If you ever watched TV in the late 80s/early 90s, you likely know this phrase and you can probably still imagine the image of the rainbow shooting across the TV screen. NBC kicked off this series of PSA’s in 1989, with various short messages emphasized the value of education and the importance of reading. I was part of the target market at the time, and I’ll admit, the main message stuck with me. I’m not sure if it was the rainbow, the catchy jingle, or the fact we only had 3 television stations back then (and I was a BIG fan of TGIF hence frequency and repetition of the ad). Whatever it was, I deem it an advertising success because the phrase has stuck with me for life.
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in the Kellogg Strategic Marketing Communications program. First, let me start off by saying this is an excellent course, and if you are leading the marketing for your company, or you are in the consulting business, there is a lot of good content for either side of the table. Including, but not limited to, how to be a good client, and how to be a good agency.
After two weeks of committing to this course, I have a few of my own PSA’s that I would like to share:
We all have room to grow. This class was on a topic area I am pretty comfortable with. I mean, it’s even in my job title! But...guess what? I don’t know everything. (shocking!!) By attending this course, I reassured myself with the confidence in certain areas of strategic planning. I also learned new ways to enhance our creative and planning process that I know will help our clients, and our company. Identify an area that you know you can improve on and seek out opportunities to work on that muscle.
Network, network, network. It is not always meant to be an awkward conversation or about drumming up new business. This class was a great reminder of that. My colleagues in this course had a variety of roles within their companies and even more diversity when it came to their industries—the spectrum was incredible ranging from animal health pharmaceuticals to major airlines. I learned so much from hearing about their experiences, the projects they are working on, and their takeaways from the program. Networking is about learning from each other. It’s about seeing others’ points of view, other than your own.
Invest in yourself. You may have all the academic degrees, the credentials, and you have landed your dream job – so it’s time to throw it into cruise control and enjoy the ride, right? Nope! Don’t stop there! Keep your mind fresh whether it is reading a book (or listening to an audio book), subscribing to a podcast, taking a class, joining in on a webinar. Set a reasonable goal to push yourself into learning and actually do it.
I hope the next time an opportunity to learn presents itself, you jump at! Because, “the more you know, the more you grow.”
