Think Red.

La pub-réalité

2010-05-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Nous traversons présentement une ère qui se caractérise par des bouleversements de toutes sortes, et ce dans tous les domaines.

Le paysage médiatique n’y échappe pas. Et l’industrie de la pub non plus. On sent l’insécurité parmi les gestionnaires de marques et les stratèges. Les bonnes vieilles recettes laissent maintenant, plus souvent qu’autrement, un goût amer en bouche, et produisent des résultats mitigés.

La boîte de Pandore a été ouverte et il est trop tard pour la refermer. L’explosion des contenus rend les marques pratiquement ingérables selon certains. Pour d’autres, c’est une occasion de renaître – plus versatiles, plus créatifs et plus libres que jamais

À l’ère de la télé-réalité et de l’hyperinformation, le fameux 30-secondes est appelé à changer. Plusieurs le condamnent. Surtout les agences digitales qui se font un malin plaisir de le crucifier (mais on peut difficilement leur reprocher de prêcher pour leur paroisse).

Je vois plutôt cette période d’Incertitude comme une zone de transition. Le 30-secondes a une occasion en or de renaître. Il doit s’adapter. Les gens consomment autant de divertissements télévisuels qu’avant (sinon plus), mais ils le font bien différemment qu’autrefois. Et c’est justement là que prennent source tous les changements actuels.

Aujourd’hui, le public a soif de réalité, d’expériences et de divertissements humains. Le 30-secondes doit donc s’ancrer dans la réalité pour générer de l’intérêt et gagner l’attention du consommateur, beaucoup plus engagé et libre qu’auparavant.

Plusieurs agences digitales se vantent d’être la solution aux maux de tête de l’industrie. Pourtant, elles tombent exactement dans le même piège que les agences traditionnelles : la complaisance.

Les bannières, les gratte-ciels, les big box, les hyperliens sont tous des dérivés web du modèle de l’interruption. La différence entre ces outils et le 30-secondes, c’est qu’ils peuvent parfois être plus contextuels ou réactifs, Mais ces outils ne sont pas pour autant plus expérientiels pour le consommateur. Au final, ils ne produisent qu’un peu plus de bruit – exportant ainsi sur le Web la même cacophonie visuelle qu’à la télévision.

Résultat : la pub est souvent considérée par les consommateurs comme un emmerdement nécessaire pour accéder à du contenu de valeur. Mais de plus en plus, les nouvelles technologies font en sorte qu’ils ne sont plus condamnés à endurer ces interruptions. Et c’est là que réside le grand problème.

Les dollars publicitaires n’ont plus le même impact parce qu’ils sont mal investis. Trop de marques se tuent à essayer de parler aux sourds (ou pis encore : à se parler entre elles en s’imitant).

C’est ici que la notion d’expérience de marque devient capitale.

Dorénavant, les marques sont gagnantes à s’afficher seulement si elles réussissent à créer de la valeur tangible pour leurs clients et si elles parviennent à s’immiscer dans une expérience quelconque (réelle ou virtuelle) de manière naturelle et appropriée. Ou encore mieux, si elles créent pour leurs clients des expériences de marque à leur image. (Ce n’est plus une guerre de produits. C’est désormais une guerre de marques.)

Des exemples concrets d’expériences de marque :

L’émission GameKillers sur MTV, lancée par Axe, a non seulement créé un engouement télévisuel exceptionnel, mais aussi une visibilité sans précédent, qui a transcendé les différentes plateformes (et souvent même sans frais pour l’annonceur).

L’événement Red Bull Crashed Ice génère chaque année une attention médiatique monstre en plus d’impliquer les consommateurs et fans de la marque dans la promotion de celle-ci.

D’autres exemples existent bien sûr, mais ils sont malheureusement encore trop rares.

Ces marques se distinguent parce qu’elles ont compris qu’il fallait vendre plus qu’un produit. Pour se démarquer, il faut maintenant vendre un esprit, un style de vie.

Les consommateurs en ont marre des slogans vides. Ils veulent du concret; une valeur ajoutée bien réelle et tangible.

