...these are the days of my life as Campaigns draws to a close. With just over a week to go, I’m once again feeling the pressure of getting it all done.

I’m pretty sure that I spent too much time crafting a complex media plan, and now I’m scrambling to execute the actual advertisements, consumer promotions, and public relations pieces. It’s no small task. One minute I have on my creative director hat, and the next minute I’ve turned graphic designer, working to execute what I see in my mind’s eye.

I probably should have hired a designer, but, hey, I’m a gal who has to do it all herself, right?

In the real world, though, I’d happily be turning my sketches and creative brief over to the designer. And during these past two weeks, I’ve definitely been wishing I had the benefit of a full IMC team at my side, helping me solidify ideas and throw the so-so ones out the window. Enough of this Lone Ranger stuff.

And doesn’t it just figure that my busiest time at school is coinciding with my busiest time at work? Since mid-June, my workplace has shifted to four, 10-hour days. We’re publishing a lot of documents and gearing up for Virginia educator summer conferences.

Sure, having Fridays off is a plus. But the dark side of this schedule is getting up at 5:20 a.m. and being at work by 7 a.m. Then, you go hard at it for 10 hours til 5:30 p.m.

My evenings have turned into a blur of throwing together dinner with my husband, keeping up with a few chores so the house doesn’t fall down around us and then sitting down with the computer. And staying up way too late. It seems like my head has just hit the pillow when my alarm goes off.

Ready or not, the Summer term is racing to its close. This weekend, I will be finishing my creative pieces and turning my attention to a measurement plan for my campaign. Everything must be clearly laid out and budgeted. The whole idea of an evaluation strategy, of course, is to avoid expensive mistakes and to prove your ROI.

After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, you do want to know how well you hit the mark. Do your marketing themes and promotions resonate with customers? (Did I sway someone to take a trip to New Orleans?) What was it that really registered at the gut level with consumers?

Marty Neumeier, in The Brand Gap describes it as
1) Getting the right idea.
2) Getting the idea right.

So as I race the clock on Campaigns, I’m trying to hold on to that concept. I’ve cleared the decks for my three-day weekend ahead. No outside commitments and few distractions, other than snack breaks, and a Sunday morning run to pump the endorphins!

It’s time to pull it all together.

P.S. I’m not alone, right?
How are your final projects shaping up out there in IMC land? Anyone else trying to make a preemptive strike the weekend before the final weekend? There’s nothing like a little virtual show of unity!