Junior last Wednesday was pretty rad. We had Jason Ross – the Executive Creative Director of CHE give us 8 tips in 8 minutes, at the grand ol’ time of 8pm. According to the Chinese, the number 8 is as lucky as it gets. So if you happened to find yourself there, be sure to think of yourself as one of the lucky ones.

It’s also pretty darn lucky we filmed the whole thing just in case you missed it.

Are you planning a move to New Yawk to begin your advertising career fo’ realz? Why don’t you give Brisvegas a shot first. The opportunity to do great work is just as good, and Stan agrees.

Last week a campaign by an Australian agency picked up not one but two highly sought after Black Pencils at the D&AD Awards in London.

This was a first for an Australian agency.

They also picked up three yellow pencils for the same campaign. Giving creatives down under much to be proud of and plenty of cause for celebration.

I’m not going to name the campaign in question, because if you don’t already know what it is you shouldn’t even be considering a career as a creative.

What I am going to do is give you two reasons why it is such an important campaign. Especially for young people sitting at home working on ideas for their folio.

Firstly, the agency in question is in Brisbane.

Not Sydney, nor Melbourne or possibly even Perth, but goddamn Brisvegas. Proving that you don’t need to work at a fashionable hotshop in a so called international city to do great work.

Secondly, and most importantly, the campaign was centred around a classified ad.

Sure there were many other elements, including a bucketload of PR, but the campaign would have been nothing without that simple classified ad.

And who among you would ever have thought that you could build a career on a classified ad?

Are you a junior working in the Melbourne advertising industry? Are you still trying to figure out if awards are a waste of time or the key to success? Well here’s your answer: Who cares! Award shows are fun and winning awards will get you a better job, but not winning them doesn’t make you a loser and making ‘effective’ work isn’t such a bad thing to strive for. Now that you know the secret, ENTER OUR VERY FIRST JUNIOR SPONSORED AWARD AT THE MADC AWARDS. It’s way cool and your best chance of winning something this year.

If you’re a little unsure whether your work is up to scratch, let us introduce you to Richie Ralphsmith — el presidente of the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club, and Deputy CD of CHE. He’s pretty much THE GUY at the MAD-SEES, so listen carefully cause he’ll convince you otherwise. Then enter, enter, enter, you crazy foooools.

P.S. THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 9! ENTRY DETAILS BELOW! HURRRRYYY

Junior: Why should anyone reading this enter the MADC Junior award?

Richie Ralphsmith: Enter it because it’s the only award in Australia that acknowledges the contributions of juniors in the industry. It’s the only award that recognizes that you guys usually get poor briefs and paltry budgets. On top of that, you’re still learning the ropes. So when entering an award you shouldn’t be pitted against a CD with 18 years’ experience.

Enter because it shows your CD that you care about great creative work and about awards. While you’re at it, remind him or her that entering the Junior category is half the price of the other categories.

Enter because it’s a good way to get your ticket to the night paid for. If you’re a finalist, the agency will fork out for you.

Enter because winning it could be your ticket to your next job.

Jr: Turning something shit into gold is a lesson that continues to appear in our interviews. And everyone knows juniors get the stuff no one else wants to work on. Do you think that’s what the junior category will be rewarding?

R: The judges will know when a piece of work has made something out of nothing. They’ll be taking that into account. Of course, juniors occasionally get great briefs as well, and do terrific jobs on them. What really matters is the end result. You guys shouldn’t be striving to produce good pieces of work, considering the brief. You should be aiming for great work, regardless of the brief. This isn’t the Special Olympics.

Jr: When you’re a junior it’s pretty easy to think your work isn’t good enough, so you don’t enter, and then miss the hell out on winning stuff you probably could have won. What would you say to someone not sure if they should enter their work?

R: I was going to say just enter it. But if you’re not sure whether your idea is good enough, ask your CD.

Jr: Got any tricks we can use to make it easier to judge our work and give us awards?

R: No tricks. Just make the entry clear and easy to understand. The judges will see through, and penalise, any overcompensation.

Jr: Now, tell us, you’re a deputy creative director and president of the MADC – did winning awards get your to where you are today? How important should winning awards be to us juniors trying to climb the ranks.

