Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Chewing My Head off at Marketing Boot Camp

For four nights this week I am in marketing boot camp at some obscure technological start up place in Hampton, Virginia. In fact I'm here right now.

I usually blog with about half of a brain but tonight am blogging with a quarter of it because I am supposed to be leaning about branding. Cue large cow's backside and red hot iron. I digress.

We talk about vision and colors but what about language? Symbiotics is the study of signs. I hope they can send over the notes tomorrow. I am feeling very sleepy right now.

So when you can say apple and think of the company Apple you are hot on branding. Not that it did Steve Jobs much good in the overall scheme of things. Semiotics actually as opposed to symbiotics. Reach for a box of Kleenex - it becomes the verb. Still makes me think of my skanky former students when they would go crazy for Kleenex. God I have gone through a lot of jobs recently, probably more than Steve, without showing a great aptitude for any.

Oh crap first branding exercise. I need my brain back for a second.

Half way through this course it has come to my attention that everybody on this course seems to know each other but I don't know anyone. Do I stand up now and say I have no mates. Do I get out my violin? To be fair it's a good course. The presenter is keeping me awake with exercises.

Competent is a very good word, says the instructor. Inept sounds a lot more fun, though, right now. I slap myself around the face, yearn for black coffee and try out the competent thing,

God I'm not even a third of the way through this course and I am twitching and going crazy for a beer. In general I would say the world needs another blog like a hole in the head, says the instructor. Which is nice to know, blog. But who says the world doesn't need a hole in the head?

Probably cue for a drum roll and this week it goes to Juliette. If you remember during the A-Z challenge last year (there I go again) I moaned about not reaching 200 followers. Well I forgot about it since but I am pleased to see Juliette is now my 200th follower which is a big cue for some kind of meaningless bloggy award or another.

18 comments:

  1. Ooh, you have my sympathy. Sounds like so much fun, not! Sorry you don't have any mates, maybe you should invite someone out for a beer?

    Otherwise you're stuck commenting on blogs, and who wants to spend an evening doing that? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. this is very true Yolanda more beer is needed in my life or, failing that, more tequila

      Delete
  2. Eeep I don't envy you right now, with all that marketing crap. It's bringing back memories of advertising classes I took in college. Branding is practically a religion in this country.

    Congrats on 200 followers. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yay thanks Jennifer now 201 but who's counting. It's kinda useful, some good stuff on social media

      Delete
  3. Well I did a course about branding last year, and of course they say it's important but there are still so mny things that I don't understan about... I hope you can make some colleages at the course and feel better.
    Congrats on the 200 you have 201 now!
    xxx
    city-aholic.blogspot.com.es

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Miss Laia and thanks for dropping by the blog :)

      Delete
  4. 'Important' is such a relative term, isn't it!

    Hope you survive the course. Can you sneak off for a beer?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lawdy but I hate seminars. Good luck getting through it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just one to go - there are worse ways to spend the evening :)

      Delete
  6. Branding , shmanding - blah...Let's talk about more important things like ME being 200th follower of this thoroughly, entertaining blog! I've never had a drum roll before - thanks! Now then, lets have a beer to celebrate. Any particular brand in mind?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much Juliette - haven't been able to give it soo much attention recently but I try. I have heard Orkney Skull Splitter is a nice little brew lol

      Delete
  7. Oh dear y'all! My work is branding and marketing! Shall I go into the corner?

    :)

    I can totally understand why you are in pain though. Sorry!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I didn't know you were a brander Deborah - you have now branded yourself as such in public

      Delete
    2. I could be turned out of the internet if I keep that up.

      I work in marketing and wear all the hats, writer, designer, conception, integration, branding. The whole messy mess.

      Delete
    3. oh no Deborah - you are beyond redemption - but I won't say it as I may have to pick your brain one of these days

      Delete
  8. The world definitely needs a hole in the head. Definitely. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. we are in agreement that the world needs a hole in the head Mina :)

      Delete

On Blog PTSD

Now then. What the heck. It seems I had forgotten about my blog completely rather than just neglecting it this time. To return after so long...