Advertisers Must Become Brand Psychologists.

2009-10-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

In many ways, brands are like human beings. A successful brand (like a successful human being) must have a personality that sells. But not any personality makes the cut. It has to be the desired one. The one that is aspirational and charismatic enough to appeal to the masses while remaining unique and authentic.

The marketplace is like a schoolyard. The competition is mean. If your personality is too shy or just off, you will be quickly rejected. And likeability is not a gift granted to anyone. Especially in times when new media can make or break you overnight.

For a long time, marketers and ad shops have taken products from a given brand and embellished them with catchy slogans, dynamic product shots, and emotional music (the classical 30-sec. TV ad) to pull the right trigger and elicit consumption. It worked so well that the advertising business prospered and used the same blueprint over and over again. It was the golden age of the industry. But instead of looking forward, creativity and vision stagnated. It became a business of numbers. It became a multi-billion dollars industry sitting on its laurels – taking for granted that consumers would never change.

And suddenly, boom. It hit a wall. Traditional TV ads started to lose their ‘’stickiness’’. Young people started to flock from traditional media to the Web. It rang a serious bell. And it’s still ringing because a few big dinosaurs are slow to adapt, looking rather reluctant to jump on the 2.0-360-conversational-social-bandwagon that challenges every rule and opens to endless possibilities.

Hmm, it’s scary. If all the sudden brands can make their ads and buy media space themselves, what will advertisers do ? What’s next ?

Web and mobile marketing revenues will continue to climb whereas trad media will keep on declining. Fine. We all know that. Experts and gurus have redundantly screamed it on every tribune possible (blogs, newspapers, conferences, etc.)

So let’s look even further… What will be the 3.0 ad shop ? Hard to speculate. And it might come sooner than we expect it to be. So we must seriously think about it. One thing is sure though. Whatever shape the ad shop of the future will take, it will focus its efforts on more than just short-term ad campaigns, redundant lame promos, and misused Web banners.

It will need to have a long-term vision. Our job will force us to become more than advertisers but brand visionaries (or like Ad Age’s columnist Wayne Arnold puts it: agents of change).

It will require an ongoing reflection on brands’ personalities. Cause a personality evolves. It’s a work-in-progress. Not a quarterly media plan. The market changes everyday. Social and real-time platform have made it hyperactive.

This chaotic media sphere has changed the game for advertising behemoths that continually see smaller competitors steal away market share with the use of a more targeted and low-cost marketing effort.

All these variables make it very hard for a brand to stay hot, but most of all to stay real. And that’s exactly what a great personality is. Appeal while keeping it real.

In the future, advertisers will have to constantly monitor a brand’s personality and its target’s personality to make sure it’s an ongoing perfect fit. The evolution must be synchronized to keep the relationship intact or even seize new opportunities to strengthen it.

We will have to find solutions to brands’ personality problems. Thus the analogy of brand psychologists.

The challenge is huge. We must adapt and quickly. But it’s also an opportunity to draw the line between the great thinkers and the self-proclaimed gurus.

We must elevate our mind and expand our creativity range to build personalities that are strategically right, real, and constantly evolving.

The Creative Paradox

2009-08-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Creative people are doomed to be (or feel) ‘‘exploited’’. There is always someone to make money off their creative genius.

Obviously a lot of them tend to whine and complain (I admit, I'm one of them). The fact is: the company they work for makes a ton of money on their ideas (well they rarely take overhead into consideration, so it looks even worse). Eventually some of them will caress entrepreneurial ventures and start their own businesses. Most of them will fail. No big surprise, they lack of business knowledge and stamina.

And that’s exactly why creatives are doomed to be ‘’exploited’’. Note that I put quotation marks, here. It’s their job to find ideas that will benefit to clients. But they still feel caught up in a gimmick and (ab)used.

Their problem is the following : they need a boss to sell their ideas and bring in clients that will pay for their work. They can't always admit it but this is the damn truth.