R: Awards are very important. But the thing that will build your careers is getting yourself into a position where you can do effective, award-winning work on a big client. That will get you further than winning Cannes Gold for the corner dog wash.

Jr: You guys have a student category too – it seems pretty open – what kind of work should the kids be entering? What do you think the judges will be looking for in this category?

R: Just enter your very best ideas. The entry criteria are all the same. It’s the judging criteria that are different. The judges will make a bit more allowance for inexperience.

Good luck!

Entry details here. Don’t forget, entries to the MADC awards have been extended to Wednesday June 9.

Do you work in advertising? Are you supposed to be working on a brief right now? Are you trying to make it funnie? Maybe a little wackee? Thinking about making it funkee? Stan thinks you should re-think…

As I’m sure you know, the iPad went on sale in Australia last Friday. We’ve had one in the office for a couple of weeks, so I fully understand why people were queuing up at the crack of dawn to get one.

What I’m going to talk about today though, isn’t the iPad, but the iPad advertising campaign.
This has consisted primarily of posters of people reclining on couches with the iPad on their knee. No headline to be seen. And that’s it!

So what would you do if you got hold of the iPad brief?

I’m sure you’d agree that a portable tablet computer that operates with nothing more than the swipe of a finger on the screen is typical of the kind of product that you see in a student brief.

So how come the creatives who worked on the launch resisted the opportunity to do something weird and wonderful? Why do you think they didn’t write a “clever” headline?
Because they’re not students. They’re smart and experienced enough to let the product speak for itself.
Now ask yourself what you would have done with the iPad brief.

If it involves an idea that demonstrates how clever you are, rather than why someone would want to buy the product, then maybe you might want to have a think about the type of work you have in your folio.

‘FINALLY!’ We hear you say – ‘Junior events in Sydney’. Yes that’s right, we finally got shit together. And since we kept y’all waiting so long – we got two of the most awarded creatives in the country – Matty Burton and Cam Blackley, Creative Directors at Droga5 to give their 10 tips. But don’t worry if you missed it, it’ll be appearing as an episode of JuniorTV soon.

The next Junior event is in Melbourne on June 16 at the Workers Club in Fitzroy. Guest speaker: Jo Walker, editor at Frankie magazine.

Meet David Klein. He’s the Associate Creative Director in charge of BMF’s new Melbourne office. It’s easy to see why BMF (one of Australia’s better ad agencies) put this hokey-faced bro in charge. You’ve probably seen his work for Nestle Drumstick or that shining beacon of football advertising, Toyota AFL ‘Footy Moments’. It’s all gold! And you know why? Cause Dave just gets it. He knows his shit. We’ve done our fair share of these interviews with advertising bros and this one takes the cake. It’s all here: How to get a job, coming up with good ideas, what to do with award annuals, how the fuck to figure this whole game out. If advertising is something you’re thinking about, then don’t just read the highlighted bits like you normally do. Read it all slacker, sheeeeeesh.

Junior: Ok Dave, give us the low-down. What do you think the main challenges are facing juniors today…

David Klein: It’s probably exactly the same as when I started. To know what to do? Who to listen to? How to get into a good agency? How to crack the brief? All that sort of stuff. One of the tricky things is to work out who you want to listen to. You have to work out who you want to take advice from because if you take everyone’s advice – you’ll go mad.

And always thinking, I have to be in a good agency to do good work. You can do good work anywhere. It sometimes is easier in a good agency but then there are other challenges. Like the fact there’s probably a whole lot of really talented people competing with you to crack the brief. At the end of the day if you’re driven to do well, you will.

Jr: So go back to the beginning – Where did you start? Did you have a career strategy when you went out and got your first job?

D: I don’t think I had any idea what a strategy was back then. I did graphic design at Swinburne University, and I had some sort of vague idea advertising could be fun. I managed to get a job just before I left Uni, at a place that did a bit of mainstream advertising, but a lot more direct marketing. It was a pretty good learning, but wasn’t quite what I was into—I wanted to be in a mainstream agency. I didn’t like coupons and reply paid envelopes that much. I worked on my folio day and night and finally cracked a job at Grey Melbourne working on the TAC. It was a great, I really felt like I’d found where I wanted to be, and importantly what I wanted to do.

