'Aint Nothing Like a Dorm Fire to Shake Things Up

I'm currently blogging from the comfort of my temporary residence in Mellon Hall -- a building usually reserved for HBS Executive Education participants. The good news? I have my own bathroom for the next week! The bad news? I'm here because yesterday McCulloch Hall (my dorm) caught on fire.

Yes, folks, Mother Nature was mad at us for some reason and thought that the week before finals was a fine time to call upon her flickering friend to stir up some adventure.

It all started yesterday around 2pm. I was getting ready to leave my room for a doctor's appointment when the fire alarm went off for about 5 seconds and then stopped. A few seconds later, it went off for another 5 seconds and then stopped again. After this happened a third time, a bunch of the girls on my floor convened in our common area to see what was going on. We all assumed it was probably either a false alarm or another case of burnt popcorn, so we weren't freaking out. A few of the girls decided to just stay in their rooms! Since I was on my way out anyway, I locked my door and headed outside only to see smoke BILLOWING out of the roof of the dorm on the opposite wing. This was no case of popcorn!

After a swift call to reschedule my doctor's appointment, I headed to the lawn to watch the action unfold. Within minutes, five fire trucks, three police cars and a plethora of ambulances had surrounded the dorm. The firefighters pulled out one of those crazy long ladders that you only ever see them using in the movies and started hacking away at the roof of the building (with what appeared to be axes) unraveling the water hoses and checking to make sure everyone had left the building. Shortly thereafter, the police had roped off the area...and I was yelling at myself for not having grabbed my laptop, passport or a variety of other important items that I left in my room.

From there, the details become fuzzy. All 85 residents were shuffled off to a neighboring dorm common area for "more information" and several hours later we were informed that the building was not habitable for the evening and we'd be given temporary housing until they had figured things out. Several rooms on the east wing (I live in the west wing) were completely destroyed. Most were largely unaffected but were still being examined for smoke, water and/or fire damage. The Environmental Healthy & Safety team had been called out to test the air for toxic fumes. While we'd be able to grab a few necessities from our rooms, all electricity had been turned off in the building, and wouldn't be able to be restored immediately.

Today the update was that we're all going to be displaced at least until the middle of next week, and depending on the pace of the construction work, it could be longer. Many of the residents of the east wing are being displaced for the entire remainder of the semester. Thankfully, no one was hurt, except for one firefighter who suffered some shoulder injuries.

All in all, I give kudos to HBS for handling the situation swiftly, without drama and as compassionately as possible. In addition to all of the McCulloch residents being given a room to stay in, we were given American Red Cross emergency kits with basic toiletries, towels/sheets, meal vouchers and loaner laptops (for those that needed them). I'm SO thankful that my room was only minimally affected, but now my sympathies go out to my colleagues who will have to deal with the loss of a greater proportion of their personal belongings.

The worst for me was the $75 in groceries that I had delivered the night before the fire. Most of that had to be thrown out today since we don't have mini-fridges in Mellon and the electric will be off in the building until further notice.

That's the news for now, folks. Hopefully it'll be a calm weekend in light of all the excitement!

EKTA 2009

This entry is a bit overdue, but I couldn't skip blogging about the EKTA 2009 show that I am so proud to have been a part of!!


EKTA is the annual cultural showcase put on by the HBS South Asian Business Association (aka SABA) featuring a mix of Asian dances, skits, musical performances and a fashion show. Last year I was blown away as I watched from the audience's perspective: all of the numbers were so high energy and the movements were beautiful, not to mention the fun Indian rhythms. As soon as I found out that people of non-south Asian descent were welcome to participate I said sign me up! And thus, I became a member of the awesome EC BHANGRA 2009 team!


Our group of 20+ students and partners rehearsed for about a month prior to the show and put on a rocking 10 minute number featuring a mix of four Indian tunes. We competed against a group of 20 RCs who also did a bhangra number and we won according to audience applause! Doing the actual dance was SUCH an adrenaline rush. The crowd was on their feet, the music was loud and they energy in the room was ridiculous! Even aside from the dancing, it was an awesome experience to "try on" a different culture. As you can see from the photos, I got to dress up in a traditional Indian costume, complete with a bindi (the dot in the middle of the eyes)! Best of all was the appreciation I got from countless people who thanked me for adding some "color" (or, should I say lack of color with my pale skin) to the show. Case in point:


Hahaha, this text made me laugh when I first received it, and it still makes me chuckle now. I hope that I inspired other white girls to get out there and show what they've got!

In addition to the bhangra, the show featured two Bollywood numbers, including a tribute to actress Madhuri Dixit, two types of classical dance called Dheem and Bharatanatyam, an Indo-Western Fusion number, a poetry reading, a musical performance, and as I mentioned, a fashion show. And in keeping with tradition, the show sold out all 600+ seats in the massive Burden Auditorium.

