The Real World


Virgil Winston:
Marketing Guru

Unless you’ve been hiding out in a cave with no access to TV, radio or the Internet, you know that June is the month for Dads…and Grads. High schoolers everywhere are attending proms and preparing to move into the dorms, while college kids get ready to make the big leap…into the real world. As most of us know, the challenges we faced in college don’t always prepare us for what’s in store when we actually enter the work force. We say goodbye to frat parties, all night cramming and spring break, and say hello to staff meetings, conference calls and unpaid overtime. I never understood my great granddad’s favorite expression, “Working ain’t for sissies,” until I got my first job at a big marketing firm. Let’s just say that the experience was more painful than an episode “The Office,” and not half as funny. My boss was a bit of a screamer and his favorite word was, “Winston!!!”

Hopefully the graduates in your life will have better luck. Here are a few items to help get them started. As anyone who’s ever had a 7:00 AM conference call knows, coffee is essential, and it tastes better when it comes in a nice mug. The 14 oz contour mug offers the perfect backdrop for a logo or promotional message and is the perfect way to say, “Welcome to the real world…you’re gonna need this.” If your graduate is used to classes that begin at noon, the Perfect Time Clock is the perfect gift. It features an integrated mechanism to contact the U.S. atomic clock five times each day, so the clock stays perfectly synchronized. Of course, it also contains the most important feature…a snooze alarm. Finally, the Millennium Leather Deluxe Compu-Saddle Bag is the perfect replacement for the well-worn backpack. It offers a winning combination of luxury and practicality, and is made of top-quality Mil Leather. Plus, it’s loaded with great features such as a deluxe organizer and detachable and adjustable shoulder strap.

Well, I’m off to the Annual Whittlers Convention in Wichita. They don’t give away a lot of promotional items, but they are all hand made. In the meantime, remember the most important ingredient for success after college…hard work. As Granny Winston used to say, “Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.”