'Clients can tell when a solid team walks in': MediaWorks 2015

The event saw 136 young media professionals take up the task of responding to a real brief for Mondelez cookie brand, Oreo. Following a close final, judges awarded the winning "agency" for teamwork and a top-notch creative idea to launch the Oreo Mini brand in key Asian markets.

Vary & Joy, the winning team, mentored by Darragh Hardy, chief business development director at MediaCom APAC, presented its big idea of “Pop & Play” using flipcharts. With a media strategy that included social media, video and the use of augmented reality, judges credited the winners for clear presentation and teamwork.

In his closing comments, Bryan Rakowski, marketing director, Biscuits, Asia-Pacific at Mondelez, said he was impressed with the quality of ideas from the group and would be exploring some of them further.

"Our bosses will ask, ‘was MediaWorks worth it?" he said. "Absolutely! We’ve seen some things this week that we really want to explore and potentially bring to market."

We are Champion!! VARY&JOY #MediaWorksX 2015 (at JW Marriott Hanoi) [pic] — https://t.co/acLZ8GQbbv

— Ted Mosby (@isatiar) May 30, 2015

Offering some advice to the young delegates, Rakowski stressed the importance for a pitching agency to "tell a story" and present a solid team.

“Tell us a story,” he said. “You guys are in media, there’s a lot of numbers, but we can go through that later. Be genuine and let your personality come out.”

Adding: “Focus on your team, clients can tell when a solid team walks in.”

Torie Henderson, president of global account management for Omnicom Media Group and chairperson for the event, commented that the quality of work at this year’s event was exceptionally high.

“The work quality this year has really lifted,” said Henderson, who’s been involved with MediaWorks for the past nine years.

Sean O’Brien, Asia-Pacific CEO at Carat and client chairperson for the event, added: “The strength of the insights really impressed me this year compared to last year. The quality of presentations and the teamwork was awesome.”

Wrapping up the 2015 edition of MediaWorks, Henderson said: “You all showed how much you care about the work. Take that with you, let clients know that you care about what you do for them. So many clients think that in media we don’t care about what we do. We do care.” 

This year’s event attracted a record number of delegates, with 136 trainees from across Asia-Pacific. The participants were split into 13 teams, each with a designated mentor.

It's a wrap! #MediaWorksX 2015 awesomeness pic.twitter.com/iFccGqKUEG

— Torie Henderson (@torie1henderson) May 30, 2015