Monday 29 April 2013

Bookworm...

The countdown to my holiday has started and I am compiling a reading list for over the 2 weeks! I only seem to read non uni related books whilst on holiday, there is no time in the week!

So far I have a few books on my list:
  • You had me at hello
  • Things I want my daughters to know
  • Safehaven
  • City of Bones
I am looking forward to having a break from all my theory books...as much as I like reading them, I can't wait for some fiction that is an easy read!

Anyone got any other suggestions?

Have a great week :) I want to dress up like this sometime!

Ciao x

Tuesday 23 April 2013

It's the final countdown...

With only 3 months left of my placement things are starting to get a bit on the scary side of life...

My assignment is due in within 2 months, and seems to be the hardest piece of work I have ever had to do! But it is all good, as I have a clear plan of what I am doing and where I am going with this! Just need to keep focused!

This also means that I have to say goodbye to everyone at the placement, which is going to be a horrible day! :(

A quick holiday to get a natural tan for once and chill out.

September will be here before I know it and I will be thrown straight back into the uni life (sensible of course). I have to say I am looking forward to going back to uni to focus on the marketing theory - hopefully with a lot of emphasis on social media too! My plan is to sideline some work on social media channels alongside my uni work...so fingers crossed!

As you can see it is all go at the moment! On top of all this I need some new knives and forks for my flat in Sheffield (the slugs got to my old ones...don't ask!) 18 months I will be stressing over final exams, assignments etc and looking for a job. Why does time fly by?!?!

Please bare with me if these blogs become a bit more sporadic!

On a more light-hearted note I would like to say congrats to my sister who got offered a place at London South Bank uni :) Keep revising to get those grades chick! I feel sympathy for everyone taking A-levels right now - potentially the most stressful time of school. Good luck :)

Now I am back to the assignment... Tea, Revels, Cherries and any music suggestions would be gratefully received! <3

Ciao x

Tuesday 16 April 2013

When does a brand become a verb?

There are many brands which have become verbs, such as Google and Facebook, but at what point does this happen? And how does it come about?

Other examples include:

  • FaceTime
  • Tweet
  • Skype
  • Hoover

In the business world they are torn as to whether the brands becoming verbs is a good idea or not. It can be seen as the personal connection between the brand and the consumer - having the connection of being everywhere in every word, every thought. On the other hand though, it is argued that it can lose the meaning, for example you could be "hoovering" whilst using a Dyson.

It has been suggested that companies should consider whether their brand is likely to become a verb in their brand guidelines and business marketing plan - this is done to either encourage or discourage the verb dilemma.

I am guilty of using brands as verbs, especially Hoover, Skype, Facebook and Youtube.

What brands do you use as verbs? Do you think that companies should be considering this as part of their brand guidelines?

Bit more of a formal blog today...!

Ciao x

Thursday 11 April 2013

A little something for the weekend

The weekend is just around the corner! This week seems to have flown by! The assignment is...well...I am chugging along with it!

No marketing this week in the blog... the assignment is taking over! So instead I wanted to share with you a couple of videos that I find hilarious and I hope will get you laughing all weekend! Let me know which your favourite is!

Don't forget you can still vote for what you want to see on the blog!

I am off to Sheffield this weekend for a girly catch up with my friends!

Enjoy!










Ciao x

Sunday 7 April 2013

Appyness!

The iPhone and I have now been partners in crime for a couple of months and we are getting on very well :) My initial hatred for iPhones has been taken over by the love. And now the apps have started to be downloaded!

So far I have only gone for free apps - the obvious ones being Twitter and Facebook - which were downloaded within a few hours of having the phone up and running!

Others include:

Snapchat - Love this! Great fun sending funny pictures to my friends. The pics are gone              within 10 seconds.

NHS Blood - This lets me check out where I can give blood and book appointments.

My Fitness Pal - Counts the calories, exercise done and allows you to keep a food diary. Perfect aid for my diet!

Big Day Lite - Countdown to your big events! Mine is currently counting down to going to see Watsky

Dominos Pizza - Not so great for the diet, order pizza from anywhere!

These are only a few of the ones I have downloaded so far, but I would highly recommend them!

Do you have any suggestions of apps I should download? I don't really like games but anything else would be greatly appreciated!

Also, why not take part in the poll I am running? I want to get some feedback on what you would like to see in the future on this blog! It will be running for a couple of weeks, so please let me know!

Ciao x

Thursday 4 April 2013

Holding out for a placement....?

Let me tell you the story of the girl and her search for a placement...

This time last year I was searching high and low for a placement, applying to anything and everything. I had numerous phone interviews, travelled up and down the country for interviews and had written more covering letters than I can remember.

I was so nervous in interviews I would clam up and forget how to answer questions that I had the perfect examples for and I would be constantly wiping my hands on my trousers to get rid of the clammy heat before I shook someone's hand (vile).

For one reason or another I didn't get these opportunities. But I refused to ever give up. Instead...I got cheeky!

I sent out a letter showing what I could offer people and why they should employ me.

(As I have previously mentioned I think cheekiness and I will go far....)

And low and behold this led to a placement. 8 months on here I am, loving my life and more confident than ever before. My skills, confidence, communication and cheekiness have all grown more than I ever thought they would!

If you are looking for a placement don't give up!!!! If you seriously want one, you will get one. For me this was so important I was not going to go down without a fight to get one.

Top tips:
  • Research the company - I know uni nags about this, but listen to them!
  • Use as many examples as you can in interview questions - not just uni ones though
  • Ask at least 3 questions - show you are interested :)
  • Find out what previous placement students have done (if the company have had one)
  • Remember that this is a two way street - you need to write an assignment etc so make sure you have enough to do this
Questions? Throw them over this way and I'll try to help.

Ciao x

Monday 1 April 2013

Assignment time

Happy Easter! (sorry to be a day late!) I hope you all had a lovely long weekend!

I have indulged in Easter Eggs and been suffering from a cough all weekend, although there was still time to be the Easter Bunny!

With only 17 weeks left of my placement, panic is setting in...! During this time I have an assignment to write, flat to move into, and I have to realise that I will be leaving behind everyone from work! :(

And on top of this next year at uni is the final one...which means that it is the start of the rest of my life/ going back to being poor! (yikes!)

Anyway, the assignment. So the challenge of this is to write 3000 words of a 'critical evaluation written after careful reflection and research' - say wa? So far I have slowly been plodding through each of the sections making notes... Yawn. But it has to be done and I am getting into the right frame of mind to make this assignment AMAZING. (sorry for using that word Dad)

So basically I am after any words of encouragement to get me through this assignment... Cheeky request, but being cheeky is how to get through life à mon avis. Endorse me and I will use whatever I can in my assignment!

This is a load of waffle, keep reading though...these blogs will get better!

This is where the magic happens.
Ciao x