I spent two years at Grey and then went to London for a couple of years. It was a good learning curve, and very different, it made me realise that Australia is a great place to make ads. There aren’t as many barriers, and things just don’t take as long. Obviously it depends on what agency you’re at, who your clients are and how much money is involved – but generally, in Australia, you can get stuff done cheaply.

Jr: Tell us your thoughts on going overseas – I think we speak from all juniors out there when I say we all want to do it at some point. But what’s the best way to go about it?

D: I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to do it. I know people who have had hardly any experience who have done really well and people who have been really great who haven’t. I think it’s often about your attitude. You have to be really, really hungry. Don’t expect anyone to help you, especially in London. To most Londoners you’re just another Aussie. And don’t be surprised if you’re asked to work for free. It’s pretty weird, if your folio is good enough they’ll ask you to do a placement and then if you can prove that your any good then they’ll pay you.

I reckon going over as a team is an advantage too. It means you’re easier to employ. And you’ve got someone to hang out with when it gets tough. And trust me, it will be tough.

Jr: Speaking of working for free – It seems like non-paid placements in Australian agencies are becoming common. Our parents think we’re crazy, but do you think it’s becoming more of a way in? At the same time, how do we make sure we’re not getting fucked over?

D: I think you need to recognise when you are being taken for a ride, and when you aren’t. If it is somewhere that you really want to work then you should go for it, because just getting in the door is awesome. I think over here we are less inclined to rip people off and it’s more of a test to see if you are any good and that you can fit in the work environment. As much as your folio is key for getting a job, it’s also who you are as a person and if you can work with people around you. The only way you can know is to get in an agency and test that out. If it’s where you want to go, then do it.

Jr: Do you think it’s as hard, or harder now to get a job in the industry than it was when you started?

D: It’s hard to answer that one because I’m not trying to get a job. I think it’s probably different because there are so many options now. When I started you went to a mainstream agency, or direct marketing. Now you can go into digital, sales promotion, mainstream, activation etc. But in that time one thing hasn’t changed – a good idea is still a good idea. If you have good ideas, you will get a job.

Jr: The people coming out of Uni now are the Gen Y whizzes of the internet. Do you think the folios of today should steer away from your traditional print folio?

D: If you’ve got a skill—for example, if you’re the hottest digital guy around, then use that. There’s not one mould to get a job in advertising. If you’ve got a strength, then use that to your advantage. Show those things in your book—it’s what will set you apart from others.

Jr: Because of the ad courses that are around now, Art Directors don’t necessarily come from a straight design background. What advice would you give to up and coming junior art directors that want to build their craft?

D: I was really lucky because I had four years of hard-core design behind me so I can make things look good pretty quickly. You’ve probably heard it before, but be a sponge. Look at everything that you possibly can. But don’t just look at award annuals, that’s the worst thing you can do. Be aware of them, but you shouldn’t look at them for inspiration. All you’re going to do is end up trying to make last years winning ad, and what you want is to make is next years winning ad. Look at design magazines. Go to galleries. Every week find a new designer or illustrator or photographer and make a library. I’ve got about five million bookmarks on Safari. Photographers, animators, directors, production companies, etc. Unlike when I started about four thousand years ago, all we had was annuals. Now you can employ people from all over the world. Recently I did a campaign with a Japanese illustrator who didn’t speak any English—and bizarrely it was easier than using some English speaking people I’ve worked with.

Jr: Was that something you found through one of your bookmarks?

D: Yeah, his name is Dragon76. I found him in this really random way through a MySpace link, I got in contact with him through that and then discovered his agent was in London. I showed his work to the client and they really loved it. It wasn’t a problem that he wasn’t in Oz. It just goes to show that once you’ve got your reference right and your brief is really clear, you can get anyone to work with you. Our location isn’t a barrier to employ anybody. There can be an issue with time differences because it takes longer, but you can use anyone in the world now, which is amazing.

J: Do you have any recommended reading for us?

