How Can You Not Love Cookie Monster?

Image by The Mary Sue

In the 1990s, I was crazy about watching Sesame Street, a longtime favourite children and adult show. Big Bird led the entire show teaching children shapes, colours, numbers and more. Some other characters that were created were Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert, Grover, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog, Mr. Snuffleupagus (Whew! That was a bit hard to pronounce!), Two Headed Monster, Abby Cadabby and more.

Back in my home country, Philippines, there were only 2 main TV stations that were available at that time. One of the largest stations scheduled TV shows to make sure that family members don't have to fight over a show. Here's a typical schedule:

• Early Morning: Morning talk show
• Mid-morning: Educational shows for children
• Noon: Game Show
• Mid Afternoon: Soap Opera
• 4 pm: International Shows (i.e. Anime)
• 7 pm: Drama/Action/Comedy (local/international)

Sesame Street was usually being played during brunch hours, most particularly during 'recess' (a.k.a. break). I used to go to my friend's house every day since she used to live beside my school. We watched Sesame Street almost every day. The show became a part of me when I was a child.

Competition and technological advancement led to an opportunity for TV stations to expand or modify their shows. One of the shows that were being sacrificed was Sesame Street. And I believe that the same scenario happened in all the parts of the world. I haven't seen Sesame Street show for a while. However, there are lots of Sesame Street toys that are sold in-store nowadays. As a matter of fact, my nephew used to have Elmo stuffed toy where you can press a button so you can hear "Elmo's World" opening song (below).

After a long time of not seeing Sesame Street characters, I found an article yesterday on Adweek website showcasing a new Apple ad. When I saw Cookie Monster, I got so excited! When I played the video (see below), I remembered all the memories that I had when I was a child. I was ecstatic! 

I thought this ad was clever. When I heard the song Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce, I giggled. I grew up listening to classic songs from 60s-90s. One great thing about this commercial, too, was the humour that was used to communicate the message like when he was turning the lights on and off while listening to the song, checking the oven from outside and sighing all the time. Cookie Monster reminded me so much of myself being impatient. Honestly, I can watch the ad over and over again. I will never be tired of watching it.I think the ad was targeted to millennials like myself. Millennials who spent their childhood watching children's show like Sesame Street. Apple aimed to let us know about iPhone's hands-free feature. The video was posted last week and it now has more than 4 million views. Great job, Apple!

Why You Do What You Do?

I love to watch TEDx. Speeches empower me to become a better person, to be aware of what's happening in the world and to remind myself that there are still lots of greatness in the universe.  I have TEDx app on my phone and tablet. I subscribed to the TEDx channel on Youtube. I attended to one of the TEDx events in Mississauga last year. Yes, I am a bonafide TEDx fan!

I discovered lots of great speakers and authors thru TEDx such as Seth Godin, David Kelly, Ken Robinson, Tony Robbins and many more. But my most favourite speaker is Simon Sinek, a communication professor at Columbia University. I never thought (I just found out today) that he is a marketer and advertiser who left law school to go to advertising and used to work at Ogilvy & Mather in New York. 

Simon Sinek delivered a presentation at one of the TEDx events and asked everyone their 'WHY's'. He also presented a simple but a great model called The Golden Circle (watch video below). The model only has 3 sections - what, how and why. 

WHAT

Every organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. These are the products and services that they offer to the consumers. We, humans, know WHAT we do. We study, work, travel and many more.

HOW

Some organizations know HOW they do the products and services. These are the things that make them extra special or set them apart from the competition (or what we call in marketing/advertising - unique selling proposition). We, humans, know HOW we study, work or travel. We do these by playing classical music (when we study), using a system (when we work), choosing to drive (when we travel) and eating with spoon and fork (when we eat).

WHY

Very few organizations know WHY they do what they do. A few people know WHY they do what they do. Why is not about having a greater profit or making money. That's a result. According to Professor Sinek, WHY is the purpose, cause and belief. It is the reason why companies exist. We study because we want to learn more and expand our knowledge. We work because we want our skills to be of use - giving us personal satisfaction. We travel because we want to experience different things. We want to understand other cultures and traditions so we become open as a person. 

I certainly believe in what he believed when I watched his TEDx video for the first time. I constantly use this concept not only in my professional career but also in my personal life. The concept guided me in everything that I did from the past few years of my life. It directed my life to choose the paths that I want to take, the people that I want to be with and the connections that I want to make. 

It inspired me to make better choices, drop the things that are irrelevant and take one step forward to be happy overall. 

