Wei Yun Lim Blog Entry #5

I'm starting to wonder whether I have gone from being too narrow-minded to too open-minded about the kind of place I would like to work in, and the sort of environment I would like it to be. Every single place I have been to so far has inspired me to think outside of the box. This is especially because both my parents are doctors-- the fact that there is actually a lot of pharmaceutical PR was actually quite fascinating for me. The thought of being able to change lives like my parents do is quite compelling, and here I am again, starting to think about a very different career path seriously. However, one thing I know is that entertainment PR is definitely not something I would be interested in. While dealing with celebrities is something I am no stranger to, having worked with them during my internship with Radical Studios, it hardly feels like the kind of thing I would do for the rest of my life.

In fact, the fact that pharmaceutical PR exists and at such a large scale was the biggest surprise for me at Cohn and Wolfe. I wish that I'd had more questions to ask, but truth be told I didn't really know what to say. Asking the right questions is a skill I need to work on, I suppose, but I was very keen on listening and trying to see some more. I also found it interesting that a lot of pharmaceutical PR involves working with other PR companies, in which everyone works together to strive for a solution. I always imagined that PR would be a lot more cut-throat and that the organizations would constantly try to undermine one another. It was definitely different from what I expected, and much friendlier. Going to all these companies has made me start to re-evaluate my priorities and what I really want-- and I'm glad I took this class, because it has shown me there is so much more out there than what I thought I wanted.

As for my The Target is You project, I learned something very interesting about Amazon Kindle from Yuri. A couple of weeks ago, Amazon Kindle were promoting themselves at an event at the Highline Park, which Yuri happened to witness. They provided users with an experience in which they could enter an indoor living room in the High Line, where they would get to read using the Amazon Paperwhite.

I found this really ingenious, actually-- this is again similar to the Isakson presentation, where the product itself can serve as the marketing. Allowing people to try this out would be a good way of showing them the product. It also doesn't help that at the end, the users were all given vouchers to get $5 off any Kindle Product. Yuri even gave me her voucher, meaning that there is now almost no way that I am going to complete this term without getting a new Kindle. They even had a partnership with Blue Bottle Coffee, who were giving out complimentary cups. This definitely serves as dual marketing for both companies, benefiting them both.

It's quite fascinating-- I am fully aware of their marketing and what they are trying to do, but at the same time it does not make me any less susceptible to their targeting. This probably goes to show that they are doing quite a good job!