Brian in New York

Obviously I must be in the wrong room...

I don't talk about work much on this blog (on purpose) but this is more about career than work. Last night I had an amazing opportunity that was one of the most energizing and motivating events I've attended in a long time.

I had the distinct privilege to be invited with 5 other marketers to sit on a panel hosted by the deans of NYUs school of business to advise them on their new masters of integrated marketing degree program. I know what your saying... why Brian? Well it turns out I was recommended by an old colleague of mine who sent over my bio and they thought I would be a good fit for the panel.

So I got a note from the dean last week reminding me about the meeting and in it she included the other participants.... I read the list and broke out in a cold sweat. The other participants were titans of marketing. Head of all marketing/advertising for NY Times, head of marketing for Lands End (one of the best marketing programs out there), a 35 year veteran of an amazing direct and digital ad agency in upstate, oh and the President of Ogilvy!! Michelle, the president of Ogilvy, is someone I've been dying to meet for years. So that amazing roster of individuals... oh and me. What!  I spent the last week psyching myself up for the meeting and convincing myself that I could actually add anything to the conversation, and last night was the meeting.

What should have been an hour brainstorm turned into a 2 hour session. Let me tell you guys it was a blast! and I held my own very well. I was able to guide a lot of the conversation but what was most rewarding was when it became evident that my view of the modern marketer and what it takes to excellent was almost exactly how the others viewed it. To have a good strategic conversation about what it takes to be amazing in your role and to have it be the things that I'm already mastering (or planning on mastering) in my own career was exceedingly motivating. What was great about the list is that it wasn't generic like "all good marketers should know how to build a product strategy" well duh... instead it was incredibly insightful like "how to build a marketing and media plan that balances direct response, brand awareness, and lifetime value as priorities against specific strategies that have to be approached through critical thinking" then we would dive into those specifics.

Rambling here but it was sooo fun and sooo energizing. Everyone was wicked smart and I felt that the comments became increasingly intelligent and insightful the more and more excited we got at each others comments. I left going wow... that was some amazing brain power in the room and knowing full well I brought the IQ average down :) Also everyone was exceedingly well spoken (something I really want to work on... they argued points elegantly while I stumbled around issues like a boxer in the last round of a fight) I was clearly served a huge slice of humble pie and it was delicious!

I'm confident that it's going to be a great degree program and the Dean has invited us back on an ongoing basis to help shape the rest of the program.

It's so nice to have my passion for my career/art reignited.

 

Let me make you jealous :)

The weather is great again today so I thought I would make you jealous by sharing with you instructions for how I spend my lunch these days, in pictures:

Step 1: Grab a sandwich (no picture needed it's just a sandwich, ok I'm lying it's a Brooklyn sandwich and amazing: fresh mozzarella , tomatoes, prosciutto, on a crusty roll baked this morning in a brick oven)

Step 2: Step out of office door

Step 3: Walk 50 yards to end of street

Step 4: Walk into the park

Step 5:  Walk to the waterfront

Step 6: Sit at waterfront, look at the bridge and skyline, soak up the sun

Step 7: Try to motivate yourself to go back to your office

Nice!

My New Commute

Just wanted to share a pic of my typical ride into the office. I typically take the train into the office because it's cold in the morning and want to get to the office but then I usually walk home. It's a nice break at the end of the day and there are plenty of places to stop on the way home.

First day at the New Office

Today is our first day at our new office. We leased space in DUMBO, which is the are area between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. This is the best photo I could find except for the olympic stadium in th foreground is obviously not built :).  I always thought DUMBO was one of those recently developed names that New Yorkers tend to create to try to rebrand a neighborhood to be more desirable. Actually DUMBO has been around since the 1980s it stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.

The new office is great. It's smaller but the it uses the space better. It's more modern, in a nice upscale part of town, and creates a great team atmosphere. The only downside is the subway runs by the office on the Manhattan bridge but you get used to it adds some  uniqueness to the place.

Very excited for what this will do for our office culture.

To My Logoworks/HP Friends

Hey there guys,

Unfortunately, I was kicked off my HP email a little sooner than I would have liked so I didn't get to pass around a note saying I'm no longer available at my HP address. Make sure that if you want to get a hold of me that you use my personal address: brbond(at)yahoo.com

Spread the word to anyone who thinks I'm giving them the cold shoulder by not responding to HP email.

Hope all is well in Lindon. Miss you tons!

-Bond