This concept is very relevant in the marketing and advertising world. We will not be able to find the sweet spot if we don't know how to answer our targets' WHYs. We will be wasting a lot of resources if we don't know how to answer these 'WHYs'. Why do people do what they do? Why do people care? Why? If you know the answers, you're on the right track. 

What are your WHYs? 

Sheridan's Spring Open House 2016

It's almost March and you haven't accepted your offer at Sheridan yet! You're not sure if you're making the right decision. You're uncertain about the industry and would like to learn more the program in general. Well, look no further! Sheridan is hosting a Spring Open House 2016 event in 2 months!

You will have an opportunity to meet faculty members, staff and students. And I am happy to share with you that I will be there representing all the post-grad programs in the Faculty of Business particularly in my program, Advertising Account Management, for the second time around. All campuses are open on April 23, Saturday, from 10 am to 1 pm.

In addition to the opportunity of meeting the faculty members and students, you also have a chance tour the campus. It will be a guided tour presented by one of the Student Admissions Representatives who is also a current Sheridan student. I suggest you to ask any questions to the student representatives. Those representatives are sincere and will provide you great tips on how to survive in the class and at Sheridan. Representatives will not only guide you to check out some of the great spots on campus but they will also provide you more information about the services that are available to students.

I honestly didn't know about the student services when I was a new student. I only learned more about these great 'stuffs' when I was part of the recruitment team at Davis campus in 2011. Before coming to Sheridan, I never thought that schools are open for tours. I was new to Canada at that time and Asia didn't have that type of recruitment strategies. If I wasn't a part of the Admissions and Recruitment team, I will never be aware of the student services. All campuses have the following services: student advisement, financial aid (awards and OSAP), gym, medical insurance, databases (library), health centre, IT, student rights and responsibilities and many more.

After visiting the campus and talking to people who will help you understand more of your program, you can also visit the Marketplace area so you can do 3 things:

1. Learn more about OSAP/scholarships/bursaries
2. Evaluate the event for a chance to win a surprise gift (usually iPad)
3. Visit Admissions Department's booth so you can finally click the Accept button.

So what are you waiting for, SAVE THE DATE!

If I Am Not in the Advertising Program, I Would Be in….

If I am not in the Advertising Program, I would be in the animation arena. Although I don’t have the skills to draw a fascinating character and come up with a strong visual design, I appreciate the hard work of animators in creating multiple images or frames which give an illusion of movement to convey a stronger and compelling story.

As someone who grew up in Asia, I had the privilege of watching anime films and shows created by Japanese animators. Believe me, I watch anime shows every day. Those shows were the only reason why I had to go home early when I was in elementary and high school. Some of my most favourite anime shows or movies in 1990s-2000s include Dragon Ball Z, Lupin III, One Piece, My Neighbor Totoro and a lot more.

As technology improves and numbers of animators increase, animation shows and movies improved a lot in many ways (e.g. 3D, HD and etc.). However, there is one thing that remained in the field of animation – capturing the audience’s emotion and attention or what I call “the sweet spot”.

Today, I would like to share with you 4 of my most favourite animation movies that were created:

1. Lion King: This was the first animation movie that made me cry especially when Mufasa, Simba’s heroic dad, was thrown off a cliff and crushed to death. Simba, as an innocent child, didn’t have an idea what death is. And he grew up without his dad around him. Sad movie! 
2. Toy Story 3: Who loves “goodbyes”? Nobody! I teared up when Andy had to go to college and leave his toys. That was heart-breaking. 
3. Big Hero 6: Do you still remember when Baymax sacrificed his life in the outer space just to save Hiro? Again, “goodbyes” are very powerful. 
4. KungFu Panda: This movie didn’t make me cry but it inspired me to treasure each moment in my life. I remember Master Oogway before he vanished in a haze of peach blossoms and told this line to Po “There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” I consider this line as one of my mottos in life. Sweet! 

Now let’s go back to my main statement, “If I am not in the Advertising Program, I would be in the animation arena.” Animation gives me so much inspiration in thinking differently and embracing possibilities. As a matter of fact, most of my works in my portfolio or my creative projects were inspired by an animated character or scenario. Animation and advertising have in common. You create one simple and big idea, execute it in an authentic way and connect deeply with your main audience.

So if you are not in the industry or program that you are in today, which profession/program would you choose and why?

Advertising Account Management Will Be Moving to HMC Campus This Fall 2016

Image by Pact Engineering

BREAKING NEWS!! The Advertising Account Management (AAM) program will be moving to HMC Campus this coming fall term (2016) from Trafalgar! Is it a great idea? Yes? Maybe? No?

