am learning. I am also a voracious reader. But there seems to be a gap (at least from what I can find) in a marketing primer once you are on the job. I'm not writing this to be like school; I'm hoping to accelerate the learning out of it.

I'm talking about the “skills” that transcend channel or product or technology or niche expertise. How can you learn the craft that makes up the often misunderstood role the marketer plays at the conference table beyond the student’s desk: the translator, the interpreter, the simplifier, the inspirer? What are the fundamental tips that a new marketer should look out for on the job? Where are they conveyed in the visual and explosively short way we like to take in information? Like a magazine. Like a blog post.  

There you go. This is me doing. I am curating the best branding and marketing things that have inspired and informed me throughout my career. And thankfully, after 10 days in, other amazing branders, marketers, and creative technologists are sending me theirs.  Please keep your thoughts and good finds coming. I welcome guest posts. This is much bigger than me. Wouldn't you have loved to have access to the authentic and passionate thoughts of the branders ahead of you when you were coming out of school and while they were making their career magic? Wanna help me? Let's do this.