The Kmiec Ramblings
Opinions And Ramblings By Adam Kmiec On All Things Media

Tag Archive: Lessons

What I Learned In 2010

Written on December 26, 2010 by in Marketing & Advertising, Misc.
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It’s been a hell of a year. Before the start of the New Year I often take stock of the current year. I think it’s important to reflect on what you’ve learned, otherwise you’ll simply make the same mistakes. 2010 was an interesting year. I think the overall theme was humbled. When I add up everything I experienced, everything I’ve learned, it all rolls up to that magic word. I could wax on and on about the definition of humbled and how it applies to the last 12 months, but I’ll spare you the philosophy and get right to everything I’ve learned.

  1. Pork bellies are to die for
  2. Social media is creating mobs reminiscent of ancient Rome
  3. Never under-estimate the impact, power and influence Facebook has on your own relationships
  4. I can live without “stuff” – I think we accumulate too much stuff unnecessarily, it’s amazing how little you can get by on
  5. I love my car, it loves me and it’s just that simple
  6. People who have dogs are a little bit crazy; nod your head, accept it and move on – we’re all a little crazy
  7. White plates aren’t boring, they’re pretty cool
  8. The world and people are fickle. One minute your up, the next minute your down.
  9. As Sinatra said, “some people get their kicks stomping on a dream”
  10. Sweet tea is great; I sometimes wish I lived in the south so I can have it every day
  11. Business class isn’t worth paying for
  12. Music is more important to me than I ever thought it was or it could be
  13. If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense
  14. Don’t sweat the small stuff; it ain’t worth it
  15. Accept that flights will be delayed and/or canceled; it happens
  16. When you see the red flags, stop and reconsider
  17. Abide by Gladwell’s “Blink” concept
  18. Blood is thicker than water; never under-estimate the influence parents have
  19. Quality over quantity
  20. There’s red wine out there I can enjoy
  21. As the Godfather said, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer
  22. Try as I might, I still have no love for fish
  23. Kids can make you feel old and young at the same time
  24. Take chances, take risks and embrace failure
  25. I still believe in the idea of the grand gesture, despite seeing it backfire 3 times this year
  26. You can’t expect people to live up to the expectations you place upon yourself; we’re all different
  27. I’m addicted to Hot Chocolate – the best is from Peet’s Coffee
  28. Forever isn’t forever, it for as long as you make it
  29. You can leverage customer service as great marketing; see Southwest
  30. 10 year old+ Crystal Pepsi is not tasty at all
  31. Apparently, I notice people’s teeth first; it’s made me more aware of my own teeth
  32. In the first 5 minutes people will tell you their 3 most important “things”
  33. Virtual connections are great, but real ones are better
  34. I’m not a fan of makeup on women – just not, sorry
  35. My feet have gotten bigger or shoes sizes are skewing smaller – either way, I gained a half size
  36. Live concerts are amazing; there is no comparison
  37. My ex-wife is an amazing mother and friend.  We should all be so lucky to have such great divorces.  Every time I see my kids I see the impact she makes on them every day.
  38. “Change The Game” is an over used marketing goal/strategy and/or tagline
  39. CraigsList amazes me – so easy to use, so effective
  40. You’re not as important as you think you are; people move on really quick and you’re easily forgotten
  41. Cell phones are cheaply made – I’ve broken two this year, one by dropping and one from some water
  42. Being stubborn doesn’t help anyone, least of all, yourself
  43. Make the little things, the big things
  44. You can never have enough cabinet space in your kitchen
  45. eMail, texting, chatting and other forms of digital communication are crippling us – make more time for face time
  46. What’s in the box matters…
  47. I’m a great dad, but I can still be better
  48. You’ll meet new and amazing people when you least expect it
  49. It takes two; you can only control your own destiny to a point
  50. I was wrong about the iPad. It’s quickly becoming the killer device.
  51. I was right about Android; the walled garden Apple offers won’t be able to compete
  52. It’s not about who you are or where you are; it’s about who you’re with
  53. I don’t know as much as I thought I did

So there it is. 2010 was a year of ups and downs, highs and lows and at times was like a roller coaster. I’m looking forward to applying everything I learned in 2010 to 2011. I have a feeling 2011 is going to be pretty kick ass.

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Credit Card Relationships

Written on July 28, 2010 by in Marketing & Advertising
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I broke into the agency business young…crazy young. Fallon (at the time Fallon McElligott) took a flyer on me without an internship (unheard of back then) and basically let me grow at my own speed. I was a young and getting enormous opportunities that were well above my experience level and pay grade. While I was succeeding at those opportunities, I still had much to learn about the business, our clients, our heritage and how to be successful long term.

