2009: Year of the Ox

2009 presents a set of huge challenges for me both at a professional and personal level. I'm currently working on 5 finished papers: one that is being reviewed, two that are in a revise and resubmit stage, and two that have been rejected and must be twitched to be sent to another journal. Meanwhile, I must finish the data collection for another study focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its effect over global brands. If that weren't enough, before June Dr. Paswan and I should finish the paper 'What does it mean to be green?', and I have to focus on developing a couple of solo pieces that I must complete before going up for tenure. For those of you who have been in my class, you'll remember the 8 steps of segmentation and know how delayed the writing of this paper is by now. So professionally, my hands are full.

At a personal level, April 20 will represent my comeback in the Boston Marathon. After two failed attempts, this year I shall overcome the Boston curse. I'm about to start my formal training to tackle the big race. And although things might get complicated after June, I am thinking about the Austin 70.3 Half-Ironman in October.

The biggest, but most beautiful, challenge of all will come in June, when Sarah and I will become parents. We pray every day for a healthy baby, which is what really matters. So I find that 2009 being the year of the ox is nothing but appropriate, because I will require ox-like determination to tackle all of the challenges in 2009... and don't we all, given the current economic circumstances?

I believe 2009 will be a fascinating year for branding. With less money to spend, companies will have to be very smart on how to invest their precious marketing dollars. The 2009 branding party kicks off next Sunday, when the almighty Steelers face the Cardinals at the Super Bowl. It will be very interesting to see what and who is able to surprise us. Hopefully we'll see better things than the recent "G" campaign that still has many of us baffled. What is Gatorade trying to do?