One of my co-workers, Nonglak, was today translating a very dry legal document from Thai to English to be eventually developed into English language web and brochure copy. So I sent her this to cheer her up…
Classic 80's styles!!
Whilst I didn't work on this award-winning campaign, this is a really great example of the kinds of ideas that my compatriots in the industry dream up whilst reclining in a fluro bean bag and tucking into their 4th coffee of the day.
“So, what do you do for a crust?”
It’s a tough question for me to answer because I work in such a varied and undefined profession.
When I say I work in “communications”, people think I work as a technical engineer for Telstra or True.
When I say I work in “public relations, mainly for a bank”, people think I’m in some customer service role at their local branch.
When I say I work “for an agency”, people think I’m either a male hooker or am about to subject them to some intelligence-gathering waterboarding exercise.
It can be utterly confusing to the average punter, without a 10-minute, thirst-quenching explanation…
If they show some interest, I usually tell them I write plans (and sometimes administer parts) for pretty much anything that involves my client’s ‘brain’, ‘voice’ and ‘face’.
I tell them my job is to figure out the best way for my client to chat to customers en masse, the government, the business community or anyone other group that may be affected by, or affect, my client’s business decisions.
I give advice on what my client needs to say (or not say) in general, who specifically they need to say it to (including the decision makers and influencers) and the best method(s)/medium(s) to reach and persuade that person/group.
I also tell them my job tends to have many political considerations, in that it’s important to take into account and act on the views of my client’s many business/industry partners - be they an industry association, sponsorship recipient, charity or a key opinion leader.
Then I might explain that ‘conversations’ can happen via the media (and the many iterations of), the client’s website, online channels, via advertising, the annual report, special announcements, an employee incentive program, speaking engagements etc.
They usually latch onto the media. Media is probably the least sophisticated element of the profession, however the most easily understood. Regardless, I would talk about how a column like this one I write on behalf of my client is a good example of how we help position them as a leader in Asian and Thai business. Circulated throughout a number of other regional national daily newspapers and online news sites the column is a small tactic built into an overall plan. We might also suggest meetings with key Chinese government officials, trade seminars for SME businesspeople or awards submissions and interviews with international industry media.
By the time we're finished, both conversation and beverage tends to be pretty dry...
If only I could be a doctor, policeman or fireman!
Sales down? Struggling to find traction amongst your target markets? Need something 'hot', 'new', 'jeng mak' to cover up your cyclopic marketing nous??
Sounds like your company needs a panda.
Chuck one into the marketing mix. Everybody's doin' it.
Because everyone loves a panda.
It's black, white AND vegetarian.
Considering Kevin Rudd reportedly performed quite poorly amongst Gen Ys on the ABC's Q&A program this week, perhaps it's high time his mates in China started sending something a bit more practical than the wads of cash for iron ore...
Just don't count on Australia Post to deliver it on time.
I'm at Money Expo in Pattaya, 2hrs south of Bangkok. Money Expo is like the Las Vegas of banking where everyone but Tom Jones himself looks to entertain the masses with deals on home loans and mutual funds.
Riveting stuff.
I was able to do a few cool things this morning though. Like meet Thailand's Finance Minister. And get a personalized debit card mocked up by one of my client's rivals.
Loving the panda in the tutu...
I just enjoyed a delicious spag bol lunch and an inquisitive article from a recent edition of Fortune magazine.
Interviewing Facebook’s majority owner and the company CEO, the article asks a few questions about the business viability of Facebook, how marketers are currently using the site as a new consumer channel, and alludes to where Facebook will be in a couple of years time.
For those with no idea of how Facebook works, the article also provides a bit of a cheat sheet on the different components of the social networking site.
Check it out here!
I’m helping my main banking client reposition and redesign their website at the moment. It’s a bit of a mess - tough to navigate, overcomplicated language and expression, has no metrics and is cumbersome to update with new information.
On top of that, we need to do it in two very different languages and cultures.
It’s a tough job, as the bank is pretty conservative in its views, so ideas on how they can really smash the industry here from a web perspective are often difficult to get through. In a Buddhist country, it looks like I’ll have to be content with ‘the middle way’. It’s part of my job I really enjoy, and I can see some good things coming for the client…eventually!
Anyway, I’ve been checking out what other companies are doing with their websites. In my web travels, I came across ad agency Leo Burnett’s website. I may be well behind the eightball on this one, but with its unique and intuitive pencil navigation, this site is very engaging and underlines pretty much exactly what they want to tell prospective clients (and brag to their competitors about)…“We’re cool, creative, energetic people who work on big brands”.
So simple, but creative agencies so often overcomplicate their creds docs, alienating and losing the confidence of potential clients with fluff!
