Just a few months in to my time with IAS and I have taken to the
skies with Ian Rush (I have photographic evidence), met with Rich
List CEOs to discuss strategy (mum was impressed) and even dressed
an actor up in a 'morphsuit' (Sorry Paul, I have photographic
evidence of this too). Add a month in Malaysia to the mix and you
wouldn't be blamed for thinking that this is a pretty cushtie job
for a lad not long out of his hat and gown.
In reality however, whilst having the opportunity to marvel at
Kuala Lumpur's breathtaking skyline isn't something to be sniffed
at, if marketing was a weather system then these talking points
would be the deceptive characteristics of the proverbial calm
before the storm.
You see while I'm having the time of my life at IAS, it hasn't
taken me long to realise that this fast-paced line of work isn't
plain sailing, and if you fail to plan and prepare well you'll get
more than a good soaking.
I'm still ringing my clothes dry from one avoidable financial
oversight involving an aborted project and a forecast so dodgy it'd
make Fred Talbot fall of his floaty map. Trust me, I'd rather be
happy slapped by mother nature than go face to face with a
disgruntled FD again.
Like the weather, there are many elements in marketing that you
simply can't control or predict. But, as an account executive, it's
crucial that you have the shrewdness and presence of mind to
identify the potential implications when the tides do suddenly
turn.
But it's not all doom and gloom. Learn from these experiences
and the future's bright - especially here at IAS where in just a
few hours we'll be attempting to part the grey September skies from
a boggy field in Cheshire.
And while there are a couple of suspected pagan mentalists
knocking around the office, the rest of us will be attempting to
achieve this meteorological miracle through the medium of music.
That's right, this weekend is the unbelievable IAStival!
And so, in true Schafernaker stylee, I'm raising my middle
finger to the miserable weather and taking some time out to go on a
well deserved bender - well, for the weekend at least. Now who's
seen my wellies?
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