Most Marketing People are Crazy

There's a common belief that marketing people -- and you can throw in sales people for good measure -- are slightly askew from the norm. We are.

We are the people who ask about the logo on your shirt and why you wear it. We want to understand your loyalties. We are the people who open EVERY SINGLE PIECE of our junk mail because we're interested in what other companies are doing.

We are the job that never stops and most of us who have chosen this type of career would have it no other way.

Let's get serious. My job is not world changing. It's not life changing. But something is always niggling in my brain ... Hmmm... wonder if I could convert that idea somehow? Is there a different way to sell that? Is there a new opportunity here?

I'm going to be out of the office for a few days and my company encourages "break away" time. My boss is the first to say, "You are covered. Enjoy!"

I love that attitude. But I also know that while I will kick back and enjoy myself for a few days, the iPad or the Blackberry is always near. No one will need me while I'm gone. My need is to keep up with what is going on.

You never know where the next idea will come from.

Addicted to Facebook

Hello, my name is Sheri and I need a 12-step program. I am addicted to Facebook.

I love it. I love you, my friends. I love seeing your children and grandchildren. I love hearing about your day. I like checking out which pages you "like" and seeing what mutual friends we have.

For my media friends, I love your weather forecasts, your updates on breaking news and the fact that you interact with us regular people.

My aunts and my cousins, well ... without Facebook, I wouldn't know your latest blog, see your latest interests, know you play silly games ... I wouldn't get to share as much of your life as I do now.

High school friends and college friends -- wow, the power to reconnect! To see you as your grown up selves and superimpose that image with the one in my memory. It's mind boggling.

Seriously, I know what's going on with my church family because they put it on Facebook.

A few months ago, I was in a meeting with a vendor and my boss. The vendor was giving me great compliments and (jokingly) said, "You need to give her a raise." My boss replied, "Whatever... every time I check she's on Facebook."

Of course, he is my friend on Facebook and the only way he would know I was on it is he is on it too.

Guilty! I open it at home. I open it at work. I float between whatever I am working on and checking the status of my friends. I wait for Faith to tell me who I should pray for and I wait for Susan's hysterical posts. I long for Kristen's newest adventures and recipes. I see the travels of my peeps and I cheer for their accomplishments.

And at least once a day, somebody, somewhere tries to tell me something new and my answer ends up to be, "I know. I saw it on Facebook."