Stories for a livelihood

Hunting for stories

This is what keeps happening. The other day, in a sneaky way I went for an interview at a publication house. Marketing profile sounds really cool and aspirational, and a dream of millions, and mine too, for which somehow I managed to get through atleast for an interview. And not because of my brilliant skills or great work or extraordinary resume. But only because I knew someone there and had forwarded my resume to her.

So I go there. My friend is a journalist. A career I really wanted to pursue when I was young. So she writes. Her cribs have been all about not getting the right story to write about. They would need to really do a lot of work for getting stories. Like going out of station, sitting at the railway station or parks, day dreaming, researching and interviewing people, and those kind of things. Strange as it is, at that time I found my own story as the most intriguing one. This really needed to get penned down, and get some limelight. Not just be left as an experience which no one would ever know about.

Story about my hectic life, advertising work life, running between schedules, client meetings, my home, my parent’s home, my dance class and all other social obligations.

Apparently, when I am sitting to write about it, I no more find it as dramatic as I had envisioned. It almost close to boring!

I wonder where these so called interesting stories are found. Or are they just the regular stories written interestingly? Or are they the ones that are regular stories which just got written about before anyone else’s did? Where are these interesting people living? And why can just I not spot them!

I want to write one blog

It’s so fashionable to write. People suddenly start giving you more respect, see you as one of those ‘intellectual’ lots, who has a point of view, and who can pen it down. Likewise I wanted to be a part of this lot, to be looked up to, and to be respected for the words that get typed.

Initially I thought that I should be in the field of journalism, where I get to write, and then see it published. However, this thought remains with me only… even still. I did nothing about it, and got into this beautiful glamour world of advertising, thinking it might be a better place to show my talent.

However, advertising is a maze in itself. Most people here don’t know what they are doing, why they are doing, what made them join advertising, and now since you have already got a taste of this life, what’s  next in store. Advertising people are clueless. And all they know is advertising. Most of them have considered various other job profiles in advertising itself, instead of pursuing what they are currently doing. Like I have friends who are in Account management [Client servicing is such an abusive word], and they have joined Art direction, Copy writing and even Film production.

So basically advertising gives you that levy where you are not stuck at once place.

But I am yet to figure out my interests. And writing being the closest to my heart, decide that maybe someday I will after all become a copywriter. Good or bad, but surely one of those ‘lots’. First step to this is ensuring the brief I wrote was interesting. Slowly I realized that no one actually read the brief apart from me. And so I thought maybe I should take up some menial jobs like writing brochure copy. But then the copywriters think I am from client servicing, and obviously not a trained writer, so basically whatever I type would be bull shit or close to it.

This undying spirit of mine which craves to type, to make sense, and to be of the intellectual lot then decided that maybe a blog is the answer to the start of my writing career.

So here is my blog. Now let’s see how much further this takes me.

Happy writing.

You are a marketing manager? Pls. behave like one too then.

Marketing managers believe in something, know something else and agree to proceed with a completely different set of strategy and communication. This has become a normal phenomenon in today’s world.

Marketing profile is one of the most aspirational ones, especially to the media and advertising people. It gives a sense of responsibility to better the brand, and to parent the brand.

But what is actually happening? The people who get to this space are already in awe of it. They feel they have accomplished the world, and now the only thing that they should do is to deliver good work.

But who defines this ‘good work’? Ideally it should be this marketing manager himself who should decide what is good for the company and brand, and what his vision for the brand is. And how is it that he’s going to better it, the succession plan, objective, launches etc. And this detailed plan is what is to be presented to the ‘bigger members’ of the company to make it happen.

But what actually happens? The marketing managers think they have won their battle. To save their job, to get better increments, and in case something goes wrong, to have someone to put the blame on, they become people who agree to not what they think but to what their ‘bigger members’ think.

Marketing is a subjective business. I say business deliberately as it involves taking risks as well. Basics being in place, marketing is a battleground with very less rules. And the players who know their way out will win. But to win, there are battles to be fought, and decisions to be made, and risks to be undertaken.

So stop being a marketer who agrees to the boss’ views. Instead take a stance, have faith in your view points and plunge. Max what can happen is that you would go wrong, but the truth is you will learn more and be a better marketer when you do what you think is right, and not what your boss approves of. Bosses are afterall the same people who were in your shoes before, and they would have made some kinds of goof-ups too. They are people whose thoughts and ideologies can be challenged, coz that’s the best part about marketing – no one’s right or wrong and good marketing can make anything work. Disclaimer being that the product / service should be good J