Cool. Obviously not something I'll be looking to do for the bank!
Back at work now – a picture of my surrounds.
Note my fish Nit Noi, who has been residing here whilst I was on holidays. We also keep the blinds closed because a lot of the Thai staff here dislike direct sunlight due to excessive sun-tanning (which is quietly considered too agrarian and lower-class). As you can see, I need all the sun I can get.
Also of note is my tie, a Bt 100 number from Silom Rd, which a mate of mine Dave also purchased when visiting recently, keeping the cross-continental Bangkok tie-wearing dream alive.
You may also notice a new book on my desk I’m about to start reading, ‘The Diplomatic Dog of Barbados’ by Winfred Peppindink, delightfully sent to me for Christmas by another mate of mine, and literary connoisseur, Willis. It’s a tale of a diplomat's dog who makes good in the tough tropical sands of the Caribbean.
Just FYI.
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...sorry I've not posted much in a while.
Have had a fair bit happening at work with tainted milk crises, 2009 planning, launching mobile internet banking and website restructuring - all on top of the usual trials of negotiating my way through two different working cultures...Arab and Asian!!!
Have a bit of time off coming up over Christmas, so will post some stuff up soon. To keep you entertained in the meantime, here's something that Willis shared with me on facebook:
No one epitomises the Christmas spirit more than John Rambo.
I really don't want to sound like one of those career tossers, but I reckon it's important to share some good news with my close friends and family...
Work has asked if I'll take on an extra client. The role is with the world's third largest dairy company, which is also NZ's biggest company and one huge bloody business to get my head around. I'll be overseeing the PR for the Middle Eastern and North African markets.
I'm stoked because it has fulfilled one of my career goals which was to work with an agriculturally-based company. My family's roots have instilled a facination with the land and how it fits in with people's lives. I would never have the right stuff to be a farmer, so I guess this is the next best thing...
So this means a couple of things:
I got my Thai business cards delivered today. One side English, the other Thai. My Thai name and title has more squiggles than an ABC children’s TV show.
I was thrilled when Clare agreed to join me in Singapore for the weekend. We decided to focus on visiting places very unlike Bangkok...the Singapore Zoo and the Botanic Garden's were full of greenery and placid, quiet places to relax. A nice antidote to the sensory overload we experience each day.
Here's a few snaps:
At the start of the Singapore Zoo circuit. The zoo itself was extremely well laid out and provided easy, close access to many of the animals.
A 'front row' of rhinos. I couldn't decide whether the rhinos or polar bears were my favourites for the day. The polar bears were a real highlight as I'd never seen any before, but the rhinos, well, I feel for them. I understand what it's like to have short stumpy legs, cankles and a big ass. Note the small bird.
Zebras are like the rockstars of Africa. Flamboyant, fast and just very, very cool.
After working in health PR, this is a lesson of what NOT to do.
A visibly majestic animal. Kind of smelt though.
Clare laments as the crime scene is sealed off.
Me a little earlier at the Botanic Gardens. The Heliconias were excellent - reminded us of Kuala Lumpur.Picture this scene:
Partner of my NZ-based public relations firm walks over into my office area and starts chewing the fat with myself and the bloke who sits next to me.
Parter: "...yeah so he's retired and has bought a farm in the South Island to take up sheep and deering"
Me: "Is this one of your mates, *John*"
Partner: "Yeah - an old friend who used to work for the company"
Me: "And he's into deering"
Partner: "It's a good environment for it down there - a bit cold, but great pasture"
I think to myself, "I've never heard of blokes running deer on their farms, especially in New Zealand"...
Me: "Is deering common in New Zealand?"
Partner, puzzled: "Well, yes, has been for over a hundred years"
Me: "Oh, well I never knew, you learn something every day I guess. Must be a good market then for deering - what do they use them for, snags or something?"
Partner, even more puzzled: "No, milk"
Now by this stage, I've got absolutely no idea what's going on. I have NEVER heard of deer milk being sold as an agricultural commodity...better cut my losses and not ask any more questions...
Me: "Oh, OK then, cool"
It wasn't until about an hour later that I figured out he was saying "Dairying", not "Deering".
Cows, not deer.
Ha!
I'm in Singapore - here for a bit of business and to sort out a few things with my work visa.
There are plenty of ways to get from the airport to the city - taxi, minibus, underground train or public bus. After arriving last night, I chose the bus. Not just because I'm Captain Tightass, but because I figured it would be a cheap (SGN$2) way to see a bit of the city at night, rather than going straight to my hotel in the back of a taxi.
What struck me most about Singapore was its cleanliness and order. It's been a while since I revelled in the thrills of a stable footpath, or felt excited at the sight of a motorcyclist patiently obeying a traffic light.