To say that I was getting a little full of myself might have been an understatement.  Well you can imagine the size of my head when my boss (Paul Schield) invited me to lunch with our CMO (Mark Goldstein), our CFO (Irv Fish) and CEO (Pat Fallon).   If the grinch’s heart grew 3 sizes, my head grew 10 sizes.  We went to an old school steak house called Murray’s.  This was literally your classic 3 martini place that I had read about when studying the history of agencies.  Most of that studying was done on my own, since most business schools just don’t offer you any real education on how to succeed at an agency.  The lunch was tasty, the drinks stiff and the conversation light-hearted.  I couldn’t believe the situation I was in…20 years old, riding a rocket to the top and having lunch with the senior leaders.

When the check came, I completely expected Irv to grab it. After all, he was the finance guy, right? Imagine my surprise when the check was passed from Pat, to Paul to ME. My brow started to sweat, my hands got clammy and a nervous sensation overtook my entire body. I had one credit card to my name…and it was in MY name. It wasn’t a corporate card and I certainly didn’t have an expense account. With trepidation I opened up the folio holding the check and gulped when I saw a nearly $350.00 bill. That was basically 3/4 of my rent…and we ate it. But, then a great wave of calm overtook me. It dawned on me that I could just expense this lunch as a business expense. Paul would sign off on it and I’d get reimbursed. Sweet!

While all of this was going on in my head, the other 3 simply carried on their conversation as if nothing was out of the ordinary. I placed my credit card into the folio and signaled for the waiter to come over. A few minutes later he was back. I added the tip, signed the check and then said, “shall we.” I thought I was with it. Oyve. On the short walk back from Murray’s to the office I was starting to doubt myself. Would Paul really sign my expense report? Should I have ordered the Filet Mignon? Side note, since this experience, I have NEVER ordered a Filet Mignon at a restaurant. As I was in deep thought, Mark Goldstein pulled me aside and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “you know, you can’t expense this lunch.” My worst fear had been realized. That sinking feeling swept back into my gut. Ugh.

We walked a few more steps and then Pat gave me a lesson that to this day I hold near and dear to my heart. He said to me, “You realize, all you bought was lunch. You didn’t buy our friendship, our respect or our trust. You bought us a meal. This business, as is life, is built upon relationships. Relationships require an investment in time, effort, listening, learning and discovery. Real relationships last. You can’t manage relationships through a credit card. Too many people in our industry think they can build a relationship with clients through buying fancy dinners or taking them to amazing events. Those relationships are hollow and will never stand the test of time.”

I put quotes around Pat’s advice, because that’s how I remember it. I’m sure a few words are incorrect.

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My Neighbor Thinks I Sell Billboards

Written on December 16, 2009 by in Marketing & Advertising
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I’m out on blogger vacation this week. The keys to TheKmiecs.com have been turned over to a few, select, awesome guest writers. The following has not been edited by me and is the work and effort of the original author. I appreciate the time and thinking that went into this post and hope you will too. Enjoy!

At first it started as a joke, but then it became a regular occurrence…

Monday:
My neighbor: “Sell any billboards today???”
Me: Chuckle. “You know I don’t sell billboards – I work in advertising.”

Tuesday:
My neighbor: “Sell any billboards today???”
Me: Chuckle. Sigh. “You know I don’t sell billboards – I work in advertising. I’m on the account side. I develop brand strategy….”

Wednesday:
My neighbor: “Sell any billboards today???”
Me: Chuckle. Sigh. Groan. “You know I don’t sell billboards – I work in advertising. I’m on the account side. I develop brand strategy and messaging and work with our designers to produce print, interactive and….”

My parents always said first impressions were everything – so what do you really want to communicate about your job (or yourself) in the first 15 seconds? Whether it’s your neighbor, your grandmother, your current or potential employer – what’s your elevator pitch?

In the agency world, we spend hours each week helping our clients understand, and convey the value of their brand. We strive to develop consistent and concise messaging. We are constantly pulling out one good nugget here, and searching for one great tidbit from there. But sometimes we forget about our personal brand – and how to express it consistently and concisely.

