It is what I have learned from managing and pursuing my career. It may not apply to you or you may not agree with this, but I am not looking for approval or arguments. I wrote this down because I always wished someone had told me this. This is for those who remind me of me

1) Pay close attention to your industry and adapt to its changes.
For professionals in the industry of communications (creative or business side) it is most important to pay close attention to the quicksilver nature of our industry and be flexible enough to adapt and grow with it. In my case, when I entered the workforce, the magazine industry was struggling (still is) and the new media wave hadn’t hit the industry in full force just yet. I changed gears and it has served me well. I also realized that I didn’t need to work at a magazine to be able to write. And incidentally, after I quit the industry, I’ve published work in InStyle, Allure and Zink magazines. Besides, I satiate my ‘writing’ urges here on my blog.

2) Explore the dualities of your skill-set.
By this I mean - don’t allow yourself to be pegged into a singular role. I think most smart people have the inherent capacity and the appetite to understand and function well within both the creative and the business side of work. Personally, I didn’t want to be pegged down as a ‘creative type,’ but I didn’t want to be pegged down as a ‘finance/ business’ type either. The solution for me was to find roles that allowed me to balance and grow in both areas. The solution for you may be different - but I’d say if you are on the client side, explore the agency side at some point and vice-versa. You’ll be surprised at what you learn.

3) Jobs are not always for learning what to do.
Some jobs are fantastic case-studies for learning “what not to do” or “bad business practices.” And I’ve had my share of those kind of jobs. It is easy to think when you are stuck in a miserable job that you are not learning anything. But you will only understand the true extent of what the job has contributed to your professional growth, when you are at a distance from it and looking at it from a different lens. So do not fret if you are stuck in a job you don’t like and feel like it is a waste of your time and talent — trust me, if you are not learning about how to be better at what you do, you are most certainly learning, how to not get worse and what not to do. And those types of jobs and learnings, are equally important for your growth. The bottom-line is - you will still emerge a better thinker and will be able to effectively articulate and assert yourself.

4) You are in control of your career.
I don’t know if I can sum this up as lucidly as the others…. Maybe because I am still learning… Upon graduating from college, I had a very narrowly defined understanding of the types of jobs that exist. I struggled to find the perfect fit for me and I kept exploring until I found my niche. I fear that many young people, perhaps do not realize how wonderful this opportunity is. Do not let peer pressure and college dynamics let you believe that your career path is pre-defined. It is what you make of it. Take control of your career. Be ruthless in your pursuit and humble in your deliverance. I guarantee, you will weather any career-storm.

5) Don’t be afraid to email the CEO
I have no shame or fear in expressing my opinions, asking for a job or writing an email of appreciation to the CEO of any company. Sometimes it gets ignored, but three out of five times, it landed me a job. If you don’t think this way - I’m sorry but you might as well accept defeat and move out of the industry because I can promise you, that for every one person who is not thinking this way, there are 5 others who are, and they are the ones who will land your dream job. When you want a job - pull all stops to get it. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to win.

6) About burning bridges and such.
I steadfastly believe: to never burn a bridge. But some bridges are not worth managing. You will come across certain people who you are better off without in your life. I say that because I’ve been there twice and it has made me wonder and ask myself - What’s the one good reason why I would want to keep this bridge afloat?
I ask myself,
Would I ever work with this person again? No.
Would I ever hire or recommend this person? No.
Would I ever help this person? Probably not.
What if in the future, this person is asked to provide a testimonial to their experience with me? This was a tricky one. But I’ll take my chances and say, even then its not worth it.

And quite honestly, I’ve felt much better about myself since. If you are true to yourself, it is perfectly okay to allow a bridge or two to crumble and break down. Or in some cases, take an axe and break it yourself. You cannot always be political and diplomatic - in life nor in work.

EDIT: Dion Hughes left a very insightful comment below. That people change - and it is worthwhile to keep all your professional relationships, at the very least, open. I have to concede to this - it is good advice. I have been in the workforce only four years and I have much to learn. One of these things is: leaving room to allow people for a second chance.

7) On quitting..
I will pass on to you a gem of an advice my friend gave me, “Don’t accept a new job because you can’t wait to quit your old one - run to the new job because you can’t wait to begin that one.” Thats it.

EDIT - (Props to Manoj Damodaran)  I should also add that think twice before quitting a job. Climbing the ladder by jumping titles - while great for your wallet, not so good for your professional growth. Regardless of your job title, to thrive in this industry (creative, communications, media) you’ve gotta pay the dues. Take the garbage out, do the shit-work, make photo-copies, feel your intellectual muscles degenerate and wonder why you went to school — think of it as the initiation process to grander things. I’ve had $6/hour internships at top magazines in NYC, written for free for numerous publications, worked for pittance to build my experiencefolder. Now I don’t. I will not work for free, consult for free or even write for free - unless it is for a cause or a company I truly believe in. But I think I’ve earned my right to be there. You will too - with persistence and perseverance.