I call it the creative paradox... Hugh MacLeod gave it a much sexier name : The Sex & Cash Theory (go grab a copy of his book, it’s a masterpiece !). Creatives usually have a passion, one that rarely pays well enough to raise a family (ex : paint, poetry, music, etc.). So the only logical way to make a living off their creativity quickly becomes to work for an agency that will make money off their brain in exchange for a salary. And that’s where all the whining starts. Because eventually their oh-so-brilliant-and-innovative-ideas will benefit big clients with big bucks, the same clients that will dump them as soon as they start slowing down.

But hey, this is business.

In the end, creatives must find a way to be happy within this structure and not feel like daily victims. Because that’s exactly when they become bad and selfish creatives (and that's not what they are paid for).

On the other hand, they must leverage our creativity and personal brand (that they must build!) to maximize the revenue stream and recognition attached to their ideas. One crazy, daily challenge. But how exciting !

Just by realizing/understanding this component of being a creative, you start emancipating from the creative paradox and be happier. Suddenly, the real fun and success are not so far away after all.

My Thoughts On Conversational Marketing.

2009-07-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

By definition, brands are outsiders to social networks. The word Social refers to People. Brands can have a personality. They can also be personified. But they remain brands. And although some people can become brands (Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and the likes), brands will never be people.

That’s why I think that conversational marketing is one beautiful masterpiece of bullshit. Not that brands can’t have a social meaning (within a culture), I think they do. But to me, a brand isn’t any more social than another only because it has a Facebook page or a Twitter account.

A brand has social meaning if it can create a message and engage customers in a way that they start talking about it to other people . Brands must create conversations between people. Indeed. But pretending that brands can conversate with people is a little bit farfetch. Brands can talk to people through media. And people can respond in different ways : click, purchase, boycott, blog, etc. But there’s never a direct real-time conversation. Well, maybe one day… but if I ever see a friend talking to the Nike logo on his shirt, I’ll probably think he's gone crazy.

Building Brand Value.

2009-07-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, I try to follow blogs from a few people I respect to learn about new things but also to open up to new opinions. It always leads me to reflect on topics that I like and it helps me shape my own opinions about business but also the world in general.

I just read Tom Asacker's blog post on brand value (go read it)... He claims that brand value is cocreated by the company and its customers. Why ? Mostly because the value of a brand is pretty much a synonym of the value of the customer's experience. And the customer plays a central role in the creation of his experience with the brand. Therefore, he cocreates it.

I like Tom's straight-forward definition of brand value. But I think there's even more to it.

Brand Value ends with the customer experience but we have to go beyond that and dig deep in the company's value chain to unveil the components that shape and create value.

Here are, to me, the 4 major components of brand value :

1. The Product.

The product has to be innovative, fun but most of all useful. Without a good product, forget about brand value. It's non-existent. Zero. The product is the spark that ignites experiences. Without that spark, there's no experience. It's that simple.

2. People.

A good product does not comes down the sky. You need people to think of it, design it, and produce it. Without good people, chances are the product will suck. So a big chunk in the value of a brand depends on the value of the people behind it. That's even truer for servicing businesses (where people = the product).

3. Communications.

Once you have good people delivering a good product, you need to communicate that value to customers. This is what makes or break any company, good or bad. For an experience to occur, people have to buy the product. It's plain logic. Communications sometimes add value to the brand. It talks to the imagination of customers, their needs and desires. There must be a need or desire for a person to go out and seek for experiences.

4. Customers and Culture

Once the product is sold, the customer lives his first physical experience that engages him with the brand. His mood, his opinions, interests, and attitudes, combined with the ones of his environment (friends and colleagues; and the social class he belongs to) are all variables that will impact his experience. This is the cultural component of brand value.

In order to be strong, a brand has to provide an experience that is relevant to the customer but also to the broader culture that shapes him.

I don't know if this post is understandable. Brand value is very complex and hard to define. It was my first attempt at trying to give a fair definition of it.

And since value is intangible, it turned out to be harder than I thought.

What do you think about it ? I'd like to hear from you.

Etienne

Anti-War Advertising At Its Best.

2009-06-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Superb ad.

All the ingredients are there.

Great cause.

