Here's a video recap of our visit to the TBWA\Singapore office back in September!

What goes behind the making of an ad?
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Do they just come from a great idea? Is there a structure and process to creating one? How would you know if an ad is effective? Since there are so many ads out there, how does one stand out and capture attention?
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Those were some questions I always wanted answered.
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And I had the privilege of finding out more through a visit to Dentsu Aegis Network's office about a week ago. During the visit, we got an overview of the network of agencies under the Dentsu Aegis umbrella and their unique specialisations and saw how each came together to put together a successful campaign for their client(s).
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The common man might notice an aesthetically pleasing ad at the bus stop or a witty copy or an interactive ad and pause to engage with it. But not many would know that, behind that ad, a substantial bit of research, information, thinking, planning and testing would have gone into the creation of it. For example, account managers would have to meet the client to understand their needs and define the campaign goals. Strategy would take that information, conduct research and pull together key insights to find a direction for the campaign. Creative takes that direction and creates a “big idea” that allows them to flesh out great ideas as well as plan the content that could come out of it. Media planning then finds the best places to display the content created. Performance management would then analyse and optimise the performance of the campaigns on digital platforms. None of the steps are left to chance in a great campaign. Rarely do great campaigns “just happen”.
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To further demonstrate how everything comes together, Dentsu prepared a case study about an American services provider looking to advertise a teen drama web series in the Philippines. The students of SMU, WKW and NUS were then split into groups before going from station to station to answer the questions given in the case. We got a chance to interact with individuals from the various functions and got to understand their thinking process and roles better. It was so interesting to try out planning a campaign firsthand through this case study and I personally gleaned a far bit from it.
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The entire workshop elevated my level of respect for the professionals in the industry and the work that they do. Advertising is rarely simple or intuitive. A lot of hard work, man hours and thought drive the success of each project taken on.
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Special thanks to Barry and team from Dentsu Aegis Network for planning this. I enjoyed myself that afternoon :)

"A big thank you to SMARKETING - SMU Marketing Society for organising today's HubSpot workshop! The event was very well-ran and the programme was concise and informative. I really enjoyed talking to the SMU alumni who are currently working there and it was interesting to learn how they chose their career paths. HubSpot has an amazing office, and puts its employees' welfare and development as its top priority. Working there sounds great! #hubspot #hubspotter #marketing" - Rachel Lee
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Thank you for attending and sharing, Rachel! We are glad to hear that you have enjoyed yourself during the visit.
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https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6452015560543834112

Another HubSpot Singapore Office company visit review. Here, Beomjin shared some of his interesting insights and take away from the visit.
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"I usually don’t post my experience in an event, but here’s me breaking that usualness.

The office visit to HubSpot Asia organized by SMARKETING was one of the most insightful experiences that I’ve had in a while- and here are a few insights that I’ll be taking away from this session, regardless of where I’ll end up working in.
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1. It’s a great time to be in the marketing industry.
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‍Everything that we know about Marketing is constantly being refreshed with strategies and concepts never heard of before. Inbound Marketing is one of them. Whether this is an old or new concept is debatable, but it is with no doubt that the concept itself is constantly evolving. It was an interesting opportunity to hear about the concept of inbound marketing and how HubSpot serves as an embodiment of this concept. Consumers are gaining more power these days, and it is only logical for companies to stop “interrupting” them by targeting wherever they dwell and start being there for consumers by providing them content they value and desire. With inbound marketing gaining popularity and taking bigger space in the strategies of many brands today, how the concept will evolve in the future is indeed unpredictable . This is the very reason that Marketing is such an interesting field to be in today.
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2. Don’t stop learning.
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‍Being passionate about constantly learning new things is a value that HubSpot really appreciates. For example, HubSpot offers S$6,000 per year to each of their employees to learn things that they want to learn. With this programme, HubSpot engineers take IT courses that they couldn’t afford, and some staff attempt to learn a language they always wanted to study. The company also constantly hires people with minimal IT background for a position where a detailed understanding of their software is required – as long as the candidate proves himself/herself to be an excellent self-learner and a strong cultural fit. Practices like this show how HubSpot respects learners, and this particularly resonated with me because I’ve learned the importance of being a self-learner very recently.
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I spent the first few weeks of being unemployed taking a long rest. At first, I enjoyed the freedom of having no commitment- but this only lasted for a couple of days. I started feeling empty and having no purpose, and this led to me losing a lot of self-esteem and confidence. On a more positive note, this was a wake-up call for me. I promised that I’ll never allow myself to feel this way again, and my first step of action was unexpectedly simple: learning the Spanish language. I started devoting a few hours every day to learn Spanish through online resources, and this made me feel like I was improving and hence, alive. Ironically, it was that moment – a few days after I graduated from my final year as a student- that I wholeheartedly understood the power of learning. If you’re currently searching for jobs, it would be a terrific idea to spend this time learning something that you didn’t have time to learn back when you were in school.
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3. Don’t settle.
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‍The participants of the workshop were able to hear the experiences of four SMU alumni currently working in HubSpot. It was surprising to hear that one of them had to wait for more than half a year to find a job, and that job happened to be a sales role in HubSpot. Her advice was not to settle for whatever is available, but to make sure that we start our career in a place where we really feel like we belong. It was even more meaningful for me to hear this as I was starting to feel a lot of pressure to find a job and start earning as soon as possible. I was lowering my standards of what I really wanted to do, and I could see myself forsaking a lot of things that matter to me (such as the industry of my interest and work-life balance) just so that I will be able to increase my chances of being employed. It was through hearing from the panel discussion at HubSpot that I realized that the time that I am spending right now is a lot more valuable than it seems.
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I made my way to the HubSpot office with four hard copies of my resume hoping to get an interview opportunity. I left the office with something more valuable: realizing that with the right mindset, I will be able to turn the table around and spend this easily meaningless time doing something ever meaningful.
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Here’s a little Inbound Marketing analogy for the job-hunting undergrads out there. Don’t “interrupt” companies by force-pushing them your CV’s, but spend this time making yourself a more valuable “content” for them. I hope you continue holding on to the things you value, and no matter how high your ambitions may seem, keep that ambition in your mind while continuously improving yourself. Do that, and I’m sure that you’ll be in that very company even before you know it.
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Thanks again Hubspot for sharing your insights, and SMARKETING for organizing such a valuable event for the job-seeking poor souls of SMU!
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(Special mention to Patrick for inspiring me to do my first write-up on LinkedIn. You’re right – the hardest step is to start, and I’ve done it!)"
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Thank you for sharing, Beomjin!