Right now, there isn't a video record of our actual performance (shame on us in this high-tech world!), but some RC posted a video of our first dress rehearsal that you can view here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlAgtzRf-Nk. Keep in mind that this does little justice to our actual performance. People aren't fully in costume, are still unsure of the steps AND we didn't perform any of the awesome stunts that got people on their feet during the actual performance. However, it should give you a tiny glimpse into the magic that is EKTA!

2009 Marketing & CPG Conference: Breaking Through the Clutter

For those of you who didn't know, I am a Co-Vice President of Marketing/Social for the HBS Marketing & CPG Club, and this year, I got to spearhead the collateral creation and design process for the club's annual conference. Our theme: the ever relevant idea of "breaking through the clutter." The date: November 8, 2009. The result: success!


The day began with a keynote address by Russ Klein, the president of global marketing, strategy and innovation for Burger King. I have to admit, I wasn't initially thrilled at the prospect of hearing Russ speak. The only marketing campaign that came to mind when I thought of Burger King was the "burger King" with his cheesy grin and plastic face (not one of my favorite marketing tactics, I must admit). But Russ was surprisingly compelling and he outlined some BK initiatives that I actually thought were quite creative. For example, he told us about how BK changed around the Kid's Meal to make it more healthy by cutting apple slices into the shape of french fries and serving them in a french fry container. That's a pretty original way to make eating healthier fun for kids. He also highlighted the "Whopper Freakout" campaign, which was pretty funny (it involved BK declaring that the Whopper was discontinued in one town and taping people's insane reactions), although it definitely highlighted the less-than-classy clientele that tend to support this type of establishment. Russ also threw out a few "gems of wisdom" that he says BK staff live by:

• Sometimes it's more important to be provocative than pleasant (nothing tugs like tension).
• Speed matters: fail fast, succeed fast.
• Turning your brand over to the consumer is taking control.
• Formulas are for scientists: shedding your skin frequently can be rejuvenating

Interestingly enough, Russ stepped down from his position at Burger King today: http://adage.com/article?article_id=140426.

In the afternoon, the conference featured four panels, of which I attended Innovation in the Lifecycle of a Brand and Reaching Consumers Through New Channels (the other offerings were Power of International Marketing and Connecting Meaningfully with Different Consumer Segments). Breaking up the panels was a networking lunch, in which I got to sit with our second keynote speaker, Porter Gale, who is the vice president of marketing for Virgin America airlines.

Porter was a very interesting woman to sit down with -- she really knows how to sell the Virgin America brand. It was especially enlightening for me, as I'm currently a loyal JetBlue customer, and VA considers JB to be one of their biggest competitors. I promised Porter that I would give Virgin a try, since they're launching Ft Lauderdale Intl Airport next week, but as long as they continue charging for checked bags and snacks (JetBlue gives first checked bag free and unlimited free snacks and beverages), I'm not sure my loyalty will be switching.

Some highlights from Porter's talk:

• Those who are brave may not live that long, but those who are timid don't live at all.
• Connect, don't market.
• Think like a marketer. Act like a CFO.
• Look for avenues to get the word out that don't cost money. Virgin America benefitted highly from generating PR buzz, participating in reality shows and leveraging social networks. Their marketing budget is a measly $12mm in comparison to Southwest's $200mm, but that doesn't mean you can't get good coverage.

Overall, I feel like I learned a lot at the conference. Now it's on to planning for the spring HBS Entertainment & Media Club conference. I never stop! Stay tuned for another blog post this weekend as I'll be posting tons of photos from the EKTA show that I'm participating in!

Time Flies

There are only 24 days of class left in the fall semester. That's less than 5 weeks. How did this semester go by so quickly?

I know it's been a while since I've written a full entry. I'm lacking inspiration right now! Stay tuned, though, because I'll definitely be blogging after the 2009 Marketing & CPG Conference that takes place on campus next Sunday (I helped with the marketing/goody bag orders!). And then the week after that, I'll be sure to blog about the South Asian Business Association's EKTA show, in which I'm dancing the bhangra! Lots to come soon!

How would you brand Harvard Business School?

This was the question we were posed last week in my Consumer Marketing class, and what a challenging assignment it turned out to be! In addition to designing a "tagline" or slogan that would completely sum up the special qualitites of our program, we had to develop an elevator pitch that would explain why our tagline was the perfect fit. I practically tore my hair out until I came up with something I liked, but in the end I'm pretty proud of the result. Turns out it's WAY more difficult to brand something than you would think, especially when you are close to the product/service. Read my paper below and post your comments: How well do you think my brand identity fits the school?

HARVARD | BUSINESS | SCHOOL

what managers do in real life

Consumer Marketing Reflection Paper #6

2. Tell me about the branding phrase you came up with for the branding exercise assignment. You may not have had an opportunity to share your phrase with the rest of the class; this is your opportunity to explain to me in more detail why you think your phrase captures the HBS brand essence.

