Misadventures In Marketing: September
Ah History, a fantastic topic. You can look into the background of anyone or anything and chances are it has quite a story behind it.
Being around for 125 years and being required to research the company for the nationwide Heritage Open Day event, has shed a light onto quite an interesting company backstory including and not limited to supplying yellowface wearing magicians at the beginning of the 20th century and nearly being put out of business by doggy mantlepiece salesmen.
Was not expecting that.
Well, the month began quite simply, banishing the last remains of my arch enemies, Math’s and English, to whatever hell they came from.
Okay, while slightly overdramatic, I began the month finishing my last Math’s and English tasks for my apprenticeship provider, whilst also going through the final touches for the nationwide Heritage Open Day Event.
This was surprisingly broad. We hung posters, placed old school photos around the factory and hung-up bunting around the building and offices, praying it didn’t fall and cause Laurel and Hardy level slapstick for myself and my colleagues.
Specifically I used my research skills to create an historical presentation of Ritherdon’s past, made up of old company photos to be shown on the tour. It was very interesting to learn more about the company and its clients, including Chung Ling Soo, an English magician, real name William Robinson, who pretended to be Chinese to create a sense of mysticism to his magic acts (and unfortunately yes, he did use yellowface).
The Open Day itself was quite the experience, the first day the tour around the factory sold out, though our lack of signposting led people to come in through the main factory door which might not have been the best for their health and safety.
After correctly signposting everything, the day went off without a hitch, the rest of the tours through the week were successful and it was all capped off by our separate Family Fun Day event. It was unfortunate due to Covid we couldn’t hold it in the summer as we usually do, but it was still nice to put on some food stalls, rides and raffles to raise money for our friends at Child Action Northwest.Â
On a personal note, after delays, a pandemic and enough red tape to bury you, I finally managed to attend my Graduation. It was a great service and incredibly satisfying despite being the only one of my class to attend (I had more leg room at least).
Well, October has gotten to full swing and there is a lot to do. We in the marketing department are prepping to promote and launch our international website as well as film the installation tutorial for our Riser Fire Seal products.
Here’s to another busy month.
