Ever since that fateful day in 2004, when South Africa heard that we were to host the FIFA World CupTM, 2010 was always going to be a big year. As a nation, we’ve been waiting for this year for what feels like eternity, speaking about it in hushed tones, the word “2010″ enough to convey promise, nation-building, riches beyond our wildest dreams…
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To my great, idiot-gri nning-and-floating-on-a-cloud pleasure I will be going to the Geek Retreat this year to represent Quirk.
Despite the snort-inducing name, the Geek Retreat is an important event on the South African eMarketing industry calendar. To quote the wiki:
“On the weekend of the 19th of June, 2009, 30 South African Internet personalities will gather for a weekend of informal conversation about the South African Internet. We’ll talk about what would make it better, how to stimulate innovation locally and what role there is for a more formal industry-wide body to carry on these conversations and representations in the future.”
It’s also by invite only, so I am even more running-around-cackling-like-someone-who’s-won-the-lottery happy than usual. I’m hoping to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to the future of the local digital landscape. Quirk is big on education and I believe wholeheartedly in that (converting ordinary people into geeks… sound familiar?). Thanks Quirk (especially Rob) for giving me this amazing opportunity – I will make you proud.
And we might get to ride elephants! Radness.
I finally started my new job at Quirk eMarketing after what felt like an eternity of waiting and, to be honest, I was completely blown away. Now I know that everyone agrees that Quirk is possibly the best eMarketing agency in the industry and I’m sure you want to know what it is actually like being a QuirkStar.
So here they are, my first impressions of this incredible company:
Fast-paced: The understatement of the year
While working at Standard Bank, I always thought we worked extremely hard and anyone who said that corporate employees had it easy was completely misinformed. I stand by what I said. The people at the Bank do work hard and there is a lot of pressure; but not nearly at the level of an agency (and I suspect this agency outpaces most). Before I even arrived people were sending me emails and assignments for me to do. My first few days were beyond frantic and on day 3 I already had over 158 emails in my inbox, all urgent.I have spent almost every night since trying to get caught up and at inbox zero. Something I suspect I will never do.
They are called Quirk for a reason
Everyone is completely nuts. They make me look sane, conservative and quiet… and I love it! My name is officially Goose and it’s even on my email signature! All new employees are called n00bs for their first few months and there is a culture of openess and friendliness that I have not experienced anywhere else. Debate and open discussion is encouraged and people I have not even met yet are already my friends. And something that is even more refreshing than any of this is that employees are encouraged to be individuals and grow their personal brand, both within and outside of work hours. There is no such thing as a QuirkClone. Ever single one of us is a star in our own right and is given full support to fulfill our dreams, no matter what they are. Seriously, it is beyond amazing. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at my “corporate profile”. Nuts huh?
Nothing is incidental or done ‘by mistake’
Every single action Quirk takes is either to improve our position online, to better the lives of our clients or to grow our client base. Everything. I know this sounds like something every company does but in reality, it’s quite rare. SEO in particular is a big focus. I had absolutely no idea there were so many things you could do to improve your SEO (a surprising number of them; ‘offline’ activities). Quirk has literally written the book on this subject and the dedication poured into every aspect of the business is mind-blowing.
So next time you pick up your copy of the eMarketing textbook, read the GottaQuirk blog, or have a chat to Rob on Twitter, remember this: It has all been thought out to the tiniest detail to improve your life, our rankings and our clients’ reputations. But we are all still natural and spontaneous people, Quirk is in no way cold and calculated; just carefully considered and executed with passion.
It may be too soon to tell, but I think I’ve found my home.
I’ve always enjoyed my job, no matter where I worked; life is too short to hate what you do. I was always the quirky arty person who swam against the tide and people always marveled at my weirdness. At the time I thought this was the best thing ever; why be like everyone else, even if everyone else is normal? But the problem with being so radically different from your colleagues, is that you never really fit in. Now I feel like I’ve found 50 other people like me, and it’s a great feeling. Not because they are exactly like me, they aren’t. But because you swim faster and further against the tide when you have 50 other fish swimming with you, even if they aren’t all salmon. (Brilliant, now I’m gonna see fish every time I look at my fellow QuirkStars!)
These are my first impressions of Quirk. I’m sure I’ll have many more and I’ll share my growth at this amazing place with you.
P.S. No, I wasn’t paid or asked to say any of this, in fact; Quirk will read this at the same time as you (after having picked it up with BrandsEye, no doubt… Hi Tim!). I am just a passionate person who doesn’t believe in hiding anything. So if you are like me and my post has made you a little jealous… Just click here.
So there it is. The bomb has dropped. I am shortly going to be leaving Standard Bank to join the wonderful world of Quirk eMarketing as an account manager in their Johannesburg office.
I suppose I have some explaining to do, don’t I?
Let me start by saying that leaving the bank was not an easy decision to make. I still love the brand, the people and the culture. I just have that little thing that Shakespeare called “Vaulting ambition” and I honestly think I’m too nuts for a big corporate. The various agencies I have worked with during my time at the bank have always said I’m more of an agency person than a bank person and I guess I’ve started listening to them.
Of all the agencies out there, the one that has really captured my attention is Quirk. They seem to have the same values as me, their achievements are simply mind-blowing and I am nothing if not “quirky”. So it almost seemed pre-ordained that they were looking for an account manager in their Joburg office at the same time I was looking to be an account manager at an eMarketing agency… And to work at Quirk is not an opportunity you pass up.
So that is it then – I will officially become a QuirkStar on the 14th of April. I will most likely sob my heart out on my last day at Standard Bank, the things I have learned and the connections I have made in the past 2 years have been invaluable and I have so many people to thank.
But that does not believe I am not super duper UBER excited about joining Rob Stokes and his amazing team. I am so excited I can hardly sit still!
I’M GONNA BE A QUIRKSTAR!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!
