Today was undoubtedly the best day out of the past four days in Ireland! Not only did we experience a comprehensive and engaging tour of Dublin’s financial district, we also had the opportunity to visit a youth-centered marketing agency that does a wonderful job at keeping up with the current trends. We learned a lot about the history of Dublin’s financial district in addition to the effects of the great famine and housing market crash on the working class. I thought the duality of the two Irelands was incredibly interesting and Dr. Darren Kelly’s lecture on the topic was thought-provoking.

I learned about the difference between high- vs. low-context cultures in my business communication class last spring, and Dr. Kelly brought it up again as he compared Irish business culture to the American one. Notably, he mentioned that while Americans prefer a strict rubric and detailed agendas, the Irish are comfortable with playing it by ear, being accommodating, and dedicate more energy towards building relationships. During yesterday’s site visit to Microsoft, our presenter mentioned that he changed around the agenda last-minute to accommodate a demonstration of the HoloLens. Had I been in the position of the presenter, I would have most likely freaked out and been very uncomfortable with changing the agenda for a pre-planned meeting. Even our visit to THINKHOUSE today was laid-back and fairly casual, and the work environment felt more like a close-knit group as opposed to a strict corporate setting. Moreover, THINKHOUSE’s representation of the youth provided a refreshing perspective on marketing they showcased some of their favourite projects to our group–they were phenomenal! A benefit that companies can expect from shifting to a youth-focused, growth mindset rather than a stagnant mindset is the ability to adapt to the constantly changing times and trends, in addition to being able to adapt to unforeseen circumstances quicker than competitors. A potential challenge to rapidly adapting to current trends might be the risk of losing their appeal to an older customer base, but considering that THINKHOUSE’s target market is 18-35 year olds, I think they’re doing just fine. Honestly, THINKHOUSE is most certainly a company that I would be super interested in working for.

One discovery I made through these conversations was that academics and college GPA isn’t everything. As someone that strives to plan out everything and ensure everything is just perfect, hearing about the significance of following one’s passions (creative or otherwise) and cultivating emotional intelligence felt really validating. And after today’s visit to THINKHOUSE, I may or may not add on a marketing major to my degree…we shall see…

Tomorrow, we will be visiting the Guinness Enterprise Center, a company that I’m assigned to write a report on. So I’m looking forward to learning more! ALSO: We saw a double rainbow this evening!!

Sláinte,

Shreya.