I can’t believe it’s been more than two months since I last wrote a post. Time has flown by and yet the world still feels paralyzed. 2021, so far, has not quite lived up to my expectations. We are still in lockdown in the UK. I’ve not seen my family since last summer and I’m still searching for that elusive perfect marketing job.

Research

Last time I wrote, just before New Year, I said I would be writing more this year and I have. Just not the kind of writing I want to be doing. I spent time looking into and improving my knowledge of copywriters and copywriting skills. Apparently I needed to find my ‘niche’ and I have been writing pieces that would be attractive to potential employers. Being honest, I really don’t enjoy that kind of writing, it feels somehow over inflated and false. Writing as if you have an in-depth knowledge of a subject, after you’ve done a few hours research on Google. Giving advise and opinion as if you have years of experience, just doesn’t sit comfortably with me.

There’s marketing and there’s marketing

I’ve been in marketing, successfully, for over fifteen years. Although many people believe marketers make everything up, it’s not true! Bad marketing teams are economical with the truth and often twist the benefits of the product/promotion to the extreme. The current Brut ad, featuring Vinnie Jones, plays to this point really well. It is in itself a refreshing piece of advertising.

Most products will sell themselves to correct audience, all a marketer has to do is understand that audience.

Inspirational

The best marketing functions understand the consumer they are appealing to. Then they match different aspects of their product to tug gently at the heart strings of the consumer. Nike, in my opinion, simply have one of the best marketing teams in the world. Their brand advertising is inspired. Just today, one of the ladies in my health and fitness group – Shelley Booth‘s March FLB, shared the International Women’s Day brand ad from Nike. It’s so powerful. As one of those targeted consumers, tears welled up in my eyes threatening to cascade down my face. Check it out – if you are a woman, I dare you not to feel something. Something powerful inside.

The power of great brand ads like those is that they stay with you. Subconsciously you are drawn to their product – when you are ready for something from their range. In addition, for me certainly, I feel an affection for the items I have from the brand already. My comfiest trainers, my favourite running shorts and my still-slightly-too-small bra top!

Writing my way

The writing I want to do is fiction, sci-fi, fantasy and I really want to finish ‘Fred’!

As an aside to marketing

I was inspired in late January to start learning again. Inspired by both my husband and Shelley Booth, I have started to relearn French. Hubby has been intently focussed on Japanese Kanji for sometime, and Shelley Booth recommended the 5am club. WaniKani is the program my husband uses to learn millions of Kanji. For my French, I chose Duolingo – because I can use my phone or the PC. I have to say I am impressed with how much I can remember from my school days and the lack of intrusive marketing ads too.

Being greener and more posts to come

I have been putting together another blog post, about the environment. Looking at the things we can do to lessen our impact on the world around us. There is some work left to do on that post. It as has become too long and, as an exercise in SEO, I have been editing it down. Plus I want to use it to polish my skills and knowledge of the elusive organic search rankings. It will get published, but possibly as two posts, not one.