Illustration by WNW Member Miriam Persand
The inner workings of the large companies that hire me, an independent artist, are a mystery…I reached out to an anonymous art director friend at a large corporation to gain clarity. We discussed the mood boarding process for a global campaign, where things go awry, and when a company decides to make pre-emptive restitution.
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“Our mission is to enable creatives, entrepreneurs, makers, and small businesses to raise money for their projects and products without having to rely on ‘higher ups’ to say yes for them to be able to succeed. We’re here to help people make their own success.”
Read MoreHosted at Villains in collaboration with Southbank, our global happy hour series felt right at home. It was the ideal venue and vibe for authentic networking in the Windy City. Everyone enjoyed meeting fellow members and sampling the snacks and signature Old Fashioneds. Thanks to WNW Member Alex Garcia for taking professional portraits for attendants' WNW profiles and portfolio sites.
Read MoreWe partnered with RYOT Studios to bring together some cool people from an array of industries in a relaxed environment filled with good conversation. The afternoon event was held at Javelina Bar.
Read MoreFITC is returning to Amsterdam to host the groundbreaking design and tech event on the future of innovation, design, and all the cool shit in between. We talk to Founding Director Shawn Pucknell to learn what lead him to launch FITC, how the FITC team selects speakers, and more.
Read MoreAs this tumultuous and unpredictable year draws to a close, Contagious will soon celebrate the best marketing creativity and technological innovations of the last 12 months, providing attendees with a roadmap for the challenges and opportunities facing the industry in 2017.
In two weeks, Contagious will be hosting 400 delegates from across the marketing industry in London for their annual Most Contagious event, exploring some of the year’s most compelling trends from Machine Learning to Mixed Reality, Gender and Choice. They’ll be joined by speakers from HoloLens, Barbie, Max Factor, 72andSunny and Axe, and will celebrate the most successful campaigns of the year, like The Next Rembrandt and The Swedish Number. The chief creatives from each of those agencies will share their behind-the-scenes insights and strategic advice on stage.
There are now less than 40 tickets available. But Contagious is generously offering a 10% discount to members of the Working Not Working community. Get your ticket here and enter WNW10 when prompted.
Below, Contagious offers a preview of some of the topics, ideas, and themes they'll be exploring during the one-day event.
Arguably the most important macro trend of the next decade, machine learning is increasingly underpinning businesses across a variety of sectors, including entertainment, retail and even food. We’ll be offering insights into how this new technology could impact the way that businesses are run and advertising is created.
Artificially-enhanced environments can be used to create relevant, shareable, innovative marketing. We will cover the new creative possibilities that the fields of Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality have opened up this year as increased expertise, funding and adoption all make an impact. Laure Murciano, Max Factor’s Global Brand Manager will share how the brand used Blippar to share content and drive sales through its products.
The rapidly expanding nature of the online retail space means we have more options than ever before. Too much choice has always been overwhelming, but how can brands help their customers to navigate the overwhelming options? We will explore how they can do this using technology ranging from one-click buy buttons to customer service chatbots. Carling’s Sean Ferguson and Craig Wills of the beer brand’s agency Hi Mum! Said Dad will share their learnings from building an instant buy button and staying visible in the decision-heavy world of online retail.
We’ll hear about how an accelerator called Spring is empowering girls in East Africa and South Africa. And learn about how Axe and its agency 72+Sunny helped the personal care brand triple sales growth by championing a broader vision of masculinity.
This ‘Year in a Day’ also includes panel debates, an awards scheme for disruptive start-ups, and an exhibition showcasing the most ingenious new technologies and the makers behind them. The Economist’s Laurence Blair will also share key predictions for shifts in politics, the global economy, leading companies and cultural trends from The World in 2017 magazine.
So what happens when WNW goes inside a 4As Conference? Other than some spectacular food and suits, the following is a rundown of our top takeaways:
Good talent + good ideas = real engagement. In 2016, just add these two elements: speed + agility. Guess what? Clients still need their agencies and agencies still need great talent. Both are looking to reboot the system. For example, clients are now asking agencies about their attrition rate (a fancy word for staff turnover.) They want to get a feel for what kind of agency they're going to plop their multi-million account at. So, in turn, agencies are still trying to figure out ways to keep you from going to tech company with the blue letter or the blue bird.
Sadly, the key slide of the presentation about working at agencies was the pay gap. Tech companies are on average offering a higher salary. Like a $45k difference.(Cough.) Agencies are not laying down on this note though. We'll continue to see titles like "Cultural Officer" or "Head Coach" still roaming the halls pouring you the latest office Kool-aid. Career guidance is the strongest reason for staying! Ryan Smith can map out your Qualtrics career from beginning to end with them. They have very little turnover, because at the end of the day all of us just want to know where we stand, where we are going, and how to get there. That's invaluable. And he's the data guy!
YouTube's Tara Walpert Levy reminded us (again) that our audience isn't watching TV anymore. And if you don't know these top 10 famechangers, then you might want to do your homework. (Psst, 7 & 8 don't count.)
Susan Credle, CCO of FCB, reminded us to not be lazy. Stop going for the automatic response of the top 5 names you already know. Work with new people and new companies - a la Vice. She also reminded us that if you want to change diversity levels, then you have to make space for that person at the table. Literally. She made space on the panel for R/GA's passionate Chloe Gottlieb.
And lastly, Jeff Goodby always reminds us to be in a constant state of readiness by taking a different route to work everyday. He may have been remarking on our everyday creativity, but it certainly rings true for our careers and those who hire us.
