PPD

What went well?

I managed to cover a vast amount of research.

At first, I found it really difficult to start researching for the brief. I wasn’t looking at the right places and it took me a while to take in everything I was reading as well as analyzing it. However, after the second week, I took it upon myself to really push myself into reading and really understanding what the scholars are saying. After I got into the habit of going to the library and reading the relevant books, I was at ease with the researching aspect of the brief.

What didn’t go well?

I had a few issues with finding the right host for my website. I wanted it to look professional and also be able to hold a vast amount of information. In the end, I settled for WIX again. It is a host I used in the past; therefore I knew how to manage it. There were still some problems with the blog aspect, however I managed to solve them by categorizing each post.

Another thing that didn’t go well at first, was finding the right layouts for my boards. At first I wanted the boards to be colourful and patterned. However, after some reflection with Lynsey, I realized that a colourful and patterned approach to the layouts was not in tune with the Lucy and Yak brand, hence I switched the layouts to use the same colouring that the brand uses in their website.

Another difficulty I had was completing the tasks for ‘brand value’ and ‘innovation’. It took me a while to complete them both; I kept holding it back, especially the ‘brand value’. I knew the idea behind brand value, however I found it hard to explain into words. The real life example I used was the collaboration between ‘Nike’ and American football star and protester ‘Colin Kaepernick’. There were a lot of events that happened prior to the collaboration that I found difficult to annotate. It was important that I brought each of those events up, because they were integral for the reasoning behind Nike hiring Kaepernick as a brand ambassador. This was one of the last topics that covered for the website, although I found it difficult, I managed to complete it in the end.

What were my strengths and weaknesses? Are there and new?

I would say that one of my biggest strengths is finding the relevant research and evidence that I need. I made sure to look outside the fashion industry, whether that was it the topics I chose or the books I read. I looked beyond the ‘Fashion’ categories in the library. If I needed to research something on marketing, I made sure to check out books from the ‘Marketing’ category. This gave me a larger view on any topic.

My weaknesses was analyzing what I read. I have always struggled with this. However, with some guidance from Lynsey, I started to develop this skill. One of the good tips that she gave me was to use bullet points whenever I felt lost or overwhelmed with the information. This allowed me to deconstruct the research and truly understand what it meant as well as putting it into my own words.

How will I implement my learning’s?

The idea of having multiple proposals for one brief is something that I will implement throughout my career. Additionally, using hard evidence and research for each and every proposal is also something I attend to do when asked to brainstorm new marketing ideas and proposals. This will allow me to prove that each of my proposals will be successful.

What would I do differently?

I would have aimed to finish the ‘Topics’ research much sooner. I was still researching by the third and fourth week. This meant that I had to research while simultaneously creating boards and researching the Lucy and Yak brand. I found this difficult to do, and it made me quite disoriented at times.

How will I further develop my skills, goals and aims?

I will keep practicing my Photoshop and InDesign skills. I think they are essential for the marketing industry that I want to get into. Although I feel comfortable with my skills in both of those software’s, I still feel like I have plenty to learn.

In addition, I will make sure to keep up with the latest marketing news. I feel as if today, marketing is bigger than ever with more are more channels to explore. In the past people only received marketing and advertisements via the radio, newspaper and television. Today marketing has emerged into a huge industry in which marketers find new and unique ways to use branding and advertisements, whether its via an influencer getaway or advertising on disposable beer coasters. It is an exciting industry that I want to be apart of, and knowing the latest events and news can only be beneficial.

I also aim to practice my writing skills. I think that knowing how to correctly write an essay or a report is one of the most important skills in any industry. I think my writing skills have gotten better in the past two years, especially considering that my time in university is the first proper time that I have written so much in the English language.