However, the balance is important. Learning when to say no and learning when to ask for more money for your work is incredibly important. And that will come as you learn, grow and feel that you can offer much more. That moment will most likely come when you are done paying your dues.

Lastly, do not take yourself too seriously.
Have fun. It is more important to have lived then have survived. A job at the end of the day is a job. Be nice, help out when you can and do your fucking best. But for gods sake, have a life outside of work. Your life is what makes you interesting, not your job.

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I hope this was of some use to you.
I will update this occasionally. If you have a learning you would like to share on this page, please leave a comment or email me and I’d be happy to include it here.

I’m taking a short holiday in Puerto Rico in 3 weeks from now and was browsing through the web to learn more about the island. There was no question about not looking for opinions, feedback and suggestions from past travelers and the cardinal rule to any search is - you start at Google.

And lo behold, I stumbled upon this fantastic mini-guide (a downloadable pdf) on TripAdvisor site aptly titled  "Puerto Rico highlights to go."   

It’s a gem of a collection of quotes, suggestions and ideas from past travelers - and a great primer for a place I’m only beginning to explore. As I explored the site in further detail, I was pleasantly surprised to find more interesting little tools –all compiled by travelers.

I was able to browse through quick lists prepared by travelers, look through their un-prettified, unvarnished and very real photographs of the island and get a great feel for the hotels and restaurants that have received good reviews.

By providing users with bite-sized information, downloadable guides and real time visuals, TripAdvisor totally warmed me
up to the place. Next, was checking out for any available videos on Turnhere.  No luck there, just a  little short film sponsored by Intercontinental Hotels. So we moved on to Travelistic and woah! I got more than my fill of Puerto Rico videos here!

I also spent a good 30 minutes browsing through photographs tagged Puerto Rico on Flickr. 

And then finally, spending some time downloading the right music thanks to tablettunes.com - to get into the mood on the flight to the islands. woah

Finally, I logged on to the AmEx  members website, used my travel miles and booked my flight and the rental car. I suppose the hotel can wait for a bit.

I wonder, I wonder — how the role of a travel agent will evolve in 5 years? Will they be putting together such multi-media guides from over the web? Not a bad idea, eh?

A woman’s vanity case and her medicine cabinet are crowded places - with fancy tubes and bottles of all shapes and sizes clamouring for her attention.  The American women spends an average of of $12K to $15K a year on beauty products and beauty treatments and with teh plethora of products flooding the market, there’s always room for something niche, something targetted, something overlooked. Signal micro-segmented and highly targetted beauty products. Targetted by demographics, lifestyles and climates among other segments.

Mama Mio, one such new company, produces a highly targetted line of products to a highly targetted group of women: pregnant women and recent moms.  I think Mama Mio has very cleverly created products for specific needs of pregnant women (itchy skin, body aches, toning etc) (It helps that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Their irreverent product names (that are also achingly obvious) Boob Tube, the Tummy Toner and Stretch Mark Minimizer set the tone for the brand.)

I cant gaurantee whether the product works, but the brand will atleast be picked up from the department store counter and make it’s way to the famed medicine cabinet- of that, I am sure.

I’m in Los Angeles for a business trip and am staying at The Standard . I wanted to try a new hotel even though I am a Starwood preferred member which would have earned me some pretty sweet points towards a free stay at a Starwood property had I stayed at one. But this hotel was a fresh change.

The rooms are gorgeous - simple, stylish and very well designed but what surprised me the most was their attention to tiny details like (pictured above) providing an L.A city guide, Motrin painkiller, Mr Bubbles bubble bath (for kiddies) Kodak One time use camera (for the ones like me), a Volupsa candle (to set the mood for a romantic date….) and condoms (for after!) with the regular mini-bar items.
Oh and even a mixtape CD.

Ofcourse, the hotel charges obscene rates for using any of the items from the mini-bar, but I thought including non-food items such as these was a nice touch. (Although I have no use for any of these right now… it’s nice to know that the management anticipates it’s audience’s needs (and in some cases, desires!)

That said, charging for internet is ghastly! Whether it’s the Westin or the Standard.

(Excuse the quality and styling of the photograph above. Taken using the Macbook photobooth. Glad it came handy!)

The hospitality industry could learn a thing or two from StarWood Hotels for literally by-hearting the ‘everything matters’ mantra. First, Westin (owned by Starwood) introduced the heavenly bed and the heavenly crib — then they pioneered the white tea scent at their Westin hotels.. more recently, they launched www.findrenewal.com - a renewal council of six lifestyle experts that in addition to sharing their tips online will form an exclsuive, in-room TV channel for Westin hotels. The first thought that occured to me was - wow, why didn’t any hotel think of this before! The website will work both as an extension to the in-room entertainment and as a welcoming micro-site to introduce potential Westin customers to the Westin experience.