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6452138467068604416

"Last Friday marked a successful company visit to TBWA\ Singapore office, where SMARKETING-SMU Marketing Society members learnt more about TBWA and what they do. Did you know that the name TBWA, was conceived using the initials of the four founders’ names, William G. Tragos, Claude Bonnange, Uli Wiesendanger, and Paolo Ajroldi? TBWA’s representatives shared about their various job roles, the challenges they faced along the way, and gave also some valuable career advice, and how TBWA differentiated themselves as a disruptive company in the ever-changing advertising industry. After which, SMarketing members were given an interactive tour around the cosy office at Alexandra Road, where they experienced what it was like to work at TBWA. TBWA company visit was concluded well with a fruitful networking session, whereby SMarketing members had the opportunity to form meaningful connections with the staff at TBWA.

As social media is becoming one of the major advertising platforms of the future, social media marketing has grown to be one of the most powerful digital marketing tool and strategy used today. Social media marketing is now an essential piece of a business marketing strategy. Here are five top tips by the professionals at TBWA on what makes a good Social Media Manager.
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1. Be curious and adaptable.
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‍The social media is rapidly evolving, things change quickly here and adaptability is the name of the game. Having high awareness and curiosity to discover and spot new trends, and being able to adapt quickly will help to keep you ahead of the curve. This is very important to as the best way to gain an edge above your competitors is to be ahead of your peers in understanding the technology and how to utilize it.
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2. Stay culturally relevant and sensitive.
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‍Social media is an ideal platform to deliver and amplify content, and it serves as the last point of contact between consumers and the brand. Thus, social media managers need to anticipate what might go wrong before posting any content online. It is important to protect the image and reputation of a brand, and social media managers need to think in the mindset of the consumer and how they would react or respond to a particular topic. To prevent unfavourable reaction from the public, it would be good to steer away from controversial and sensitive topics or content that might receive strong backlash.
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3. Be a social media addict.
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‍It is important to keep yourself up to date to your brand community, so that you can respond and react quickly to ongoing conversations and social media trends. There are always opportunities in responding even to trolls, negative online articles, online Tweets, and Facebook posts. This would help increase your brand exposure, and create a social persona for your brand to connect and engage with the online community.
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4. Be creative.
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‍There is a lot of competition out there as it is estimated that we are exposed to 5,000 ads on a daily basis. To overcome information overload and social media noise, a great social media manager will thus need to be able to create creative visual content that will pique the interest and engage the brand’s target audience. Do not be afraid to share your ideas and opinions, and be willing to experiment and go beyond conventions.
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5. Have basic designing skills.
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‍As a social media manager, it is good to have a basic understanding of how to create your own design. If you’re not trained in Photoshop, fear not! There are workshops that will teach Photoshop or Illustrator for beginners. (If you are a student, look out for such workshops in your campus!) Alternatively, do check out Canva for a user-friendly online platform with existing templates available to create simple designs for various purposes, from your presentation slides to your marketing collateral.
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Thank you once again to TBWA\ Singapore for the engaging and fun-filled company visit and sharing by your staff!"

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/company-visit-tbwa-group-singapore-office-felicia-lee/

Take a look at this video recap of the amazing Tableau Software workshop at their office!

Here are some photos from at the workshop and the break at Tableau's amazing pantry!

Thank you all who have attended this workshop and Tableau for making this happen. We hope everyone left the office with a new skill and understanding more about data analytics!
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#tableau #smumarketing