The branding phrase that I came up with for HBS was “What Managers Do in Real Life.” It’s a very simple idea, but I think it encapsulates the special nature of our school and stands apart enough to avoid a copy-cat attempt from a competing institution.

Before I jump to explaining and defending my slogan, I need to give credit to Professor Jan Hammond who was my inspiration. You see, I was having an incredibly hard time with this assignment and had tried “wordsmithing” to no avail. Sure, the words transformative, discovery, growth, home, and teamwork all describe the HBS experience, but much to my disappointment, nothing quite fit when I tried to form an expression.

I felt that I needed to step outside of myself for a moment and glean insight from how others see HBS, so I spent some time talking to a friend who is a prospective student, and then surfed the internet and read a few articles about the program. Finally, I clicked over to the HBS homepage to watch (for the hundredth time) the short videos the school uses for promotional purposes.

In one of the last videos, entitled “Inside the HBS Case Method,” Jan addresses the efficacy of the teaching style and says, “To me the reason this method is so effective is that it really mirrors what managers do in real life.” I knew at that moment that I had found the perfect phrase for the assignment, but it wasn’t until I gave it deeper thought that I realized just how well it summarized the 360 degrees of the Harvard Business School experience.

Firstly, let’s take the lifeblood of the program: the case method. As Jan so eloquently mentioned, this teaching technique forces students to become managers from day one and make the choices executives make in even the most difficult of business conundrums. And there’s little tolerance for the wishy-washy. In the working world, managers are often challenged to think “on the spot,” and HBS is one of the few institutions that prepares students for dealing with the simultaneous adrenaline rush and sheer horror of making a high-impact choice without time for reflection.

But the idea of doing “what managers do in real life” extends beyond the case method. As students, we must manage small-group dynamics in our learning teams, and quickly understand how to work effectively with 5-6 people that are vastly different from you. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we must learn to manage large-group dynamics in our sections and rapidly recognize each individual’s strengths, weaknesses and “hot buttons.” We do what managers do in real life when we take on a leadership role in a student club. We manage our career trajectories through networked job searches. We even manage our daily calendars to ensure a reasonable balance between education and social activities.

Thinking beyond the MBA experience, this phrase also fits within the executive education program as we see high-level managers flocking back to the school to enhance their business acumen. Moving to the faculty, HBS is one of the few institutions that forces professors to take an entire semester off each school year to research and write cases that, again, aim to highlight exactly what managers do in real life. Whether it’s understanding the purpose of the entrepreneurship initiative, summarizing the role of the alumni network or explaining why so many case protagonists relish attending class to share their experiences, you can see that the institution is grounded in the day to day experience of the manager.

At other schools, you hear, see and learn, but an HBS education transforms. And that, my friend, is something that will stick with you long after traditional book knowledge has faded into oblivion.

Peru Immersion Experience

Hello faithful readers! It has been a crazy couple of weeks here at HBS, hence the reason I've been slacking on the blogging. This week, EC company presentations began so I've been bopping around to those (and their accompanying dessert receptions...can I say yum?), taking care of the duties that go along with being an officer in two clubs, managing school work and trying to have a bit of a social life now and then. But all complaining aside, I have some very exciting news to announce:

I am going to Peru for two weeks in January!

Background Info on my Peru Trip: HBS hosts a series of programs called IXPs, short for Immersion Experience Programs, and every winter term they offer student trips to a variety of countries where you are intended to both learn and have fun. The trips are lead by a member of the faculty and are designed around a specific subject matter. The educational component comes into play through company site visits, panels with executives, alumni events and usually some sort of capstone project. So in the end, it's less of a vacation and more of an educational opportunity, but they do include several cultural activities, some free time and gorgeous, picturesque accommodations. This year they offered IXPs in really exotic destinations: Rwanda, UAE/Bahrain, Vietnam, India, China and Peru. I went to the info sessions for each of the desintations and, in the end, fell in love with Peru, despite the fact that it's probably the least "out of the ordinary" among the countries.

The Peru trip is called "Escaping the Natural Resource Curse" and the business education side is focused on a combination of economics (i.e. building up an economy that has become entirely reliant on the benefits of abundant natural resources, and therefore suffers in most other industrial sectors) and ecotourism (which is totally my thing!). We're visiting some really interesting companies (Brescia, Inkaterra [a rainforest lodge...and we're staying there!], Inca group, Ingrid y Gaston [a 5-star restaurant that we'll also get to eat at!]), visiting the Caral-Supe archeological site, touring Machu Picchu, touring the Sacred Valley of the Incas, AND going ziplining through the Amazon rainforest (how amazingly amazing is that???)!

It's a 13-day trip, and get this, with nearly everything included, costs less than $2K.

Now if I could only figure out how I'm spending the other 4 weeks of winter break, I'd be set!

Hire Me!

Gabrielle Bill \ga-bree-el b-ill\ n : A creative blogger/HBS MBA candidate who is currently seeking an awesome job in marketing. Company must be highly innovative, company-culture oriented and well structured.