Let me start out by saying that whenever I was in high school, I would have never thought that my career love would be business...but I'm so happy it is.

1.) Promotions

I have a class on Promotion Management right now during the 2018 spring semester, and even though it a decent amount of work here and there, the content within the class is so interesting. I always remember my first thought of anything "promotional" is going to Pittsburgh Pirate games on Sunday afternoons for "Kids Day," where kids thirteen and under (or something close to it) would get a free promotional item at the game generously donated by a sponsor...Honestly, partnering is a pretty simple and effective marketing strategy in my opinion because both companies/organizations involved get shown in a good light or advocate for a good cause.

2.) Advertising

This is my major and therefore, I will always think of it as the Holy Grail of the Promotional Mix in Marketing. I love being able to understand the logistics behind target markets and why consumers use their purchasing power the way they do...the psychology of Advertising is truly something a marketer must be aware of at all times. Check out this service from Nielson called My Best Segments and type your zipcode in...it is definitely neat and I definitely nerd out over it.

3.) The Ability to "Create Something Out of Nothing"

Marketers and advertisers everywhere LOVE to create through more than just traditional media such as flyers and direct email...technology has opened up a whole new world to the Marketing industry. Being able to see a plan or design for something and saying, "I did that," is really one of the coolest feelings in the world,

4.) Being Innovative

This is definitely one of my favorite things about the Marketing industry...there is so much untapped potential and desire to want to be creative. Great marketers want to and see the need to push through boundaries and walls and make something completely outside of the box.

5.) Relationships with Your Audience

Personally, I do tons of work with social media, so I interact with audience engagement all of the time, but there are other passive ways to interact with your audience too. For example, a couple of times in the past, Mountain Dew has created a campaign called "Dewmocracy," where consumers both create, name, and vote on a new flavor of the soda. Even though I personally don't really remember much about the campaign, I love how interactive it is.

6.) Digital Media

I love digital media to the extent I make GIFs all of the time without regret.

As far as platforms go, it is imperative to remember that content needs to be amended for each one. Don't preach the same message on Facebook as you did on Twitter...it won't work.

7.) Telling Stories

This part is definitely unexplainable because it hits you right in the feels. Remember that Budweiser commercial showed during the Superbowl to the song "Let her Go" by Passenger with the puppy and Clydesdale horses? That is a perfect example of storytelling...and completely tugs at your heart, hence why it is my favorite commercial of all time!