Do you want to show up more creatively for your clients and your colleagues, your family, and your friends?
Do you want to default to thinking about opportunity versus focusing just on problems?
Discovering Hope is full of proactive steps you can take right now, to achieve a more positive mindset or to help maintain the positivity you already have
Getting Positive reveals that more optimism is close at hand
Stuart Parkin
Planning Your Future
Two questions I’m frequently asked by planners: ‘What makes me most marketable?’ and, ‘What are my career options?’
The good news for planners is that the career options are extensive. We’ve seen planners (good ones) a newsletter for creative strategy/brand planning professionals go to branding agencies, PR shops, media players, digital homes, design spaces, innovation boutiques, research houses, client-side, start-ups, consultancies of all hues, many have freelanced and others have set up their own businesses in unrelated areas.
And what makes planners most marketable? Perhaps the best insights come from your peers that took the plunge.
- For me today the virtue most needed for folks wanting to change the fortunes of brands is fearlessness’ Michael Fanuele, Chief Creative Officer, General Mills
- A tendency to listen more than to speak’ –Katie Dreke, Global Brand Director/Advanced Concepts, Nike
- ‘What matters most is intellectual curiosity and an aptitude for change’–Ivan Wicksteed, CMO, Old Navy
In my experience strategic planners in most demand have a business mindset with a results focus; an ability to communicate and gain confidence through understanding client or colleague motivations; and an appreciation of the role that technology plays in building brands.
Looking forward to taking with you about your career progression.
Stuart
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
- Do you think FAST or think SLOW? Here’s why Brand Leaders need do both
- The Thinkers50 Ranking 2013 (and bios)
- Forward Thinkers: What You Can Learn From Nintendo’s Weird and Wonderful 125 Years
- Getting Outside the Box: The 5 Behaviors of Successful Leaders
- Why Your Best Performers Usually Make the Worst Leaders
- Heads-Up Leadership … leading a customer revolution
- Great Entrepreneurs Are Creative Thinkers
- From Basement to $15M: One Woman’s Journey To The Top
Contact me for a list of resources –Best Visa, Passport and Work Permit Websites
Overseas Adventures
Einstein said ‘If at first an idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it.’ Working overseas can seem absurd to many people but there are plenty of compelling reasons to work in another country.
When and why, I’d be happy to discuss with you.
If you’re sold on the idea, or at least its potential benefits, but have failed thus far to achieve the goal, read on.
To succeed, you need to understand what you might be up against in terms of visas, transferability of skills, cost of living, language and other potential hurdles.
If you look at nothing else, check out the attached link, ‘Worldwide Personal Tax Guide Income Tax, Social Security & Immigration 2013/2014,’ which provides a global summary, country by country on tax and immigration. If you need more detail, I can recommend lawyers that made it possible for others to navigate internationally.
You’ll also need a specific ‘game plan. The key question to answer here (for yourself as much as guiding others trying to help you) is what experience do you want to get from living overseas. Answering this is important as each market offers quite different possibilities, some of which may be more relevant to you dependent on your career and life objectives.
Looking forward to developing the conversation with you.
Stuart
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
- Career Development: Working Abroad
- 5 Steps for Launching an International Job Search
- Strategies for Overcoming Challenges in Your Search for a Job Abroad
- Your Assignment Abroad. The 50 Most Common Concerns
- International Employment Tips –What You Must Know
- OverseasJobs.com’s Guide To Working Abroad
- Worldwide Personal Tax Guide, Social Security and Immigration 2013/2014
- U.S. Overseas Digest –Americans looking to Work Overseas
- The Skinny on Work Visas in the USA
- Contact me for a list of resources –Best Visa, Passport and Work Permit Websites
Conferenced In
Which conferences or award shows are best for strategic planners? SxSW, Cannes, PSFK, Jay Chiat’s, Planning-Ness, TED Talks…? Are they even worth it?
Here’s my take on the marque events I attended: a newsletter for creative strategy/brand planning professionals My main (and obvious) thought is that having a specific goal gives you a better chance of getting a worthwhile experience. Take a moment to identify what you really want –strategic insights, exposure to current thinking, specific learning for the team, inspiration, networking opportunities –and act accordingly.
