This is an extremely important part of VAN that looks after our bloggers and website owners; providing them with great ad campaigns that pay them well, and ultimately providing our advertisers with views for their campaigns on awesome sites.

So what’s the job like:

This is a great way to get started in the industry. You get to work on great campaigns for big clients, and you’ll pick up key skills in account management, planning, media buying and reporting. We hope you’ll stick around for a couple of years, but we’ll train you in ways that give you a great preparation to step up to your next position (whether it’s internal or external).

The role has three key responsibilities:

• • Help build our network of quality online publishers
  • Support the campaign management team with delivery of clients campaigns
  • Support the sales team with publisher input for pitching

In detail…

• • Researching and recruiting publishers and bloggers from desired categories to sign up to the network
  • Assessing and processing incoming publisher signups.
  • Categorising publisher inventory to aid campaign planning and pitching
  • Expanding VAN’s profile across key social media platforms – tweet, blog, get involved…
  • Help to grow VAN’s publisher community with relevant marketing & events.
  • Ensure VAN publisher inventory meets individual campaign targets.

What you’re like:

This is a job for people who:

• • Are comfortable with numbers, especially straightforward arithmetic.
  • Enjoy talking to people by phone and email to develop relationships.
  • Work hard (cliche, but true here). It’s a job where you need to get your tasks done to time. It can also be necessary to check campaign progress out of office hours (using online systems).
  • Have solid writing skills: we don’t have time to check your spelling etc, and we’re working with publishers who may judge us negatively if you can’t write clearly and accurately.

The type of work is fairly consistent and suits someone who is happy to do similar tasks on a daily basis. That said, the job is exciting: new opportunities come up, new relationships will be formed, we get sales wins and awesome content to seed, and campaigns need to get their views.

You will definitely need:

• • A genuine desire to get stuck into work and take responsibility.
  • A passion for online publishing. You need to be an active consumer of digital, and experience writing or running a blog would be great.
  • Previous work experience, this can be anything dealing with people or a task based role. It doesn’t have to be relevant to marketing or online, but we don’t have time to teach you the most basic professional and get-things-done skills.

Salary and progression

• • Within the role, you can progress from ‘novice’ to ‘ninja’. This would take a couple of years. A complete novice starts on £14.4k, and a ninja would get around £25k.
  • There’s healthy profit share on top for all staff (linked to company performance), and a success club (team rewards for making monthly sales target).
  • There’s a wide range of progression opportunities when it’s time to move on from this role. There may be opportunities to move up within VAN taking management responsibility for aspects of sales or operations, or moving elsewhere within the Team Rubber group. It’s also a great stepping stone into agencies or client-side marketing, giving a solid grounding in account management, media planning and buying, and campaign operations.

Interested? To apply mail ally@viraladnetwork.net with a covering letter outlining why you think you are suitable for the position and where your strengths lie along with a 2 page CV.

Even the kitties are getting down with the fancy dress theme!

Nightmares infiltrate reality.

What was that….? Did you hear it?

No….. seriously….. didn’t you see that?

Like it or not, Summer is over and with the Autumn nights drawing in and Halloween just around the corner you might be wondering about what exciting things you can get up to this year to chill, thrill and utterly scare yourselves silly, well ponder no more!

Shadows Follow is an awesome psychological thriller game set amongst the oldest places of central Bristol. This is the inaugural production of Splash & Ripple, a game and experience making company run by creatives whose past work includes direction of 2.8 hours Later (citywide zombie chase game) and creation of xmas thriller “Silent Night” and the terrifying “Basement”.

It’s a thrilling game/experience designed to scare people with their own fears rather than gore (no zombies this time). They’ve been working full pelt on the Shadows Follow production in time for Halloween, if you are around Bristol this is definitely going to be worth checking out. So bring along your friends this halloween weekend for 1.5 hours of unique and nightmarish adventure!

Friday 28th Oct 7pm Bristol (secret central location)

Book your ticket now!

For further information check out the Shadows Follow Facebook page and follow @splashandripple to keep up to date with the latest exciting announcements.

This time we had some double feline battle action, with Meme-Master Meow up against Viral Kitty, in a fluffy cat-fight of YouTube awesomeness. Followed by Festival coordinator Rosie Fairchild taking us on a whistle-stop behind the scenes tour of the Bristol Cycle Festival.

With an amazing program of events ranging from guerrilla knitting, challenge rides and cycle speed dating to secret sing-a-long cinemas, the festival was brought to life with no budget by a whole host of dedicated volunteers, all passionate about the beautiful invention that is ‘the bike’.