However, it comes at a cost. After going for a night swim in my hotel pool (Angus - 6.5/10), I wandered down to the Darling Harbour of Singapore for a cheeky beer and a feed. The food was reasonably priced, but the beer...sweet baby Jesus...SGN$12 for a pint of local brew (AUD$9).
It made me think - when you pay for a pint, you not only get a beer, but also the footpaths, clean streets and stable public transport (tax). An old Greek bloke I used to labour with during my uni days used to say, "You pay shiiit, you geta shiiit", and the same applies when comparing Bangkok to Singapore.
With it's agricultural labouring past (and present!), it's really interesting to see the Thai forces at work struggling to convince traditionalists that complex exports (like IT, finance and investment) are the way toward the term 'Developed country'.
Anyway, enough about economics and standards of living.
I think I'll go to little India tonight. Should be a cracker.
That's right, I've stepped out of the dole queue and onto the fast-track to employmentville.
Only moments ago, I formally accepted an offer with a NZ-based agency with an office here in Bangkok...a 3-month trial contract predominantly working on a prominent bank here in Thailand.
I will be flying to Singapore in a couple of weeks to meet the members of the office based there, as well as sort everything out on the visa front.
In the words of Mark Occhilupo: "Stoked".
I have toiled.
Every day, I have located 15-20 jobs I can do, only to read three lines into the job description either "Thai Nationals Only", "Female, 24-30 years" or "Foreigners need not apply".
Of the ones not including those phrases, I have distilled, researched, applied for and followed up over 35 different jobs - not one reply.
I have been to several 'networking' functions and talked absolute shit - to people who talk and promise an equal amount of shit.
I have met innumerable people in the industry for coffees, lunches, beers and chats.
My CV has traveled more in Bangkok via the internet, than I have by taxi, tuk-tuk, foot and skytrain.
I have gotten involved with a Chamber of Commerce here in Bangkok - volunteered to help develop their publication and produce an upcoming issue.
I have been worried I wouldn't get a job and be able to stay in Thailand with Clare.
And today, after 3 months and a whole lot of crap, I had two 2nd interviews - one yielded an offer, the other a "your in the front running". Isn't life funny like that?
So I reckon I'm going to take the offer, pending visa and salary requirements. It's with a consultancy, doing PR for one of Thailand's biggest and most established banks.
And I may, or may not have, celebrated with a few schooners (pints) here tonight after cricket training.
I've received a heap of different responses since announcing that I'll be heading over to live in Bangkok.
My parents, whilst seemingly a little reserved that another one of their children is venturing overseas, know and support how excited I am about finally being able to do something I've wanted to do since I left school. My sister Cass has been one of the most supportive people, recognising the sea of opportunity waiting for Clare and I when we touch down. And my other sister Amelia, well, I don't think it's so much Bangkok, more the movement. Judging by our final farewell the other morning before she flew back to Sydney, we'll miss each other's company like two peas being pulled from their pod.
My mates have all been really supportive too. Most showed some surprise at Bangkok being the city of choice, as opposed to London or Edinburgh. "Random", many have said...but all in all they know that Clare and I will have an absolute rip roaring time together.
Work was also a little surprised, with some superiors questioning Bangkok as a career destination, but understanding my adjacent personal motives.
There has also been the odd negative reaction as well. Whist at a recent family birthday celebration, a cousin of mine was incredulous as to why I would ever want to go and live in a city where the traffic, heat, taxi drivers, smells and food were beyond recognition. Needless to say, the poor bloke only spent four days in Bangkok...all of which being dragged from shopping mall to market to shopping mall by his wife in search of gifts for the kids and crew back home!!
After four days of continuous shopping anywhere in the world, I'd probably want to extricate my eyeballs with a credit card as well!! Maybe he'll come back and visit me one day for some $1 beers...
And I also went into a local sports store the other day looking for a mouthguard and a new set of studs for my footy boots (I'll be resurrecting my rugby career!!). The bloke at the store asked who I was playing for; I mentioned that I'll be heading over to Bangkok to play for a local rugby club. His response?
"You'll be able to smash a few of those slap-heads, eh?"
Riiiight.
And one older guy also asked me the other day, "Do they had tar roads over there yet?". What the!!
Now those reactions are right at the other end of the spectrum. But it does demonstrate a small vein of ignorance that I've noticed in some people toward our northern neighbours. I wonder if Thai people with hold similar misconceptions about Australians?
Can the different reactions be segmented along generational, experiential or simply personal lines? I'm not too sure. Probably a bit of it all.
Either way, I can't wait to find out for myself.