Each conference has its own style and focus. SxSWand Cannes offer a little for everybody (latest strategic thinking, methodologies, technology, music, video…etcetera) and can be overwhelming without a game plan. Planning-Ness is at the other end of the spectrum and its limited numbers gets attendees truly engaged. Jay ChiatAwards are great for networking with strategists of all levels and expertise and the EFFIE’s are fun too but are over in a few hours, so the event is less network friendly. And PSFK and TED Talks give fresh thinking from a range of non-media industry executives.
Having talked about goals, I find that some time without structure yields valuable interactions and the ‘fun’ element key for a positive experience.
Contact me for a first-hand perspective
Stuart
PS. Events of interest to lateral thinkers: Lucid NYC
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
- How To Optimize Your ROI From Attending Conferences
- The Ultimate Guide To Getting Your Money’s Worth From Conferences
- The 5 Best Ways To Optimize The Business Value Of Attending Conferences
- The Good, The Bad & Ugly Of Marketing Conferences
- 10 Digital Marketing Conferences That Are Perfect For Newbies
- Are SEO Conferences Worth Attending?
- The Best Marketing Conferences In 2014
- 50 Best Conferences To Attend This Year
- Turn That Soul Crushing Conference In To A Win
Purpose Driven Marketing
We hope that companies that provide services to us do not exploit their workforce or wreck the environment, but is there a benefit to brands when they adopt a philanthropic approach to funding people and causes? Price is often key, but increasingly so too are the actions of companies in our crowded planet.
Philanthropy is generally perceived positively but more than seeing brands shower cash, astute consumers want to see cause or purpose driven marketing aimed at achieving ‘actual social impact.’
It’s the difference between sending food to starving people (philanthropy) versus helping people to learn how to feed themselves (purpose).
This reality is particularly evident with younger target audiences; Recent research revealed that 47% of consumers that buy a brand (at least monthly) that is associated with actively supporting a cause, are themselves prepared to ‘take action/advocate’ on behalf of that brand, which in turn generates earned media. Do your clients embrace this reality?
Stuart
PS. Have a look at my past newsletters
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
- Cause v Purpose
- Study 2013 Cone Communication Social Impact Study
- Why brands should focus on social change not philanthropy
- These Shoes Ain’t Just Made for Walkin’: The Cause Marketing Biz Model
- 10 Best Cause Marketing Promotions of 2013
- The Power of Cause Marketing for Good Cause-Related Marketing and the Millennial Mindset
- 3 Key Advantages of a Cause Marketing Strategy
- 4 Things Cause Marketing Can’t Do (& What Your Campaign Should)
Personal Brand
We hope that companies that provide services to us do not exploit their workforce or wreck the environment, but is there a benefit to brands when they adopt a philanthropic approach to funding people and causes? Price is often key, but increasingly so too are the actions of companies in our crowded planet.
Philanthropy is generally perceived positively but more than seeing brands shower cash, astute consumers want to see cause or purpose driven marketing aimed at achieving ‘actual social impact.’
It’s the difference between sending food to starving people (philanthropy) versus helping people to learn how to feed themselves (purpose).
This reality is particularly evident with younger target audiences; Recent research revealed that 47% of consumers that buy a brand (at least monthly) that is associated with actively supporting a cause, are themselves prepared to ‘take action/advocate’ on behalf of that brand, which in turn generates earned media. Do your clients embrace this reality?
Stuart
PS. Have a look at my past newsletters
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
- Cause v Purpose
- Study 2013 Cone Communication Social Impact Study
- Why brands should focus on social change not philanthropy
- These Shoes Ain’t Just Made for Walkin’: The Cause Marketing Biz Model
- 10 Best Cause Marketing Promotions of 2013
- The Power of Cause Marketing for Good Cause-Related Marketing and the Millennial Mindset
- 3 Key Advantages of a Cause Marketing Strategy
- 4 Things Cause Marketing Can’t Do (& What Your Campaign Should)
Do you have a ‘great’ mind?
‘Great minds have purpose while others have wishes.’ (Washington Irving)
That said, the wish that has meaning to you is the one that brings greatness.
It’s a question of ‘powerful’ motivation; We can all have it. Do you? If you’re unsure
that’s one thing but if you are going to work zombie-like, that’s quite another..
http://www.sparkincoaching.com/self-help.html#bored
And, not being powerfully motivated for any time will actually damage your brand/
your opportunities with your current and prospective employers.
For more on this, see the June edition of ‘Narrate.’
http://createsend.com/t/i-17B02C6892895989
Now time for a walk to clear the mind..