What do you think is the best place for AAM (a.k.a. “All Astounding Mortals”) students? Trafalgar or HMC? Let me share with you some of my personal views about the two campuses. Now let’s begin with Trafalgar Campus. I love Trafalgar campus because:

• It’s a very diverse school. You see different amazing and talented students. It is a unique place where you hear students singing while jogging outside the building or see a group of game design students mainly girls, playing hardcore video or online games in the group study rooms. 
• There’s an art wall drawn by first-year students’ in the hallway beside the library. The things or artwork around us at Trafalgar campus inspire us to be creative and to see things differently. 

Image by Sheridan College

• It has 3 Tim Hortons stores (C-wing, B-wing and self-serve @ the marketplace/cafeteria). We are dependent on caffeine and we will not survive without it in a day. 

Now, let’s take a look at HMC Campus. Here are the three reasons why I love this campus, too:

• It has high-tech classrooms with colourful paddles and comfortable chairs. A classroom typically has at least 6 projectors, too. 

Image by Sheridan College

• You only meet business (a.k.a. serious/professional) students. 
• The campus is located in the heart of Mississauga or beside Square One, the largest enclosed mall in Ontario and the second largest in Canada according to one of the reports from the City of Mississauga. The points above are just some of the few reasons why I love these campuses. Each campus has unique and strong points. So is the program better off to be delivered at Trafalgar or HMC?

Honestly, these factors don’t affect much to us as advertising students. These things may be important to students. However, the assets of our program are our dedicated professors (BIG TIME...cough) and the curriculum that the faculty members are constantly revising in order for us to benefit from the program.

Sheridan Ad Profs 

So whether the classes will be delivered in Mississauga or Oakville, the quality of the program depends on the professors and the curriculum.

What do you think?

Be Authentic and Entertaining

Creating an authentic and humorous posts on social media is vital to engage and interact with the audience. There are numerous meanings of “authenticity”. We can view it as genuineness and humanness that makes a brand more trustworthy.

Last week, I decided to create a social media experiment using 2 platforms – Facebook and Camera360. Camera360 is an image-editing tool that will allow users to apply tons of exceptional effects of every kind of images most particularly those “selfie” images. The app is available in Google App and iTunes.

1st Port

I posted my “selfie” image on Facebook that I took using Camera360 with this caption “Do you wanna see the good/funny side of me? Here you go. Lol.”

Before starting my experiment, I was only hoping to get around 20 likes. After 2 days, I received 103 likes, which was remarkable. Around 10 of my Facebook friends commented on the image. Some enjoyed seeing my post but my parents were not happy at all. Moral lesson, don’t add your parents on social media!

Within 24 hours of my so called “experiment”, I posted another image on Facebook thanking everyone who liked my previous post. The main message of the post was not only to extend my gratitude to everyone who enjoyed my picture but to stop them liking my post. However, my Facebook friends’ heads are as hard as rocks. I got more 80 likes and I was exhilarated by the unexpected result. I got more comments on my second post. And my #1 fan, my dad, was one of the people who was disturbed by what he saw.

2nd Post

Kidding aside, if you would like to increase your engagement with your audience on social media platforms, you have to find ways to be entertaining, relevant and authentic.

Why Did I Decide to Join the Advertising - Account Management Program?

“Hey Odecca, let’s run a newspaper ad using a local newspaper. You have an option whether to place an ad using The Mississauga News, 24 Hours or Employment News. We have a limited budget allocated in this project. Please implement this project ASAP.”

That was one of the hardest tasks that was assigned to me by the owner of my previous company. I had tons of questions. Some of those questions included “How will I successfully implement this project?”, “What are the available resources that I can use?” or “Who will be helping me to run this project?”

I asked my supervisor plenty of questions and she simply said “I will connect you with the advertising reps, show you some examples of our previous ads and you’re in-charge of the entire process. You have to analyze the market and figure out which location would you like us to run the ad.”

Wow! That was a great start!

I was overwhelmed. I thought I was not ready for this challenge because I never handled this type of project before. I only had a couple of advertising courses when I was in the Marketing program at Sheridan and I did not have an in-depth knowledge in this area. The result? The ad run for 3 months. But before the first ad was published, I encountered many challenges pertaining to circulation, coverage, terms and conditions, ad sizes and many more. It was challenging but exciting.

This made me realize that I have to do something to fill the gaps that I need to improve as a Marketer. I started checking Sheridan’s website and found Advertising Account Management program. I applied and got accepted in the program. Sweet! I can’t wait to tell you more about this program. So far, I am loving it!