Great media.

Great concept.

Check this out, I'm jealous : WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.

Hierarchy and Bureaucracy Dilute The Creative Product.

2009-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I work for an ad agency. This experience is enriching and uplifting on many levels but I shall discuss the downsides of this industry that fascinates me just as much as it disgusts me...

What I love about advertising is the creative content of the job. Everyday is pretty much different, unveiling new creative challenges that truly stimulate anyone who likes to deal with ideas and, of course, a little tiny bit of pressure (euphemism right here!)

That sounds like a lot of fun. But I'm discovering the darker side of the moon : the duplicity of jobs.

Small agencies do not really have this problem. People are encouraged to work as a team to get the job done.

However, the bigger the agency gets (the bigger its clients are), the heavier the structure becomes. Many jobs are duplicated. You end up presenting a simple print ad to a whole committee of colleagues including juniors, mid-level, and executives who all have bosses and, thus, who all need to say something about the creative to justify their jobs.

Once you get this committee to approve your job after over-scrutinizing every word and comma, you finally get to present it to the client. Again, the client has a bunch of supposed-to-be decisional people that are, in fact, subordinates of a kingpin CMO that will ultimately have the final say.

At every level, you have to justify every word and comma once again. In the end, the original concept gets cannibalized by all these people (internal and external) that had to justify their jobs. The recession scares everyone out, especially the ones who feel rather useless. And these fellows are the ones who will scrutinize your work the most.

How frustrating can it be for the creative department ? Well, enough to overuse the four-letter word and finally end up writing a blog on a late Sunday night before another BIG week...

It feels good to evacuate. I leave you on Donald Trump's words of wisdom : ALWAYS DEAL WITH THE BOSS.

Seek for Positive Influences

2009-06-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today' s blog is more personal. I just felt like sharing a bit of myself with you.

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I have once been surrounded by people who would constantly bring down my energy level. It's not always a question of spoken words but just of mentality and focus. Bad vibes can really burn you down, so be careful.

Remember, you can always make the conscious choice to see the glass half full. It looks easy but it's an everyday challenge to think this way. And I always face it myself.

Recently, I was in one of those phases where my energy level was low, my old demons resurfaced, and my negativity overtook my drive and natural motivation.

I was at the crossroads, ready for a new start. Without getting in the details, I made a few critical changes in my life. It got me very emotional and it led to a series of questions about my future and my dreams. I often look from the outside like a really focused and tough-minded guy. But underneath the surface emerges a very unstable human being that is constantly challenging and questioning nearly everything in life, beginning with himself.

That being said, I needed resources to get back to my usual state of mind; one of a champion, a young man full of determination that is ready to undertake anything and anyone on his way.

I did not really know where to start. And one day, I ended up in a bookstore. I walked in the business aisles and started to look at several books and authors, looking for something that would ignite me. I ended up buying 3 books : It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden, How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell, and last but not least : Think Like A Champion by Donald Trump... haha DONALD!

I read passionately Arden's book within an hour, shortly after buying it. That was one week ago. And now I'm just starting to read Trump's bible.

Why am I telling you all this ? My point is that, 2 weeks ago, I felt like running and going nowhere. Today I'm confidently walking towards my goals. I feel renewed, revamped, focused. I feel ready to begin this new stage in my life.I was looking for a positive vibe to light me up. I found it in a bookstore, which was totally unexpected.

Whether it comes from your father, your best friend or someone you profoundly respect, open your mind to positive influences and defend yourself from bad ones. And if you can't find some near you, look out on Google or run to the bookstore. Read the thoughts of people you admire, people you want to look like, or just people that have a similar vision in life.

That's what I did. And it brought me back on track.

I feel ready to conquer!

Peace Through Solar Energy

2009-05-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was watching an interview with Dr Hermann Scheer about the future of energy. Dr Scheer has initiated the solar revolution in Europe and has worked ever since at educating politicians and the people. He is some sort of charismatic genius. I really enjoyed listening to his vision.

...

