I really dig sales and marketing, communications and people. Maybe having Gemini as my Rising Sign makes me a little more interested in communicating. People have told me I am a wee tad verbose (*grin*) which is why I blog, bien sur...! Today I was reading Dooley Noted, the blog of a Winnipeg media and communications firm that handled my company's press releases last Fall. Dooley notes on his blog that the City of Winnipeg over the past years has reduced its communications department from 20 people to oh... four. By doing so, however, the City risks the ability to effectively communicate policy changes within its own departments and to the general public. I can't help but agree with him when he says (and this is my translation of the article) hey, communications aren't the be-all end-all but they sure help.

Flipping over to the marketing and sales side of communications, I stumble upon Marc Ecko and his marketing genius of Ecko Manufacturing. At first I thought the website was a joke, being that there were half naked women making jeans (?!) (Like, is this a beer ad or something??) But, no, it is for real. Just marketing - and what gets noticed more than half naked women. Marc is a former graffiti artist from Jersey who launched his own fashion line of tshirts, grass-roots style, right out of his own garage. After struggling with a 6 million dollar debt attempting to launch his media empire he has since achieved success with his various businesses that stem from Ecko Manufacturing. Marc has launched his products into video games and websites, created several clothing lines to capitalize on various markets and worked his connections with celebrities and stars to wear his designs. Much like other successful marketing ventures (let's cite Madonna as the Ultimate Genius here) Marc reads the times, sees what is captivating his target audience and sells to the demographic. Look at the 30something crowd: technology, video games, he has websites and is internet savvy, he has rappers and celebs wearing his stuff, yada yada. He markets to his target audience. It's that old Go Where The People Are rather than trying to find them. Have them find you; it's why we have fashion magazines, TV, internet, media and communication !!!

Ever watch Women On Top? One of my favorite shows, everrrr. Marc's story is exactly what you'd see on that show, were he a female. What I love about Women on Top isn't necessarily the success they achieve but the struggle they have GETTING there. I enjoy the story behind it; the lives they lead getting where they need to go. Much like Ashley Paige, my latest favorite reality tv show about the struggle for success. How very cool- here's Ashley Paige, an amazing artist with apparently little (?) business sense (hmmm, but smart enough to have her own TV show...) I love knowing who people are, what makes them tick, why they have the passions they do. I need to understand people and their journey. Better yet, I like to communicate with them which is why I have an interest in learning langauges. (You should hear me speak Punjabi to cab drivers, it's hilarious!) I'll leave that topic for my next post.... !!