People talk a lot about "brand promise," so that got me thinking about "blog promise." What exactly does this blog promise, and am I delivering?
Right up front, of course, this blog promises "career advice and insights for marketing professionals." I think I deliver on this. What do you think?
Beyond that, though, this blog participates in Aquent's brand promise. At the risk of getting in trouble with my colleagues in the marketing department, I'll venture to say that that promise goes something like this: "At Aquent, you will find honest, friendly, and knowledgeable human beings who are sincerely interested in and passionately committed to finding diverse organizations great marketing and design talent while also finding great talent great work."
I know that's too lengthy and a tad over-stuffed with superlative-laden puffery. How's this for boiled-down simplicity? "Aquent = Friendly and Experienced Professionals." That leaves out our specialization in marketing and design, of course, but highlights three attributes that should define your experience with us and, by extension, this blog.
Friendly
I chose this word because it implies a lot like: engaging, human, connected, community-oriented, outgoing, good-natured, approachable, etc. I think this blog comes across as friendly and "human" - at least, I feel human-ish most of the time and have striven to maintain an air of engaged, honest openness in these pages. I have also tried to inject humor and even emotion here. Is it working?
Experienced
At first I wanted to go with "knowledgeable," but then thought that "experienced" was more comprehensive. Yes, we are knowledgeable, but we've also been around. We have practical knowledge, so we know what works and we get the importance of "fit." I'm also hoping that "experienced" comes through on this blog, not just thanks to my own professional adventures, but through the experiences of others that I've shared.
Professionals
I use this word advisedly, and not just because I think that this blog might come up a little short in the "professionalism" department. As far as Aquent goes, we are are pros and we work with pros. Our clients include some of the best-known brands on Earth and our talent have produced work viewed and used by millions. That's what I'm talking about.
As far as I go, although I do get paid to do this (among other things, natch), I still feel like the Eternal Noob or, at best, an amateur professional. The question is this: does a certain level of noobicity actually make this blog more human, friendly, and "sincere" (I thought it would be funny to put scare-quotes around that)?
Hey Matthew - I followed your blog to Twitter, and now I'm following your tweet back here. I think your blog does a great job putting a friendly face on Aquent, which like too many companies can come across so experienced and professional as to be unapproachable. I prefer to read "Eternal Noob" blogs, because you're discovering new things and excitedly sharing them, not reciting facts with "well, duh" disdain.