You've probably never heard of the company I work for. But our product is all around you. In fact, it's inside you.
We make ideas, and we put them in people's heads.
Essentially, we create fame.
What does that even mean? A company whose business is to create fame?
Communications companies like the one I work at used to be called PR companies, until digital technology came along and puffed everything up into the air. Now we're all trying to pick out new dance moves in the sudden media confetti-party.
But though technology may have changed, the basis of the business was, and is, simple: people pay us so that other people hear about them.
Which is why you've never heard about us - but have you heard about any of these guys?
Of course you have. These are global brands. You know these companies because they're doing amazing things. They're changing our world.
But just doing amazing things isn't enough.
People have to know you're doing amazing things.
If you've heard of these companies, it's partly because people are working really hard to make sure that you're going to notice them, online and offline.
Let me give you an example.
Halo is one of the world's best-selling video games. A milestone in contemporary culture.
Well, when they launched Halo 4, Microsoft wanted to make a big splash. So we rented a small country. (Yeah, turns out you can totally rent Liechtenstein for a day).
And we turned it into an interactiveHaloexperience for a carefully-chosen team of journalists, and also some of core fans who had won online competitions to come and attend the big reveal. We flew them all down there and took them on an adventure around a 13-century castle that we had transformed into a Halo fortress.
Later, when Xbox One launched, we turned Leicester Square in London into Xbox One Square on launch day. Thousands of people showed up to celebrate one of the year's biggest entertainment launches. Millions more heard about the event thanks to the huge amount of press coverage the event generated.
Headlines like this don't just happen by accident.
But putting on events and interacting with traditional media is just the tip of the iceberg.
Do you know who this guy is? PewDiePie is a YouTube megastar. He's got over 34 million subscribers. We work with influencers like him on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and other networks. The way stories spread online is changing, and established media outlets are only part of the story now. We have to be plugged in and working with the whole ecosystem.
The Internet is our playground. We help our clients make an impact on all these networks and more, telling stories that reach millions of people every day. And I've barely scratched the surface. We work in public policy, in corporate reputation, in crisis and issues management, in health care, in technology, in just about every area you'd care to mention.
Working in this industry can be really fascinating. If you want to join us, you'll need a few things.
First of all, you have to be a good storyteller.
You have to be the type of person who can get people to listen to you, because you know the right thing to say to the right person. It helps to be a good writer too.
Secondly, you have to be plugged in, a firestarter, someone who feels the heat from the burning edge of culture. You have to love it there.
Someone asked me after yesterday's event what it meant to be there, at the burning edge. The best answer I can give is a quote from Louis Armstrong: "If you have to ask what Jazz is, you'll never know."
Are you the person who tells your mates what's coming up, what the latest thing is? Do people share links online and you're all "Pfft, I seen that one before"? Then this is you.
Third, you have to have a good head on your shoulders. Be organized. This is a creative profession, but it's not for airy-fairy artistes. You have to be a thinker, a strategist.
Fourthly, you have to be the kind of person who's into getting results and scoring big.
Eyes on the prize. A scrapper, an improviser. Someone who's driven enough to get past sceptics and doubters to make your ideas real.
Finally, you don't have to be some boring type in a suit. And no, you don't need a university degree to do this work. If we recruited the same kind of people all the time, we'd get the same kind of ideas all the time.
Then we'd die.
So if you're interested in joining us, look here.
In terms of full-time roles, we're looking for Assistant Account Executives. That's how you start out.
We're also looking for apprentices, interns and work experience placements. A good way to get your foot in the door.
So - want to spread some ideas?