On 15th November 2023, top UK advertising and media agencies opened their doors to the next generation of talent. We’ve been part of the IPA’s Advertising Unlocked initiative since its inception allowing students to see how campaigns are made, what it’s like to work in advertising, and giving them the opportunity to work on a brief.
We hosted 36 students across 3 local secondary schools where they were able to learn the different roles and skills needed to run a successful advertising campaign. Students even got to put these skills into practice by working together to re brand a business of their choice for a Gen Z audience which then had to be presented to a panel of expert judges.
Imagine McDonald’s, what would it look like as a clothing or footwear brand and what would a £1million campaign include if it were required to target those 16-18 (GenZ)?
The students had to work as a group, define their roles in the team, pick a brand, identify their industry or angle, plan out their objectives, strategy, tactics, media plans and creative… before bringing it all together present their ideas to a panel in an attempt to win the contract.
The winners came up with a visually effective branding campaign for the WWF using the powerful tagline “Saving animals one coffee at a time”
The teaching staff were delighted with how the day went.
“It was really lovely to see them grow throughout the day as they learn’t more and more” commented Jane Whiterall from Rickmansworth School.
And finally here’s what the students thought of the day
If you’re interested in getting into advertising or would like your local school to be a part of this initiative then get in touch today: