HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB TO A 7-YEAR-OLD CHILD?
(S) On planning? Yikes, still working on the exact definition for when speaking to adults on that one…
If I were to describe working in advertising, I’d say:
“Big adult playground, where you try and come up with a new and better game than the other guy, every day. Meaning no more early bedtimes…”
(R) A privilege.
WHAT IS THE SKILL PEOPLE COMING INTO THE INDUSTRY MOST NEED (AND OFTEN DON’T HAVE)?
(S) There’s plenty of skills you won’t have, but also plenty of time to learn all of those.
I’d say one characteristic that’s important is to be interested in and want to find opportunity in “boring” briefs.
You probably won’t start off working on Nike’s World Cup campaign (unless you’re lucky), so why not impress where they won’t expect it.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PERFECT AGENCY (IF YOU COULD CREATE IT FROM SCRATCH)?
(R) An agency filled with clever, kind and fun people
(S) …and where everyone takes an interest in what everyone else does.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHT SO FAR?
(R) Working on the Project Guardian campaign for TfL, work that was both effective and creative, for an issue that really needed solving.
AND WHAT MAKES YOU CRINGE WHENEVER YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
(R) All the times I’ve burst into the Secret Meeting Room at Mother, mistaking it for the stationery cupboard…
(S) Writing pen portraits…
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
(S) Probably where it’s advertised, and who to.
Strategy/planning is quite a closed discipline, which I think makes it quite hard to discover, or find out anything about, unless you are in the right circles. I’m sure there’s plenty of unaware people the discipline could benefit from knowing. So I’d say the opportunity lies in opening it up and making it known to a wider group of people who could bring something new and fresh.
And of course I’d love to see more Irish people become strategists (not biased or anything…)
YOUR FAVOURITE CAMPAIGN?
(S) This changes a lot. When I was a kid, the one that sticks in my head is Budweiser
Wassup, although I probably wasn’t the target audience...
While growing up, the Orange cinema adverts (Each one was genuinely entertaining in its own unique way).
Today, the new Lotto ads (same reason as above.)
(R) I still think about the Tiger Woods Nike work, Earl and Tiger.
WHICH BOOKS ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU AND WHY?
(R) Member of The Wedding by Carson McCullers, a beautiful, perfectly formed, novel.
WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING IN 5 YEARS’ TIME?
(S) That’s the hardest question yet…helping make better ads than I am now?
Check out more from our Planners Unmasked series