posh up.

I emailed Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh, a while ago asking if their marketing department offers any work placements. Thought they could smell from my email that I am pure working class (uuuh classist!) and couldn't be bothered to reply since I didn't hear back from them. Today however, I received an email from Kevin Stewart, press and marketing advisor at Harvey Nichols, asking me to send in my CV along with a cover letter.

This is it then. Harvey Nichols will probably not be overly impressed by my usual copywriting approach when it comes to cover letters. I need to posh up. Indefinite amounts.

Let's do this people!

from selected to rejected

Reality check midst bouncing around on pink fluffy clouds singing "you're the most amazing thing in advertising since David Ogilvy" (that's not actually a real song, I just made that up!):

"Hi Johanna,

Thanks for taking the time to come and meet with us on Thursday for the intern position with LOOKLOOK.

We have decided not to to take you on as our intern at this time, we thought you had great theoretical knowledge of marketing but that it would be more beneficial for you to get experience in a PR agency or in a bigger office where you could learn from more people.

It was lovely to meet you though and good luck with your career!!

Frances"

To ease the pain I'm now telling myself that they read my previous blog post thinking "nah we're not going to offer her the internship, the girl is sorted".

Rationalising my way out of this one. Big time.

Oh the pain.

the intern.

That's me! I'm the intern!

I had a fantastic day at Hot Tin Roof, updated client portfolios and uploaded new blog posts on their website and also got to join in on a client meeting with Money Dashboard.
When the day had come to its end they announced that they were pleased with my work and I humbly accepted when they asked me to return next week. My main project will be....... (drum roll) designing and managing their Facebook page. This, good people, is what they call "living the dream".

I am beyond excited and full of ideas, so bring it the hell on!

strike a pose.

Had my second interview today with a company called LOOKLOOK. The interview was for an unpaid marketing and PR internship.
LOOKLOOK is pretty much a brand new company (started in May 2010) made up of Darran Barton and Frances Spencer. They specialize in hiring out photo booths to events such as weddings, graduation balls, corporate events, award ceremonies and so on throughout Scotland.

Young, ambitious and no marketing budget. I LOVE IT.

As promised, I'll let you know how it goes (good, bad or time-to-leave-for-Mexico)!

the day i met my lover.

It was a regular day. Grey. Dreary. Scottish.
I left the computer lab and thought I'd go and snoop around in Blackwells (that's a bookstore people!) before heading home. I was lurking around the business/marketing section when one book cover (never, EVER underestimate the power of a good book cover) caught my eye.

It was this one:

What the book says is pretty much to hell with traditional and interruption marketing and bring on the real and the personal. Let me break it down for you real quick: NO MORE BULLSHIT.

This is so right, it couldn't be more right. It's like I'd written it myself (except that I didn't).
As I was sitting there, flicking through it, I thought to myself: "So this is what the latest edition of the Holy Bible looks like?" And everyone should now know, that I've converted from atheism to unmarketism. And Scott Stratten is God.

This is the truth. The whole truth. And NOTHING but the truth.
So help me Scott.

raiding rabbit.

If you'd like to have a peek at what we're working on for our Digital Media Studio Project course, this is where we are documenting our progress, pitfalls and panic attacks:

http://raidingrabbitstudios.blogspot.com/

be afraid of your parents.

When you're a kid there is (usually) no one you trust more than your parents. These people (called mum and dad) are consumers. Consumers with habits. Consumers with brand preferences. These are automatically projected onto you, being the helpless little rascal that you are. Eventually, you having this enormous trust in your parents, the greatest influencers during the early stages of your life - COULD RUIN YOUR LIFE.

Being members of different generations and growing up under completely different social and economic circumstances (duh) you will clearly have different needs and desires as consumers. This is a fact your parents will not take into consideration when raising you. And then, then comes the day when you're hanging out at your friend's house and they have that product from that brand that your parents have completely banned from your life.
And then you try it.
And you love it.
And then you hate your parents. Because they have been keeping this amazing thing away from you your entire life.

In my case it was cereal (boom, what a let down, sorry!). Not any cereal, but Honey Monster's Sugar Puffs.

So, what I'm trying to say is (for any, you know, 5-year-olds or so reading this):

Be afraid of your parents. Be very afraid.

the trial.

A good start to the week now officially contains the following elements:

1. Getting a haircut (I no longer look like I should build a time machine, travel back to the 60's and join The Beatles)

2. Getting an email from Hot Tin Roof asking me to come in for a trial day on Friday.

bird is the word.

Yes. I've done it. I'm on Twitter. (during my recent interview the topic came up and they asked me if I was on Twitter and what happened in my head right there and then was very much like OH MY GOD I'M NOT ON TWITTER I SHOULD BE ON TWITTER WHY AM I NOT ON TWITTER MY LIFE IS NOW RUINED.

