The Business of Knowing Other Businesses

I became a marketing major because I wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing. I liked that the curriculum was pretty comprehensive. I had to take all of the business management, micro and macroeconomics, finance, accounting, comms, advertising, and anti-trust classes along with marketing. At one point I thought about switching majors to sociology. I spoke to one of my teachers about it and he said “At the end of the day, that’s what marketing is”. That statement is not exactly right but not exactly wrong either.

I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do with a degree in marketing. I only knew I was interested in all of the topics in the curriculum and I knew that I did not have ambitions to work in advertising. Spoiler alert, I have been working in advertising for almost 20 years. It is an industry that has pushed my ethics in many ways, but it has also pushed my thinking in ways I could not have imagined when I started.

What I have enjoyed the most about working in advertising is learning so many different industries! I have had clients in a multitude of industries including consumer packaged goods, tourism, economic development, hospitality, funerary services, staffing, highspeed internet, health care, engineering, employer branding, fashion, skincare, banking education, paper products, farming equipment, museums, beer, spirits, and that is just what I can remember. In each of these industries, I have taken deep dives into my client’s business models, their logistics, their competition, and their target audiences. I have learned why people buy or don’t buy and how people want to be communicated to and that is just the client side!

I have also learned tons about how things are made. I went to a bean factory once, and it was way more fun than you might think. I have gone to a coffee roaster and a distillery for work. I have met with some of our country’s greatest chefs.

I have learned how to produce things. I know how to make commercials, how to make websites, and how to print large-form signage and small dynamic printed pieces. I know about pagination and how to make a book or a catalog. I learned enough about Flash and HTML 5 to fix things to make a deadline. It’s a lot of information and I love having it.

I learned other things too about how to collaborate and when to speak up and when to shut up. I learned how to say my piece and keep the peace. I learned that nobody has to be under the bus, it’s not a good place for anyone. One thing I loved about working in agencies is how many ideas were born out of deep hangs and collaboration. I learned that some ideas are good but not right for the moment and how to let those ideas go.. I also learned how to be honest with people whose ability to create ideas relies on being pretty vulnerable with their creativity and intellect. I learned that creativity needs as much structure as it needs space to thrive.

Overall, it’s been a great use of my time.