Yet solar energy has not been explored much in North America. Overseas, we are currently witnessing steady growth in Europe, especially in Germany, where Hermann Scheer fought against conservatism and lobbyism to spread the amazing benefits and potential of green solar energy.

During the interview, he shared his thoughts on oil wars and came up with a very fascinating and positive theory...

We all know that contemporary wars have emerged from several conflicts different in nature (territorial, ideological, theological wars, etc.) But one of the most important conflict that is still raging today involves a very scarce resource slowly burning and fading away : oil.

Hermann Scheer insists on the urgency of developing alternative energies before it's too late - because like it or not oil companies will die with the resource that made them so rich. That's why they will make everything possible to make us depend on them until the last drop.

That being said, solar and wind energies are not limited to a specific land or territory. Therefore, there are no jurisdiction and no property on such sources of energy. They are common goods. You see where this is leading us. As Hermann Scheer puts it, alternative fuels and energy would eradicate such wars like the one in Iraq for instance.

Forget about democracy. There is no such thing as a war for principles. If it was the case, we would be in Darfur already. Oil and fear are ruling the world.

Canada and the U.S should start looking at what is done overseas and take notes. Solar and wind energy is the future.

PEACE! May the sun save us.

BOS Created A Brilliant Stunt.

2009-05-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Creating a buzz is simple and at the same time not so simple. You have to be spectacular. Take this stunt for example. What a brilliant idea ! The English translation would be something like this : We recycle used paint. Rona.

With today’s cluttered visual environment, it’s hard for brands and advertisers to get the attention of customers. Thus, creatives have to think out-of-the-box and that’s exactly what people at BOS did for this ambitious stunt.

They probably did not ask for Apple’s and Rona’s permission. They just went bold and did it, captured it on a tape and created a viral buzz on the Web. That’s what I’m talking about! To whoever who thought of that : I’m jealous.

6 Interview Tips That Summarize My Series of Posts

2009-05-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Wooooo! I did not mean it but my series of 3 posts on ''how to get a job in your chosen field'' turned out to be extremely long. Here are 6 quick tips for lazy readers or people who just want the essential (no worries, I'd probably just read the 6 tips myself!)

Differentiate yourself.
Show your motivation and potential.
Stay cool and be confident.
Have a good energy, be focused.
React and adapt your selling pitch accordingly.
Lead the conversation.

For further details and insights, look out for my series of posts below.

How to get an internship/first job in your chosen field – Part 3

2009-05-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

3. THE CRITICAL POINT : THE INTERVIEW.

a. Visualize

There’s always a little 5 or 10 minutes that you need to spend in the waiting room before the interviewer greets you. It may sound stupid but these minutes are crucial. They can make or break your interview.

I see interviews as a performance. Having experienced both, I feel like it’s very similar to performing at a concert. You have half an hour to win your public and leave a kick ass impression. So you better be on top of your game.

That being said, you have to be well prepared. And part of this preparation includes this 5-minute nerve wracking moment. Use it to cool down and polish your personal selling pitch.

But most of all, use it to visualize that you rock. Imagine walking out with the job. I assure you that you will significantly increase your chances of success.

Look at your past successes and focus on these accomplishments. It will help you get that feeling of greatness. Self-confidence will make you overcome negative stress. Be proud of who you are and what you’ve accomplished so far. It’s key. Nah, it’s crucial.

If you manage to feel like a million dollar as you walk in the interview, I bet a million dollar on your ass, You will get the job!

Don’t forget : PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE FIRST. And human beings are sensitive to inner conversations (positive or negative). Self-confidence can be sensed easily. It has a powerful attraction on others. Use this notion to your advantage and work on yourself. Your destiny is in your hands.

b. Run the show

Through time, I realized that we possess more power than we think during a job interview. Yes, the interviewer is the one who is asking questions. But you can still manage to lead the discussion and work it to your advantage. Here’s how I do it.

First of all, don’t wait for an icebreaker. You will feel more confident if you break the ice yourself and bring the conversation to comfortable areas.

As I mentioned before, people buy people first. When I walk in an interview, I usually try to start the conversation by giving the interviewer a short summary of who I am and where I am going in life. I talk about my background, my interests, my passions, and what I want to do in my life, i.e. what are my aspirations.

