Archive for December, 2006

MBA Spin: What I Could Have Done Better

by Jared on December 21st, 2006

Although I am still on pretty good high from yesterday, letâ€™s move on to the things I think I could have done better with my MBA Applications.

1) Watch that first application, itâ€™s a doosey!

In my planning, my first application was to be the most important one. This was a mistake.

Being an essential first-draft, even after I had completed the application, I had several minor mental breakdowns while attempting to revise and perfect that first application including the nagging feeling that my essays could have been better. More

posted in MBA Spin Comments

Just how stupid does AXE think the straight boys are?

by Jared on December 20th, 2006

Soâ€¦my friend, Jared (no relation, pictured above) and I went out to lunch to pseudo-celebrate the afore mentioned changing of the MBA Spin statistics. We went right down the street to a small pub/restaurant and we were dismayed to see yet another attempt at a witty, memorable AXE promotion.

Itâ€™s not like the promotion wasnâ€™t cute but seriously; what kind of idiots do they take the straight boys for? The promotion, which was cleverly done on a custom pint glass, promotes an AXE product they say can help you get over a hangover.

AXE Hangover Recovery says you can â€œparty hard, wake up easy and get your game backâ€ just by taking a shower with it. (you think Iâ€™m joking - see what they say here)

Now, I havenâ€™t slept with a straight boy in a while (not since I swore off dating republicans, at least) but I can see quite a few issues with this promotion in actually getting to the point of sale. Letâ€™s see - for the promotion to work the straight boys need to 1) actually get the humor, 2) not be offended by the humor 3) remember the ad after what the promoter believes to be a heavy night of drinking, 4) believe the adâ€™s claims that it can eradicate a hangover and 5) take showers when theyâ€™re drunk and before they go to bed, thus affirming the claim that they would want to wake up without a hangover.

For this ad, I have to the AXE ad guys some credit. It upholds the brand while at the same time making absolutely no sense. Then again, making no sense might just be their brand.

posted in Advertising, Branding Comments

MBA Spin: Stats Update

by Jared on December 20th, 2006

So much for my last post where I said my MBA Spin stats were current….

Applications Submitted:	4
Trips Taken:	2
Campuses Toured:	3
Acceptances:	2
Rejections:	1

Yup, I just checked up on my e-mail and guess what just came through. I am now out of “wait-and-see” and I am now officially into the “make-up-your-mind” mode.

As my grandmother would say…”You so be so lucky to have such problems!”

posted in MBA Spin Comments

MBA Spin: What I Did Right

by Jared on December 19th, 2006

As we come into the last working week in December, hereâ€™s a quick update on my MBA admissions process:

Applications Submitted:	4
Trips Taken:	2
Campuses Toured:	3
Acceptances:	1
Rejections:	1

So far, I think Iâ€™ve done pretty well.

For all intensive purposes, Iâ€™ve moved from actively applying to wait-and-see. Though I originally planned to submit 6 applications (most experts believe that a “competative” MBA applicant has about a 20% acceptance rate across the board), I only ended up submitting 4 since I secured acceptance into one of my top three schools in round one.

Another fantastic upside of that acceptance is that I can now relax a little bit and reflect on the big picture of what I have done right and wrong so far. For today, I am looking at the things I think I did right: More

posted in MBA Spin Comments

“Tuna” Happens: Chapter 5 - 3 Lessons of a 20-Something Blogger

by Jared on December 18th, 2006

Many people call todayâ€™s 20-somethings the next, great generation. As a member of that group, I can tell you that might just be true. However from an insidersâ€™ perspective, the questions I think still remain are 1) if our generation is indeed prepared for the realities of the modern office environment and 2) if the modern office environment is ready for the realities of our generation?

Think about it; college provides theories and internships provide the experience but in the end, corporate America is very much a unique being unto itself. Not surprisingly, thatâ€™s not the only lesson I, and hundreds of other 20-somethings like me, have had to learn the hard way in our first few years out of college. More

posted in "Tuna" Happens 3 comments

Happy Hanukkah!

by Jared on December 18th, 2006

(Click Image For Larger View)

Ok, so it might be halfway through the holiday but give me a break, itâ€™s been a hectic weekend.

For all of those Jewish marketers out there, I snapped a shot of my co-worker, Monique & I setting up our officeâ€™s first Menorah!

At this point, I could insert a quirky comment about being only one of two token Jews in an office of over 100 but Iâ€™ll save that for later on in the week (since most people are high-tailing it out of the office, I might have to resort to blogging again to fill the time.)

‘Till then; Shalom Aleichem, Marketing Fans!

posted in Fun Stuff, Workplace Politics Comments