If rule number 1 of Fight Club is ‘You do not talk about Fight Club’ and Rule number 2: You do not talk about Fight Club, then Rule number 1 of Marketing Academy would be “ You do talk about Marketing Academy” and Rule number 2… well you get the idea.
The point is that just 30 of us are lucky enough to be part of this group who, similarly to fight club had all successfully navigated the ‘initiation process’, and made it to Boot Camp, yet the measure of success for this year’s scholars will not just be our own learning outcomes, but the extent to which we are able to ‘pay it forwards’ – to share our learning and new-found knowledge with others.
So, what of rules 3 and 4? Rule number 3: Be open minded, Rule number 4: Find a learning opportunity in everything. Open-mindedness will be key – perhaps not all learning experiences will resonate across this small but highly-diverse community, but that cannot be said about James Brett, founder of ‘Plant for Peace’ as he retold of his moving life-story of personal growth over personal gain, to a standing ovation.
Rule number 5: Be prepared, Rule number 6: Keep notes on everything – indeed smoke was coming from scholar’s pens as we scribbled furiously during Robert Senior’s (EMEA CEO Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon Group) inspirational piece – we are in the thought –leadership business, why waste a single moment doing something you are not proud of?
Luckily there is just one more comparison that can be drawn between the marketing Academy Scholarship Boot Camp and ‘Fight Club’. Many have debated the underlying thought or provocation behind the 1999 Movie, but surely the most basic concept is the sense of camaraderie felt by those everyday people who are part of the club, the feeling of being a part of something bigger than themselves, something important. After 3 days of Boot Camp with my incredibly talented, fellow-scholars , I think that is a thought that would resonate with us all………