To be perfectly honest. NOT a massive fan of the concept. I mean, in terms of spreading the wor(l)d it's genius, but (yeah, that's right - here comes the "but") if you choose to follow someone and you receive their tweets, say, five times a day, I'm immediately thinking: Okey. No one's that interesting. I don't want to know what you're up to 24/7. That would make me look kind of I-don't-have-a-life-I-need-to-live-vicariously-through-you. And that's not attractive. At all.

The great source of information that is Wikipedia informed me that 40% of tweets are in fact "pointless babble".

On that note, my first tweet read: "it's definitely Sunday."

That's definitely pointless babble.

So if you don't have a life, do follow me: JototheHansson (That's right. That's my name. Say it. SAY IT!)

Lastly, Twitter not selling to Facebook or Google = respect.

the magic that is words.

I've had a number of requests from friends wondering what the hell I write that is so captivating that employers actually take the time to write me back and thank me for getting in touch.

Here's one of my infamous (?) cover letters, sent to Edinburgh based advertising agency Whitespace:

"Hi there Phillip,

I'm not writing to you in reference to your current vacancies, but I'm a MSc Design & Digital Media at University of Edinburgh wondering if you offer any internships? On my quest for an internship I stumbled across (I didn't stumble actually, I googled) your website and after spending possibly inappropriate amounts of time scrutinizing its content and figuring out the company personality, I've come to the great realisation that it's so much my cup of tea that it couldn't be more of my cup of tea. And I don't even drink tea. Your "hard work and be nice to people" way of doing things was very pleasing to read as it's my personal opinion that people nowadays tend to forget the basics (of life) and turn into pretentious brats or make the most simple things unnecessary complicated.

So. Moving on. The advertising age that I’ve been waiting for is currently evolving (not necessarily referring to the unsustainable markets and lack of customer loyalty), the one where the costumers actually are kings (social media yeah!). The age I’ve been waiting for since I was a 11-year-old papergirl poisoning households with mailshots silently apologising and thinking “no one will ever read this”. Since then I’ve had innumerable jobs (many which I’d rather forget) but I’ve also acquired innumerable skills, hopefully enough to break into the advertising industry. Now, at the age of 24 I believe myself to possess a lot of qualities that would make up a successful Whitespace intern. In the work environment I’m enthusiastic, driven and always willing to learn. What I always bring to the work place are my 4Ps: personality, passion, professionalism and performance (it’s as cheesy as it’s true). Bad sides then? Well, I'm loud, challenging, brutally honest and not in any situation afraid to speak my mind. Exactly what I think good advertising should be like. Out with the conventional and in with the quirky! Finally, I believe that communication, creativity and curiosity will always give you a head start whatever you set out to do.

If I sound interesting at all, please do read my CV. (If not.. well, bummer for me.)"

Yeah. That's what it might sound like. One of my tutors back at Greenwich once called me "appropriately informal". And I'm trying (really, REALLY hard) to keep the "in" away from "appropriately". There's a fine line you know. And writing is truly an art form. I'm no Pollock or Picasso when it comes to writing but hey, I'm doing alright.

(Also, if anyone reading this is also looking for an internship would you please not apply to the same agencies as me. It would obviously reduce my chances of getting in. Thanks.)

(The above plead is not a joke by the way. No. Seriously. Not kidding.)

3/3

My CV is not the most impressive thing in the world. In fact, I've only had one job, actually internship, (April Kommunikation thanks for having me, and Håkan - that haggis will show up at the office when you least expect it.) that has been related to my undergrad degree. So definitely feeling the pressure now. And hence (yes, hence) I'm now looking for an internship in order to improve that sad little CV of mine.

So far I've fired off three applications and landed two interviews and the third company literally got back to me half an hour ago. Let's say that I'm pleased (read: smug).

The first interview took place this morning at PR agency Hot Tin Roof. Sarah (founder) and Lucy were conducting the interview which mainly consisted of me doing the obvious: trying to convince them I'd be a great intern.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Let me just make this clear: I will tell you just as much about my failures as my conquests. You shall laugh, weep and cringe.

here we go.

So.

Here it is. The place where I'll be looking to shamelessly promote myself and let you follow me on my quest for success (and sometimes ice cream). I will also continuously shout out what goes on in the world of advertising and marketing as well as design - likes, dislikes and oh-my-god-why-would-you-ever-do-thats. Unfortunately there are far too many of the latter.

This I swear:

• I'll be brutally honest
• I'll be a smartass every now and then
• I'll speak sarcasm fluently
• I'll make you smile
• You will either love me or hate me (either one is fine with me)

That's all for now.