After that 2-minute introduction, the interviewer already feels like he/she knows you. It will make both of you feel more comfortable with each other. And having a good relationship is key to selling yourself. Moreover, this short personal bio helps the interviewer assess your potential.

Also, don’t forget to include why the company attracts you. Don’t wait for the question to be asked. Take the lead. But don’t force it. Timing is important.

Basically, you need to shift the usual interview format (cold, stiff, and structured) to a casual conversation between 2 professionals. It will change the mood, make the environment warmer, and put everything in place to help you perform and be a memorable candidate. It’s all about bringing something different to the table. Potential + a plus-value (i.e. a great personality.)

c. Adapt your game

During the interview, you might encounter reactions that you had not visualized or prepared for. Adapt your game plan to the situation. Read the person in front of you. It will help you react accordingly and perform better.

I'll take for example my interview with the creative director at my job just a few weeks ago. As I showed him my portfolio, he started to flip pages more quickly and mechanically towards the end. I decoded this non-verbal communication as a lack of diversity in my work. I immediately addressed it and said: ‘‘I know my portfolio can be redundant at times and quite homogenous creatively. It’s one of the main reasons why I want to work here: I want to face new challenges, work on new brands, and diversify myself.’’ He replied ‘‘Yeah I see that and I totally understand what you're saying.’’

d. Negotiate your salary

When asked about their previous salary, some people tend to lie and increase it to get a higher promotion. However, I am not a big fan of this tactic for 2 reasons: 1. It lacks of integrity 2. The world is small and interrelated; you risk to be caught giving false information and stain your own reputation. So be honest.

So here’s what I recommend:

Set yourself a minimum salary for you to accept the job. Then set yourself the best wage you could possibly get.

Start the negotiations by saying how much you were paid and how much you feel you are worth as of today. Prepare arguments if questioned on why you think you are worth this amount of money. Be convincing while presenting these arguments. Give good examples of previous experience and work that back up your initial demand.

Try to get to know exactly what are the tasks that you are expected to perform at this new job. You will be able to adjust your arguments accordingly. Dealing with money is not an easy thing especially since we are young and inexperienced. We tend to accept the first offer. However, if you prove that you are worth the money you ask for, chances are you will get it (no matter your age). Remember this, it is important for your career to be paid what you're worth. So make sure you value your performance right.

Yeah sure, but how? It is not an easy thing to know when you start. Ask other professionals around you and try to discover the salary brackets in your industry. It will give you a good idea of how much you are worth according to your level of experience and education.

How to get an internship/first job in your chosen field – Part 2

2009-05-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

2. PREPARING FOR YOUR JOB INTERVIEW.

a. Writing your cover letter.

Be original. These letters are already pretty boring and usually all look the same. Do something different. Catch your reader’s attention. It will create a good first impression (that's good for you!).

For example, if you blog, link your blog to your cover letter. Or if you decided to do a short video to present yourself, add the YouTube link to it. (Again, I suggest you go read Ben Yoskovitz's blog. He strongly inspired me to write this series of blogs.)

b. Building a good portfolio.

Again, we have the tendency to put everything we’ve done to date to make our portfolio look bigger. But size does not matter. Quality does. I’ve done this mistake quite a few times myself. Stick to your best work.

Even if you only show 3 posters or a Website that you’ve designed, if they're good, it's good enough. People that interview you are supposed to be professionals. They should know how to recognize potential.

Like for your resume, adapt your book to fit the job’s description. And think out-of-the-box! If many people fight for the same job or internship, you’ll have to be more than good : you’ll have to be outstanding. But how?

Recently, I was interviewed for a summer job at Canada’s biggest ad agency. I really needed to seize this opportunity because I had no other offer on the table from anywhere else (and I did not want to go back to shitty jobs after 4 consecutive summers in the business.) It was my only one shot.

I also felt like my portfolio was a little bit too homogenous. I was scared that the creative director would find it boring after a while.

