While everyone is compliling a "Best Of" list at this time, you need to ask, "What was my personal best?" It's time to revise your book, so you need to make a short list of your work that would make you a top contender.

• Do you have campaigns that stretch across various mediums?
• Do you have work that pushes you and your clients out of your comfort zones?
• What about that great idea your client passed on?

What if you don't have produced work? What if you're just a student or you've  been unemployed for a while?
 
Hopefully, you have some conceptual work you've been developing. If not, get busy. You need to get into the habit of working and thinking, even when a job isn't paying you for it.

Don't just rely on old work from previous employers, refresh your portfolio with even fresher thinking.

Here's some of my work that made my personal 2011 list:

Living Social Big Mac Offer. While marketers debate the future of Deal of the Day offers, we proved the deals still have plenty of life left. We served up close to 300K of our Big Mac offer.



McDonald's Flavor Battle. Our premiere DJ competition is back and even bigger. DJs nationwide compete to represent their region and one of McDonald's big burgers. This year, the finale will be at a live party event in Miami, February 9. You can still vote for a chance to go to the party. Hip hop legend Doug E. Fresh will host this year.



ESSENCE Music Festival. With performers, prizes and more, McDonald's attracts more to our booth than any other sponsor at one the summer's largest concert events.

Professor Ad Man. It's been another award winning year for the site, taking Gold in the 2011 Hermes Creative Awards. I'm also carried as a news feed by other marketing web sites. And readership has grown tremendously. Every time I get an email thanking me for the site, I'm motivated knowing that Professor Ad Man is doing what's he's meant to do.  So I thank you all for your support.

I wish you all a successful new year.

Do you need a creative environment to inspire your creativity? You don't have to do something as drastic as changing your job. But you can enter the "Pimp My Cube" Contest from Contest factory. The the public will vote for the most pathetic office space out there.

Here's a recent entry:


Can you beat this space? Then enter and you could win a new look for the new year. But don't make it look too good. You don't want your supervisor claiming your cube.

Make it easy for someone to shop for you.

Ask friends and family to pay for a domain site for your work or renew your current plan for 2012. No stores. You get just what you want. And it's the perfect last-minute gift you can also give to someone else. Then you just concentrate on making it the best showcase for your marketing genius.

Happy Holidays!


Pic courtesy of stock.xchng

I'm a Kindle fan. I e-read a lot, but I have my share of magazine subscriptions too.

If you qualify, some of them are even free...
One I like in particular is Event Marketer. It's exactly what the title indicates. It's all about event marketing. It's really great when it comes to engagement and how agencies use different technologies to interact with audiences.

The latest issue features a spotlight on "Women in Event Marketing" and winners of the first annual "Event Technology Awards."

Bookmark them and subscribe.

If you are trying to get your foot in the door, it might be easier as an intern vs. a freelancer.

1. Companies take chances with a newbie. Yes, you'll be doing grunt work to free up others for more important jobs, but you gotta start somewhere. Here, your lack of skills won't work against you. But there is no reason why a talented intern won't get a chance at doing important work. I produced my first commercial as an intern. Just look for opportunities to prove yourself.

2. Interns are cheaper. Many freelancers are seasoned pros and command a bigger rate. If you're lucky, you may get above minimum wage, but you're also gaining valuable experience and contacts.

3. There are always opportunities available. Many companies budget for intern help every semester, especially if they have a relationship with area colleges and universities. But you don't have to be a student to be an intern. Freelancers are only hired when needed.

4. You've got a shot at a job. As an intern, you may be able to apply for full-time positions when they become available. If people see you working hard, your chances are probably better than strangers coming in for interviews. Many people I've worked with started as my interns.

I expect some may be my bosses in the near future...


Image courtesy of stock.xchng.

Thursday (12/15) at 3pm, I'll be at Columbia College Chicago reviewing portfolios and talking to students. Come by and say "hi." Ask all the questions you want. I can't guarantee I'll have all of the answers. Still, I'd love to see what my readers look like.

And if you're looking for a place to start or continue your education, put Columbia on your short list. I've heard great things about the school.

"I am nobody working nowhere."

"Nothing at Nothing."

Believe it or not, these are actual profile descriptions on individuals' social media accounts. If you ever get bitter about the industry, don't take your frustrations out on your profile. If you need to vent, do it in an appropriate arena - comment sections for related articles, blogs, etc.

But be tactful. Show restraint. Don't burn bridges. Once you click "send," it's out there forever.

I almost recommended one of those individuals with the above profile for a freelance position. Who's going to hire the angry ad man?

People still don't realize anti-social media behavior can cost you - even after you take it down.

Think before you type.


Pic courtesy of stock.xchng.

My local library now provides ebook lending for Kindle - yes! I've been delinquent with my book reviews, because I've been on a fiction kick lately. I've recently downloaded a couple of marketing books on Kindle and I'll let you know what I think soon.

I was looking at recommendations on book sites and I read "criticisms" of certain titles:

"They all say the same thing..."

Or

"They're telling me something I already know..."

That's not a bad thing.

If it's info you're hearing over and over, it may be because it's information that works for a lot of people. It could work for you.

So I ask, "Why aren't you doing it?"

If great marketing minds keep handing you the same tools, be like Nike and "just do it."

And if you're expecting overnight success, you weren't reading between the lines.

Here are my two favorites of 2011. Both have something worth repeating or reading again.

Make a holiday card and send it to the following:

• HR personnel
• Creative Directors
• Account Managers
• Recruiters
• Anyone who gave you a business card

And when I say make it – I mean make it unforgettable.

If they never called you, give them reason to pick up a phone or send an email.

If they interviewed you and selected someone else, give them reason to reconsider.

If they interviewed you and haven't made a decision, make a move to put you on the top of the list.

Sell yourself one more time. It may be the one time that makes a difference.

Don't waste an opportunity to connect or reconnect with someone who could make it a happy new year for you.


Image courtesy of stock.xchng

No, this isn't about me.

This is an excerpt from 12/3/11 Chicago Tribune article, "Landing On Their Feet" by Tribune reporters Julie Wernau and Alejandra Cancino:

A job when he wasn't looking

Mike Gebert wasn't one of the statistics when he was unemployed. That's because he wasn't looking for a job. Now he's making $200 a day as part-time editor of New York Media's Grub Street Chicago food blog.

The Roscoe Village resident's last desk job was an advertising gig in New York that went bust during the dot-com era. Since then, he's alternated between spending time as "Mr. Mom" for his two sons and juggling freelance advertising projects. But in the end, it was his video blog, Sky Full of Bacon, that landed him in foodie circles and eventually at Grub Street.

"I'm an example of do what you want to do and hope that a job will come out of there somewhere," he said.

Whenever a thought or story comes my way, I will post what I and others have done to pursue opportunities to get in the ad biz or find an ad afterlife. Maybe it will spark an idea or two for you. You can read the article here. You can check out Grub Street Chicago here.