After experiencing what felt like the movie “Groundhog Day” with my neighbor, here are my takeaways -

  • Be concise – Cover a lot in a few words. But know your audience and be careful not to use industry jargon if it will only confuse them.
  • Be consistent – We tell our clients to stay on message, so why not follow our own advice?
  • Be intriguing – If you interest your audience, they’ll want to learn more, and maybe you will get to add another 15 seconds to your pitch.

I don’t sell billboards. I never have sold a billboard. But I have revisited my elevator pitch – “I build brands. And that doesn’t mean I sell billboards.”

Follow me @acraKA

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The Worst Night Of My Life

Written on March 18, 2009 by in Misc., Shopping
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Short Version
 Buy a carbon monoxide detector for you home. It could save your life.

Long Version
 When a bunch of guys get together for some drinks, without failure the conversation will turn into a category requiring one-up-menship. It could be anything from the worst date, worst job, or worst injury. Ladies I’m sure you’ve had similar types of discussions. Well, I can officially say that when the conversation turns to the worst night ever, I will have everyone beat. Seriously. Let me tell you about the night of March 16th and the very early morning of March 17th.

Monday night around 9pm I had a noticeable headache. That should have been my first sign, because I never get a headache or get sick. The headache was so bad, I opted to turn into bed early. Again, something that rarely, if ever, happens. At about 2:00 AM in the morning I woke up and was feeling quite light headed and somewhat disoriented. Basically it felt exactly like it does when you go to bed drunk and wake up half drunk/half hungover. I thought to myself, maybe I’m just a little dehydrated and need some fluids. Off to the kitchen. I stumbled into the kitchen and struggled to get a Gatorade from the fridge. I hit the floor like a ton of bricks, conking the back of my head and my elbow. All of this are things I learned later on the morning of March 17th.

I was on the floor of the kitchen passed out until I heard the some seriously loud knocking at the front door. Stumbling, I made my way to the door and was greeted by paramedics. I didn’t have the wherewithal to connect and comprehend why they were there. The rest is a little foggy. I was placed into an ambulance and driven to the UPMC Hospital near the University of Pittsburgh campus. I spent the next several hours receiving oxygen, getting a CAT scan, and undergoing a bunch of tests.

It wasn’t until about 7am on the morning of March 17th that I learned what had happened. Apparently, I was suffering from sever carbon monoxide poisoning. A normal healthy person has a 0% level of carbon monoxide in their body. A smoker has 5%. I had 27%. WTF? How did this happen. There was no answer on that yet. After being told why I was in the hospital they moved me over to receive the “serious” treatment. I had no idea, but the main course of treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning was spending time in a hyperbaric chamber. I can officially tell you that laying in a hyperbaric chamber is not fun. The chamber is designed to literally push out the carbon monoxide from your bloodstream and replace it with oxygen. Fascinating, effective, but still creepy.

Following my stint in the hyperbaric chamber I met with a homicide detective, yeap you heard me right, who was investigating the situation. Damn, only 2+ weeks in Pittsburgh and already someone was trying to put a hit on me :) In all seriousness though, he took my statement (pretty much everything you read so far) and filled me in on what happened. Basically someone left a maintenance vehicle running in a closed garage. The carbon monoxide from the vehicle made its way into all the condos next to it. My condo was the closest, which is why I was rocking a 27% on the carbon monoxide meter. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette covered the story; I’m the “one man in serious condition.”

After the interview I spent the next few hours undergoing a battery tests (I passed them all) and trying to convince the doctors to let me leave. My negotiation skills were quite strong and they agreed to let me leave. But, that’s when I realized I had a big problem. In the insanity that was the previous night, no one had the presence of mind to grab my shoes, pants, or wallet. So there I was standing in my shorts and a t-shirt trying to figure out how I’d get home. The hospital was nice enough to call me a cab and the cab driver was nice enough not to ask questions.

I made it home, paid the cab driver, took a shower, and hopped a plane to Chicago for some business meetings. That sounds nuts, I realize, but work doesn’t stop just because I’m poisoned :)

I wanted to write this post so that:

  1. I could get my story down on paper
  2. I could share with you all why I was noticeably absent lately from the blog, twitter, Facebook, etc.
  3. To encourage you all to purchase a Carbon Monoxide detector.

You can’t smell carbon monoxide. It can paralyze you and leave you unconsious. I got lucky because a guy living above me had a carbon monoxide detector that went off. He was the one who called 911. If he wasn’t there, who knows what would have happened. Let my story be a kick in the pants for you all. Run out to your local True Value and spend the less than $30.00 (usually) to keep you and your family safe.

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About
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.
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