The Quirkiest Ad of All

by Santi van Zyl

I don't normally have much to write as my job as the Office Administrator / PA doesn’t require me to do so. I just read and keep up to date with everyone's doings on GottaQuirk.

Well that was until yesterday, at least, when one of the building supervisors at our office block came to me and mentioned that he saw a piece written about Quirk eMarketing in the Weekend Argus. This sparked my ever present curiosity as to what it was all about.

So, on a mission, I searched the online version which would not let me in as I’m not a subscriber. Then started the friendskyping and the mass email to the QuirkStars to find someone who had bought, seen or read the weekend Argus.
I got one response from a star and one from an ex-star (who bought the paper, but never reads them...???), then my friend on Skype let me know that she’d been texting her mom and dad and sister in the hopes that someone would be home to scan and send me the piece that had been written about us (Ooh the loyalty!). I almost lost hope until a builder (we’re currently renovating) ran out to the little cafe across the drag to find out whether they had the Weekend Argus – they did, happy days!
But, alas after scanning every single page, of which there were many (poor trees) I realised the mention must have been in the Sunday edition.

So I eventually called the Argus and was pleasantly surprised when the woman I was speaking to said she’d look into it and get back to me, and she actually did! The mention of Quirk eMarketing was in the Opinion Section and was written by Van Hunks.
Quirky Position

"If you're looking for a fun place to work you could do worse than apply for the receptionist vacancy at Quirk eMarketing in the city center. As well as "professional, presentable, enthusiastic", you'll need to be "non-hormonal and a reasonably capable office cricketer", according to the ad put out this week. You'll be responsible for filing, the switchboard and "opening the battling". Benefits include "free coffee and peanut butter toast"."

I thought it was pretty neat that a journalist found our job post on Bizcommunity and thought it was worth mentioning – Congrats go to Mike who wrote the awesome ad!

Back to the original job post, I don't understand why, after asking for a cover letter and placing such a quirky ad, I still get the most boring applications. Gmpfh!!! If there is no cover letter, I ain't looking at the CV! If your cover letter is quirky like our ad, then you get marked in red and I might even print you out. So get to it!

This was my first baby step into blogging and if anything interesting happens in the QuirkStation, I’ll try taking some more steps.

Super Santi

2007/02/06 | permalink | comments (5) | trackbacks (0)

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Recent Comments

Kat on Engaging as a Company

I agree with you. There are some things that should ideally not be discussed by an employee in the public sphere.
Would a communications policy have stopped the said journo from speaking out? He/she must have known a huge risk was being taken? I suppose it's also an incredibly difficult thing to predict. The lack of control can be alarming.
I'm definitely interested in seeing a more specific list, so if you find it do share.
Thank you for your comments :). Here's hoping there's a good coffee shop close to you..
vincent on Engaging as a Company

I guess the mark of a well crafted brand starts at HR policy for new recruits - ensuring that they fit the brand's/corporate's persona. So in that sense yes you could argue that left to their own devices employees would, regardless of an online communications policy, communicate in a style the sponsor would approve of. Not sure if that's always the case but I'm inclined to agree with this generalization.
I think what is also important is that the individual writing within the bounds of a sponsor's site does so in a restricted locale. You can police your own domain if you're a corporate, you can't necessarily control the individuals mouth outside of it. For instance on twitter, personal blogs and forums. Owing to the nature of niche stardom you could argue that the employee comes to represent the brand, more so than that personifies the brand in organic conversation with consumers and would carry significant weight both within corporate sites and externally. Making some individuals very wary to write for their companies at all.
For instance in our not too distant past a prominent journo got the boot for publishing his gripes with his employers and their professional ability - he was promptly fired...He would no doubt have been policed on a company blog but owing to the fact that he chose to represent the company elsewhere he took his brand and the papers brand with him - dragging both through the mud as traipsed on towards epic-failuredom...
So to come back to a point, there is definitely a sense that the policies as listed above are quite ambiguous. Even you yourself suggest that requisite legalese is absent, and I have to assume that such legalese would include a fairly long list of do's and dont's. I have a list somewhere laying about which dictates in a very bland corporate fashion how to represent the brand in public - if I find it I will share it with you.
Perhaps its worthwhile to enforce points like "don't tell secrets" and my own favourite, "for the love of god don't gripe about the boss who you've publicly named online"...
That's my mental-riff for the day, I'm afraid I veered rather uncharitably off course but such is the nature of thought.
Now if only the company I worked for had some decent coffee!!
Kat on Engaging as a Company

Transparency is a key issue - as is allowing people to carve their own niche.
My thinking is that people engage with a personality - an individual personality - in conversation more than with a collective. It's just easier. A company personality surely reflects the people who work there as well as a crafted (constructed?) image that the stakeholders choose to present. While you want engagement it's not the same as speaking to an individual.
There are definite risks involved - but I would lean towards allowing people to carve a niche.
vincent on Engaging as a Company

Couldn't have said it better. Nice post, it is most certainly something corporates are going to struggle with. How much transparency is too much? Who should be allowed to represent a brand and to what extent should the individual be given the opportunity to carve their own niche rather than extol the virtues of the mother - brand?
Who knows. We shall soon see as this year pans out and we find out how the big media players tackle the rise of the cost effective digital media channel.
Kat on Engaging as a Company

It is a tough issue, and I can understand why you've never published. I would encourage you to do so though - you probably have a feeling for when your writing reflects your voice and when it doesn't - and the rewards are worth it.
Thanks for reading Wendy. :)

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The Quirkiest Ad of All

by Santi van Zyl

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