Dunge Dispatch: Why Every Marketing/Advertising Type Should Carry a Portfolio


You say you're in marketing and advertising, eh? If you are a recent graduate with your marketing degree in hand, or if you're a tenured brand manager extraordinaire who has been furloughed, please read on. The question you need to answer, no matter the stage of your career is: Beyond your resume and Linked In profile, how can you show that you know a thing or two about building a brand and telling that brand's story?

 Everyone in marketing and advertising has seen a creative's portfolio. You know, the one where the creative shows their best work, and the lucky blokes on the other side of the table get to "ooh" and "ahh" over the insightful, witty, clever, and meaningful work enshrined in said portfolio. This article is here to encourage you, dear fellow marketer. Creatives and designers shouldn't be the only ones having all the fun. 

 For every marketer and advertising type, I highly recommend you create and keep a portfolio of your work. Some might call it a "brag book," or a "bluster binder," perhaps even a "swagger satchel." Whatever you call it, start now, put it on your Linked In profile, include it as an important document whenever you apply for a job, and keep it updated when opportunity comes knocking. 

 A few tips that have helped me, some from hard lessons learned, others from people much smarter than I am: 

1. Make it yours.
  • You have your own voice and your own delivery. Once you have an example written down, read it back to yourself and ask: is this something that sounds like me? Obviously, you won't want to make your examples too wordy, or too high and mighty... unless that's who you are. If that's the case, I know just the therapist for you narcissists.  
2. Don't go too big.
  • Take credit for your own work. That includes number-crunching, researching, compiling, etc. It also includes motivating and leading a team, whether or not you were the actual leader; leadership doesn't come from a title. The flip side is, don't be that guy who takes credit when it's not due. 
3. Add some o' them pretty color pitcher thangies.
  • "Every picture stitched in time saves a pound of bacon." Or something like that. 
4. Keep every story to one page... I mean it!
  • Remember that your audience is time-starved, as we all are these days. Attention spans are short, and your window of opportunity to make a first impression is pretty narrow. Force yourself to be succinct. 
5. Follow the "STAR" method.
  • Hopefully this is not new. The STAR method is a key part of behavioral interviewing as well as showing that you know your stuff when you get a question like "tell me a time when...."
    • S = Situation. This sets the stage for the problem being solved, with just the right amount of detail.
    • T = Task. Defines the specific problem and your responsibility for solving it.
    • A = Analysis. The steps you took, people you worked with, number-crunching or research undertaken.
    • R = Result. A quantifiable outcome that shows you solved the problem and met the goal. 
6. Test and learn.
  • Leverage your network of colleagues, friends, and family to read through what you think is your final draft and provide a critique. Don't take offense when they poke holes or ask you to remove one thing or add more of another. Your stories need to be relatable to pretty much anyone, not just the members of our marketing trade. 
No matter your accomplishments, your portfolio will help you stand out from the crowd as a conversation starter, as a visual record, and as a "leave-behind" in case your interview or meeting is cut short for whatever reason.

 If you have any questions, or would like me to proofread and provide helpful feedback on your mostly-finished portfolio, please contact me and let me know. You can find my Linked In profile and an example of my portfolio at www.linkedin.com/in/willdoenges.

 -- Dunge

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