Young Spikes Academies hear from big names

Young Account Executive Academy

The inaugural Young Account Executive Academy has been the day's most popular, boasted Academy Tutor John Wright, consultant and lecturer at Boston University. Wright counted about 22 people in the room ready for David Mayo's talk on account management in an integrated future. "Every time I turn around, there's more," he laughed. 

An earlier session that focused on digital creativity, by Chris Clarke, Digitas LBi's chief creative officer, was good, according to attendees. But Mayo's advice to young AEs was more along the lines of why they attended.

"I'm from Sri Lanka and AEs are seen as client handlers there and don't get much respect in the agencies," said Heshan Perera, an AE from Contract Advertising. "I came here hoping to learn how an AE can make an impact in the agency and help integrate its departments."

Mayo spoke from personal experience and advised his listeners to have passion, to be true to themselves and to make friends with the agency's financial director and creative directors.

"Show you can talk business and understand creativity and they will remember you," he said. 

An AE's role in an agency is to focus on delivering the best work for the client, something the MD is too busy running an agency to do and the creative director is too busy making art to focus on. "There are gaps in the agency process you could drive a cart horse through, and those gaps are where you can step up and make sure the work is great," Mayo said.

Young Creative Academy

Expounding on using creativity to do good during the first day's master class, Tay Guan Hin, regional executive creative director for Southeast Asia at JWT, showcased examples from award-winning brands such as Coca Cola, Unilever, Samsung and Givaudan, that have a strong purpose and a desire to make work that matters. 

While today's technology enables people to connect across borders and helps push simple social causes, Tay said: “Brands can find a place or pick a social issue that they can stand for and start to drive it.”

In addition, brands can design useful products that create goodwill, or simply do things that positively impact the world we live in.

“Part of the creative’s job is to simplify things, and make it easier for people to participate,” he added.

Tay argued that doing good, personally, is about passion and beliefs. For agencies, it is about creating with positivity and purpose to fulfill a real consumer need. And for clients, it is about great work that will promote goodness and business.

He highlighted nine principles of work that matters from Coca-Cola:

1. Straddle borders
2. Challenge racial prejudice
3. Defy gender stereotypes
4. Be stubbornly optimistic
5. Promote real-world stories
6. Give people reasons to believe
7. Don’t be serious all the time
8. Take a social stand
9. Remember the greater good

Young Marketers Academy

Sponsored by Dentsu Asia, Spikes Asia 2013 Young Marketers Academy was attended by more than 15 participants. Targeted at young marketers and brand managers employed in client organisations, the three-day academy is mentored by chief creative officer at Creatism.Is Joe Talcott.

It started off with a welcome and student introduction session, followed by Spikes Asia Festival seminars and academy presentations. Day one saw a workshop by Talcott on "The battle for your creative brain" as well as "Creativity in mobile" by managing director of Dentsu Mobius, James Hawkins.

Young Media Academy

The three day Media Academy is themed around creativity in media and structured to help young media professionals aged below 28 better understand creativity in the media channels.

The sessions are mentored by Phil Talbot, outgoing CEO, ZenithOptimedia APAC. Day one of the Academy included Q&A sessions with speakers from the main Spikes Asia Programme, including Will Sansom of Contagious and Adam Ferrier of Naked.

There was also a session with Harpreet Singh, CSO, ZenithOptimedia on real data driving business growth.

In an interactive session, Talbot opened the academy by highlighting the changing industry. Students were then brought down to attend some of the media sessions including Sansom’s and Ferrier’s. Ferrier also addressed the group of 12 in person. He pointed out that creative agencies will be taking the lead from media agencies because they have the data.