What makes this website even better, is that my super cool friends at Electric Artists developed this site. Electric Artists were the same guys who bravely launched Aloft hotels in SecondLife before launching it in real life.

I’m not too sure how strong and original the content on the site will be - the council certainly have the ‘celebrity’ quality to them. But since the site just launched, my hunch is they will adapt to how their audiences respond.

It tires me when in every single book about branding, identity and brand experience - Starbucks is used as a case-study. I suppose Westin gives these branding experts a new case to ponder over?!

PS- If you haven’t ready Scott Bedbury’s book, ‘A new brand world ‘ — do it now!

UPDATE:   I am not surprised at all to learn this but turns out Scott Bedbury actually helped rebrand all five of the Starwood brands just 2 years ago!!  It’s just there you know….Starwoods has it.. that ‘it’ factor… that ‘bedbury’ touch.

Beauty and cosmetics are affordable luxury (last year the luxury market in USA grew by almost 27%) and Aquafina was extremely smart to have recognized this opportunity to allign their brand meaningfully with this particular extension. Also, it’s not like Aquafina developed the line of beauty products in-house — they are licsensed from a third-party which not only saved Aquafina the R&D efforts and money behind launching a beauty brand, but will also rake in revenues from royalties. The beauty product line titled, Aquafina Advanced Hydration RX includes the typical products (cleasners, toners, creams, masks ) and a couple in the anti-aging category.

It doesn’t amaze me that packaged and bottled water has become a multi-million dollar industry. I think Aquafina is certainly cashing in on it’s percieved brand value and the continous growth expected in this industry. I love Aquafina — the water, the design of the bottle, the cool associated with the brand. And what gives– I might even sample the skincare when it launches. (but knowing it was licsensed makes me less willing to do so)

In other news — I wrote about drinkable skincare a while ago — and now even the major players like Coca Cola and L’Oreal are joining the bandwagon. Word is, the two giants are teaming up to launch Lumae, a Borba-like beverage that is designed to benefit the skin.

Jet Airways, an Indian air-line is perhaps among the first to launch a mini-suite that features an 83 inch bed and mini-office of sorts in a private enclosed area. A return flight from London to Delhi can cost as much as 4500 pounds (almost $8500). These mini-suites come with a 23 inch flat screen TV, Dom Perignon and Krug are on the menu and food is served on expensive Bernardaud porcelain.

Jet Airways have always claimed to be India’s finest airline and although I have a very brief one-time experience of traveling in a Jet Airways flight, it is an experience that I still remember vividly and positively. India’s booming economy and the gradual rise of international companies in India, the introduction of high-end mini-suites is just the beginning. As the line between India’s middle class and the upper classes blurs even more, there will be a swifter graduation of such luxury services, experiences and products.

Pangea’s seed-embedded packaging provides it’s customers with one more reason to use their products. Just soak the package and plant it in soil- - within days, lush herbs like sweet basil and amaranth will sprout out of the package. A brilliant idea to convert what would usually be a waste into a live experience.

I hope more companies follow suit.

  Last November,  household classic Monopoly partnered with Sephora to release a Monopoly-Sephora Edition. According to this news report, players can go to jain for a bad hair day, move forward to go for a manicure and pay fines for beauty faux-pas! Like the classic, this version allows you to claim territory over Sephora stores by placing Sephora bags on the property.

"Lending their names to the whimsical game are some of the industry’s top beauty brands. There’s Stila in Gloss Gardens, Make Up For Ever on Lipstick Lane, Nars on Cheek Street, Murad at Cleanser Crossing, and Bliss on Lotion Avenue."

Our current favorites are Cranium (only we’ve played it so many times now that we know all answers to the questions), Risk and Clue. So a few weeks back when my sister bought The Game of Life to add to our to our Saturday nights, it got me thinking how simplistic the strategy was. All you need to do to win is make the most money?

Imagine my surprise this morning when I read in WSJ that Hasbro is all set to introduce a revised version of the Game of Life in June 2007. A version in which- money, is not the ultimate measure for success. This version titled, The Game of Life: Twists and Turns, was revised to ‘reflect consumer’s wishes for a more balanced life,’ according to WSJ.

In this game, the board is spilt into four areas Learn It, (education)  Live It, (adventures)  Love It (family)  and Earn It ( the moolah!) My guess is that the players can pick the area they want to play in and collect life points.The winner with the most number of ‘life points’ wins the game. Also gone is the old cardboard spinner and in with the new electronic spinner. Add to that a debit card for each player and now you’re talking 2010!

What a wonderful example of how a brand has responded to the culutral shift and it’s audiences. Hasbro is also releasing a slew of it’s games in Express versions — that can be enjoyed in 20 minutes. What I like most aboud board games is that they last so long But I suppose shorter versions wouldn’t hurt.