So here’s what I decided to do. I created fake ads for their clients to show how I could contribute to the agency. Guess what? I got the job (even if he had just cut down 2 employees the day before). Even better, my boss assigned me these clients right away.

What I want to illustrate here is not my skills or whatever. I just want to demonstrate that getting a job is simpler than we think. Be different. Be yourself X 10. It’s a little bit like seduction. You have to be promising. You have to tease well enough to get a chance to show what you are made of. But be honest. Misrepresentation would catch you later around the corner and demolish your rep.

c. Picking the right outfit.

How to dress for a job interview? It really depends where you are going. It is important to not overdress unless employees traditionally dress up

Thus, I think there are 2 appropriate answers to this question:

1. Dress like the people who work there.

2. Dress like your boss or the person that will interview you.

Most importantly, dress to feel good. I once had a job interview and the outfit that I wore did not represent me at all. I borrowed it to my stepdad and I looked ludicrous (I didn’t get the job!).

d. Knowing your target.

If you know in advance that you will be meeting with, make sure you gather all the info that you can get about this person. Knowing their background (previous jobs) or the people that you have in common (ex-colleagues, etc.) is absolutely key.

Today, you just have to Google one’s name or look out for his/her Facebook profile to get an overview of the person’s traits and interests. Knowing your target will help you adapt your pitch and strategy. Like in anything else, do your homework. It will increase your chances of success.

Here's my final word on this already-too-long part deux : Don't stress out too much to the point that you develop anxiety towards job interviews. Enjoy them. Interviewers will feel your fear (or anxiety) and it is never too appealing. Walk in the interview like you are on a mission : you came to show you are the best. Nothing less. So have fun and it will come through, I promise.

How to get an internship/first job in your chosen field – Part 1

2009-05-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

1. HAVE A TIGHT, CONCISE RESUME THAT FITS YOUR JOB SEARCH.

People, especially inexperienced workers, have the tendency to make long and boring resumes, elaborating on small details details about every single past job, relevant or not.

Focus on experiences that matter. For example, if you’re applying at an ad agency, the interviewer does not need to know that you babysat for 2 years before flipping burgers at McDonald’s.

However, if you won the creative writing award in your first year of University… that plays for you and it’s relevant to know. Although it’s not work experience, it shows potential. And employers do hire potential. They hire talent and potential. Period.

The next post (part 2) will highlight a few tips to improve your preparation when facing a job interview...

The Little Survival Book for Job Interviews

2009-05-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided to give my friends (and other young workers out there) a few insights on how to get a job in your aspiring field, especially when there’s fierce competition. To be honest, connections help. Having a good network is always a huge asset. But there are still ways to put the good fortune on your side and battle your way through the clutter.

As I finished writing my blog, I realized how long it was. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll post it in 3 parts :

How to make a tight, concise resume that fits your job search?
How to prepare for a job interview?
How to better sell yourself during an interview?

Hopefully, this blog will be useful to many.

Good luck in your endeavours,

Etienne

A Welcome Word.

2009-05-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is officially my first blog post ever. I have followed blogs of a few icons and idols of mine for a while now until I realized that, in fact, we all have a different experience of life and, therefore, a new perspective on things that we are usually reluctant to share.

I truly like and internalize the concept of personal branding (although it may sound cheesy to some). I was first introduced to this concept a few years ago at The Power Within Conference, where Montreal-based speaker and marketing mogul Mitch Joel gave an inspired/inspiring speech on the topic. (http://www.twistimage.com/blog)

I'm gifted with a natural screaming and memorable trademark (my hair color). Thus, I understood very young the challenges and advantages of developing a strong personal brand that would help me develop my self-confidence and differentiate myself from others in social interactions, but also on the job market.

That being said, I felt like blogging could be a fun and new way for me to reflect on important matters in my life (like I always do – and sometimes too much!) but also to share a little bit of my vision of life and personality with you.

Without further ado, welcome to my blog. Enjoy !

Etienne

PS. For 8 quick lessons on personal branding, I suggest you visit Ben Yoskovitz’s blog at www.instigatorblog.com.