Benedict Advertising - Business Building Solutions

Who knew that 26 years ago when I first started my advertising career that I would end up buying media and overseeing a media department at Benedict Advertising.

I was in college when I began my first job in advertising.  I started as a secretary at the local Lamar Outdoor Advertising plant in Daytona Beach and worked my way into various positions including sales and operations during my 7 ½ years at Lamar.

My next job was at Champion Rent to Own, based in Daytona Beach.  Yes, it’s true when you work for an in-house agency you get to wear many hats. I learned a lot in this job from TV production and editing to Quark Xpress and laying out flyers for weekly specials. It was my boss at the time that asked after a couple years, “So, what’s your favorite part of this job?”, as he was asking our staff to specialize in positions that we really felt passionate about and enjoyed.  You may have already guessed it, but mine was media buying. I had already been buying some of the media for the company and this was an area where I felt challenged and was eager to learn more about.  The company sent me to various media buying schools where I honed my skills.

The company was eventually sold and I was left to ponder… “Now what am I going to do with my career?” That’s when I received a call from Mr. Jim Benedict asking me to come in for an interview for a media buyer.  A week later I started at the agency.  I still had lots to learn as a buyer and had a great mentor in Mr. Benedict who shared his sharp negotiation skills with me.  Now, 11 years later with a full media department at the agency I am sharing what I have learned over the last 26 years with others that have chosen media as their career.

Recently CNN posted an article, “The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers.“  Among those was one titled the “Bad Grammarian.”  Now, I’m certainly not a grammar expert, I did OK in English classes growing up and in college, but I’m certainly not the first person you’d want proof-reading your writing.  I’m terrible with commas and tend to have run-on sentences (which you may notice).  But there are some things I just can’t overlook.  The fact is, good or bad, we get a lot of information about the world, the news and our friends, acquaintances and business associates through Facebook status updates, tweets, and whatever other social media is hot that day.  And it’s very true that your writing makes an impression about you to all the people who follow your updates.  Now, I realize occasionally letters get transposed, or we forget a word here or there, everyone makes mistakes…but there are some things that you should just know.  There are some mistakes I see repeatedly that I would like to address. These have become major pet peeves to me.  Mainly the problem is the misuse of homonyms.  I can’t tell you how many status updates, comments and tweets I see a day where the writer simply misuses words that sound the same.  So, here is a quick run down of which word means what…

We’ll start with your and you’re.  Your means possession, something that belongs to your or relates to you, “your car”, “your nose”, “your attitude”.  You’re means you are.  Say the sentence to yourself replacing your/you’re with “you are.”  If it doesn’t make sense, then you use your.  If it does make sense, then you’re is correct.  A place I see this commonly misused is “your welcome.”  Now, saying “your welcome” would be correct only if you are saying something like, “you’ve worn out your welcome.”  But, in response to a thank you, “you’re welcome” is correct.

Next two, too and to.  Two means 2, the number after 1 and before 3.  Simple enough.  Too means also, only use too if you could replace it with also.  To is used any other time.  Examples:  “I’m going to the store”, “I’m going to eat dinner”, “I’m going to give the letter to my friend”, “To all the girls I’ve loved before”, “To whom it may concern.”  You get the picture.  If it’s not the number and it’s not also, then it’s to.

Now, they’re, their and there.  They’re means they are.  If you can’t replace the word they’re with they are, then don’t use it.  Their means possession or relating to someone.  Example: “That is their car”, “Anyone in their right mind”.  And finally there, it’s used pretty much any other time.  If you can’t say they are and you’re not indicating possession, then there is your correct choice.  It’s usually used to indicate a place or a point of reference. Examples: “Go over there”, “We’re going there after dinner”, “Stop right there before you say something you’ll regret.”

Finally, people are afraid of the word me.  For instance, someone posts a picture on Facebook and adds the caption “Betty, Judy, Freda and I at the lake.”  I is not the correct word to use here, you can use me.  I think that we’re taught to use I when we’re little and then assume that me can never be used again.  But an easy way to remember whether to use I or me is to take everyone else out of the sentence.  You wouldn’t say, “I at the lake,” you’d say “Me at the lake.”  So once you remove everyone else, you’ll know whether to use I or me.  “Betty, Judy, Freda and me at the lake.”  Also, there is no such word as “I’s”.  For example, I’ve seen people say, “Come over to Cindy and I’s house.”  Don’t ever say that, that just sounds silly.  The correct word is “my”.

As I said, I’m certainly NOT a grammar expert, nothing even close, but these are just a few little things that I see so often on in my online-social life.  Things that are easily fix-able and will help your professionalism online.

-Stephanie Benedict

Reflecting back on the road that I have taken as a Graphic Designer has made me realize that if you truly love something and are determined to achieve it you will, and every stage and part of the path is necessary for your learning and growth.

I started drawing before starting to speak and all through my life drawing, painting and creating was what I found joy and peace in. I consider myself very lucky and blessed to have found what I enjoy and love to do and can do it as my career. I decided to become a graphic designer in 2002 and after much hard work and anticipation was accepted to the graphic design program at UCF. Although when graduated in December of 2005, I felt unprepared and timid to enter the real world of graphic design.

There wasn’t anything to lose and I had to start somewhere, so I decided to put fear aside and work towards my goal believing that the right opportunities will come my way if I stayed true to myself and consistent in my path. I moved to Hamburg, Germany and started a 3-month internship in a small design agency in Hamburg. It was my very first experience in an agency. Over 3 years has passed since and after working in the field of advertising and coming close to my 2 year anniversary in Benedict advertising I can look back and proudly say that I have come a long way since that day.

Little did I know back then, that I was laying the necessary foundations for the bigger things ahead. There is still much more left to learn and I am eager for it all. When you truly love something and want to achieve it, time, space, pain and sorrow will all vanish. Human beings are a lot more capable and powerful than they know, sometimes we forget that. “Human beings are the architects of their own environment” as professor Nader Angha a sufi master said once.

All of the opportunities that you need for your path of growth will meet you in the right time and right place. So keep the fire of love alive in your heart and never take your eyes off of your goal!

-Kerry McEachern