I'd like some account planning, with a side of crazy.

A while back, Heidi and Tony were telling me to start watching commercials/looking at ads to see if I could figure out the strategy behind them. It’s an amazing thing to practice. Oh, you’re trying to convince me that I don’t have to compromise my budget if I’m trying to stylishly decorate my house? Thanks, IKEA! (That’s a more obvious one.) Now that I’ve been here a while I also find myself listening to/reading copywriting more than I used to. When something is confusing, I take note. When something works, I try to remember why. Keep your eyes and ears open, newcomers. It’s kind of monkey see, monkey do when you’re starting.

I wonder if there are any supervisors out there who don’t know their intern’s name. Heidi is sending me into an identity crisis every day at work now. Am I Beta or VHS? I didn’t know I was so complicated. I spent most of the day today cleaning the bathroom. I knew it was going to be a rough day when Heidi walked in there with three rolls of toilet paper. (Tony, if you haven’t realized yet, this post is for you. Don’t think I forgot that you called me “protective” of Heidi.)

People in the creative department get called crazy all the time. I would just like the chance to say that account people are just as insane. I realized today that when Heidi is talking to herself out loud, I can act as her inner thoughts. Whatever I say she repeats as though she’s thought it herself.

H: “Is that a good idea?”

V: “Yes.” (whispered quietly)

H: “Yes. That’s a good idea.”

I’m pretty excited about this discovery, and plan to exploit her every day from now on.

I got a great piece of advice this week. It’s not just work advice; it’s life advice. Another wonderful thing about small businesses. I’m having a mental breakdown about whether or not I’ll have a job when I graduate, and Heidi recommended that I apply for jobs on the account side too. Sometimes it’s a great way to get your foot in the door. When the time comes to send in applications, I’m going to take her advice. But for now, here are some of the many things that scare me about account planning:

1.     Being handed huge stacks of paper to sort through and make something of.

2.     Heidi’s stories about doing “special things” for clients . . .

3.     Client interactions

You don’t want to know some of the things Heidi has done to keep a client happy.

I’m catching on that a lot of times anyone will take a stab at writing the copy, and then ask someone else to “spice it up.” This means you can’t automatically assume that what you’re given is right. You may realize it subconsciously, and that means you’ve got to tear apart the pieces and put them back together. Is it the message hierarchy? Is it a misspelling? Figure it out and make it better.