For once this advert is simple enough to show and speak about the advertised product from the beginning to the end  and, thanks to some acrobatic effects,  keeping the viewer’s attention on the final result.  I guess they spilled quite a bit of the product or the condiments used as well as broke a few plates and bottles but, hey, the result is simply amazing.

Florette ‘Bags of Feelgood’ – fun in a bag of salad is a post from: Massimo Gaetani's blog

Back in June 1994, just I just arrived in Cambridge I remember meeting Luca a guy who later became one of my best friends: I was between curious and intrigued when he told me he was working in marketing.  At that time I had a job as systems engineer and most of my friends in professional jobs were techies like me.  I could (and still can) have a meaningful, conversation with all sort of technical people: mechanical designers, firmware engineers, web developer or data base architect just to mention a few.  When I asked what exactly Luca was doing and I was quite surprised to find out he was a product manager.  Until then I had a very limited idea of what marketing was about: adverts, product image, packaging… that was about it.  I am a strong believer and practitioner of self learning so I decided within a few days to go into a book shop and buy some marketing books.  I remember reading them and feeling as they were written in a language to me unknown.

This happened to me several times during my life; when I was initially interested in computer and bought the first magazine I wasn’t really sure what I was reading as it was so rich of technical terms and there was no google their meaning.  Same happened when I was first reading about cars or hi-fi systems.  Each field or sector has its own jargon and you have to adapt to it in order to absorb its value.  So as I have done many times before I kept reading and speaking to various people.  Within a few months I was conscious (e.g. I had conscious knowledge) about necessary marketing functions, how they operate within companies and what they should deliver.

Funny enough I was the most commercial person in a tech company so it came quite natural to start talking about marketing with my boss and how our company, at that time a tech start-up, had to evolve and define a clear message about what we were offering, delivering and why were charging certain amounts of money for it.

We later had to organise an exhibition; although it was something I never did before I had direct experience as I  was involved with several trade shows on behalf of my previous employer.  So I made lots of inquiries, read lots of papers and bridged the remaining gaps with a bit of common sense; it was a success.  My boss at that time was particularly impressed about my skill of clearly explaining complex technical concepts to random punters and naturally focussing on benefits and why people should buy rather why it was cool.  A few months later, when the annual appraisal was due I was offered to become the marketing manager for the company.  “best tech companies use great engineers to do their top marketing” my boss told me “you are technically very good but also understand how to talk to people, we need to capitalize on this”.  It was December 1995.

My long relationship with marketing – part 1 is a post from: Massimo Gaetani's blog

The Show Must Go On is a post from: Massimo Gaetani's blog

A keynote from Gary Vaynerchuk is a post from: Massimo Gaetani's blog

You can’t handle the thruth is a post from: Massimo Gaetani's blog

Rocket Surgery? is a post from: Massimo Gaetani's blog