And… we all got special stickers, did some roll play cycle games and wondered why Brit Eckland needed a bum-double in the famous wall banging scene of the Wicker Man!

Among the highlights from this week’s meme battle were Nonononononononon Cat, (I’m not quite sure what his problem is, but he definitely does NOT agree.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vs Jedi Kittens Strike Back (both cute and geeky, got to be a winning combo.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Then over to the bizarre TV commercials – If you liked the Chuck Tester taxidermy ad that we featured in the viral chart rundown last week, then Cuban Gynecologist: Local Car Commercial, (another hilarious offering from comedy duo Rhett & Link), will be right up your street.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vs the heavily parodied Flea Market Montgomery with a cameo on The Cleveland Show.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the ‘best journeys’ category we had the awe inspiring What Does It Feel Like To Fly Over Planet Earth Vs Gamer Commute, one man’s epic drive to work, (if only real life was that exciting!)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Finally, the Horsemanning song. Ever since the Planking phenomenon took off, the internet has been looking for ‘the new planking’. We’ve had Owling, Stocking, Cone-ing, Plumbking even Scarlett Johansson-ing! Well this little tune takes us through the art of Horsemanning.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, who won the war? Drum roll please …

Da da da daaaaaaaah…. Congratulations to Viral Kitty!!! Yes it finally happened, Chris’s winning streak has been broken. Is Meme-Master-Meow loosing his touch? Let’s see if he can steal back his crown in the next battle.

Which brings us to our first exciting announcement… We’re planning a #KittenCamp Christmas spectacular on 14th December. Not only will we have a whole host of extra special guests, activities and prizes but we are moving to a new venue. Since we appear to have outgrown our lovely little space at Goldbrick House we are heading to pastures new and our Christmas party will be at the Big Chill Bar. Places will go fast so reserve your ticket now to avoid a sad face later!

Second exciting announcement…. There is now an official #KittenCamp Tumblr! We will be posting all kinds of fun clips and bits & bobs on there so keep an eye out, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Meow for now!

Joining us as our guest speaker will be Rosie Fairchild, festival coordinator for the awesome Bristol Cycle Festival, a 9 day program of events ranging from mountain biking to guerrilla knitting, challenge rides and cycle speed dating to secret sing-a-long cinemas.

Expect the usual viral shenanigans, beer, meme battles, and Rosie chatting us through the highs and lows of DIY & group run social media promotion @bris_cycle_fest.

For further information and to grab your free tickets visit the Eventbrite page.

And… in case you some how missed the news flash, #kittenCamp is officially famous, actual been on the telly fame! Check out the BBC news story on our last London event.

Click here to view the embedded video.

P.S be our friend on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter we want to share all our fun stuff with you!

So what has it been like to work as campaign manager for VAN?

* You will work with some truly intelligent, witty and welcoming people. I have been taught a lot, made to laugh and and kept on my toes.
* The role has clear structure and you have the satisfaction running seeding campaigns from start to finish. You will be involved in sales, agreements, client handling, media buying and final reports.
* You will work with some incredibly popular brands and some high profile agencies.
* You will be kept up-to-date with all the latest funny and fascinating virals.
* You get a sexy MacBook you can take home in the evenings and weekends. Sweet.

What do you need to enjoy being a campaign manager?
* An understanding and love for Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, Google Analytics etc. If you don’t have this now, you soon will.
* Good verbal and written communication
* Ability to manage time.
* A drive to hit target.

I have loved working for VAN, I am not entirely sure the realisation that I am leaving next month has actually sunken in yet to be honest. I have been part of the VAN team for a year now and Team Rubber for nearly five, and I can truthfully say I have loved it. I will be taking away some fantastic skills, knowledge and happy memories. Fortunately though, I am only moving around the corner so the guys at Rubber Towers won’t be getting away from me that easily.

Interested? Full campaign manager job description here.

Our monthly meme fest ‘KittenCamp’ is finally arriving in Bristol!

For those of you who don’t know, #KittenCamp is a monthly meet-up for web-loving ad-industry types to discuss the latest internet memes and social media trends over a free beer or two.

KittenCamp first launched in London earlier this year and we now host a regular monthly slot in Soho, but by popular demand we are launching our first Bristol Kitten Camp tomorrow (Tuesday 21st of September) from 6.30pm @ Goldbrick House.

Come along and say hi.

Though it won’t convince me to splash out on an Alexander McQueen dress or Christian Louboutin shoes as modelled by Lady Tottington, having the well-loved Bristolian duo Wallace & Gromit front the campaign for the upmarket chain is definitely going to prove popular with consumers and their children.