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Marketing: It's Just Gotta B' A Good Life

I read a Dilbert's comic strip lately on marketing and it made me laugh. Because well, the perception was spot on! But then again, how true is it?

Many perceive that marketing is all work and no play, but nonetheless, they forgot to perceive something else - how do people perceive what is work? As for starters, my office does not offer unicorn meat, and if it did, "Make mine rare too!" haha. I have attend a number of events in my 2 years of event management and while compiling the list of events I have participated, co-organized and organized, I might say I have enjoyed the networking and free lunches, but behind the curtains, there were screams, blood and tears just to get things perfect, or at least close to it. All in all, after an event, sitting down comfortably in my office seat, I smile and say, "Man, this is gotta be the good life."

List of events:
2009
Formis Solutions Day

National ICT Conference 
2010

Chinese Chamber of Commerce

Docuflo UiTM Event

Sandfil HRCA Event

Nina Incubation Week

SESTECH

World Congress of Accountants (WCOA)

InfoConnect Annual Event "Red is Passion"
1Insurance Framework Event "Make IT Work"
InfoConnect Annual Dinner 
2011
SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 Release Event

SAP for Insurance

FICO Insurance Forum: Claim Your Competitive Advantage
InfoConnect & Visiwan "Achieving Government Transformation through ICM"

National ICT Conference

1st Insurance Summit

The Red Brand Manual

Most of the time, employees wonder what is the use of a brand manual? Is it so that marketing can look like they have done something, apart from their stereotypical lives of partying and enjoying wine at social events? And is there a true purpose of it at all? For those who are clueless about brand manuals, well the answer is that it is used so that other fellow employees would stop asking "What is the font colour for the logo again?". On a larger scale, it also applies to advertising firms, whereby this book will be ultimately, an understanding for them on  what is the brand ABOUT, how the corporate logo MUST look like, and how the brand should FEEL like.

The brand manual below is designed and created from an inspiring course session with ATCEN, the brand training experts. 

define: corporate profile

Corporate Profile, definition:
Concise description which, among other items of information, includes (1) firm's history, (2) number and quality of its human, financial, and physical resources (3) organizational and management structure, (4) past, current and anticipated performance, and (5) its reputation, and the standing of its goods or services.

So, should I say more? :)

Brochures 101

From my days of writing brochures, the first thing I ever knew was to write about the pros' and cons', most of them time making it into the paper-material sales man. Most brochures I have seen most focusing on gibberish with almost 50% are filled with business people smiling or talking in a business meeting. I finish studying the brochure to find in the end "Okay, what did I just read out of this?". I either got bored out of it and blank out through skipping text lines because it focuses on generic advantages or probably got confused with all the IT jargon they were using. And the pictures, ugh!! What's the point of putting a generically white person doing business when we are well, in Malaysia? helloo!! Ok fine, statiscs have shown that puttin a white person on a brochure will subconciously increase your brand into a international level - but however, what other values are there?

So my advice is, write what is necessary and most importantly, write about what people want to know and buy off. After all, they have already taken your brochure because they  NEED it, whether to compare it or scoop dog poop. Time is precious especially if your buyer is of a C-level nature. They want to know what is what, NOW.

And also, try not to waste your money on stock images, because there are always other ways to not only show professionalism but additionally, strengthen your brand image.