D: There’s a book that I reckon everyone should read – Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. I still look at it; it’s such a perfect way of looking at advertising and very motivating. You can be a junior, or a senior, and still take out stuff from Luke Sullivan. Just even little tips or tricks on things—for example, the client always wanting the logo bigger, his tip is to make it smaller, so then when they ask it to be bigger, it’s the size you wanted it in the first place. It’s really helpful. The other guy is Lee Clow; some of his stuff is pretty awesome on his Twitter. The guy is a genius.

Jr: Yes! ‘Lee Clow’s Beard’! Amazing! There’s some pretty inspirational stuff in there.

D: Yeah! – Look, the key thing is, never give up. If a client gives you feedback and the idea you thought was going to give you a Cannes gold is dead, don’t throw shit around the room. Look at what is wrong with the idea, or if it’s something to do with the execution. Because if it’s the execution you might just change one thing and bingo you’re back in the game. Or maybe the timing’s not right. Maybe they need to set up the campaign idea before they can unleash your great idea. If that’s the case present it later in the year. But if it’s a bad idea, then just walk away from it. Clients know the business pretty well, that’s why they’re there. Sometimes they can make silly mistakes, and it’s not from them being stupid, it’s just not knowing about how to feed back information. They haven’t done advertising degrees. They say it how they see it, sometimes they’re wrong and unfortunately for us sometimes they’re right.

Jr: It seems that getting in to the industry is one challenge, however staying in, is another. And, getting work made and getting work up is another challenge.

D: It’s a daunting thing. Once you get in, you’ve got in, and you should congratulate yourself because a lot of people don’t and it’s really hard—you’ve done what you’ve set out to do. Once you’re in, then there’s no reason why the next brief you get can’t be the one that makes you famous.

Potentially anything can win you an award but awards are a lottery. If you aren’t going to win an award then do a great job for the client’s business. Because if you do that then you get trust from the client, and the creative director, and account service, and soon things will kind of just go your way. And it’s not through doing anything different but by creating confidence in what you do and everyone else will respond to that. If you try to be bolshie and different just for the sake of it, it’s not cool. You want to be different in the work you present, but not argumentative and difficult. After a while people will get sick of you and you’ll be out of a job, or won’t get to work on the good briefs.

Learning to sell your work is really important too. The faster you do that the quicker you’re going to get ahead. Always see your work from the point of view of an idea. Work out what your idea is, put it on a piece of paper, and put your work on a wall underneath it. I always put work on a wall, four or five different ideas, and write executions from those. Don’t be afraid to have other people comment on these. You can be sitting there thinking of one idea and get stuck on how to get something to work, and someone might come along say something and open a whole new world that makes it even better. Draw on the people around you; it doesn’t have to be creative people, even the account guy or a planner. Planners are really important people. Become good friends with a planner and he or she will write the briefs you want to work on.

Jr: While we’re talking on ideas, what piece of advice would you give us as juniors to help make our work better?

You need to really learn to work out what the idea is and what the execution is, because it’s easy to get confused between the two. I’ve seen people fight for executional stuff and suddenly the client cracks the shits and throws out the whole idea. When all that needed to happen was a slight change to the execution and the idea would still be on the table.

Jr: Do you think selling in an execution-based idea is harder? How do you sell in those ideas like the Drumstick Summer Classic ad—do you just read the script or do you have to go to an extra length to sell it in?

D: Reference is key to everything in this business. For Drumstick I studied North Korean mass games and film references from Busby Berkeley. Thinking back it’s a pretty strange combination of stuff when you’re selling ice cream. But it really helped shape the vision for the way the ad should look. I guess a script is just words on a page. Not everyone can imagine it, because they’re not always as visual as you are. If you can show people what’s inside your head it’ll be a lot easier for them and for you.

Jr: You’ve just been made Associate Creative Director of BMF. Do you reckon it’s harder to do that as an Art Director?

D: No way. If you think in ideas it doesn’t matter if you’re an art director or a writer.

Jr: How did it all work out for you—has it all happened pretty organically?

D: It happened organically; there’s no way you can plot it out. I think luck plays a big role in anyone’s career. I’ve had some lucky breaks and I’ve had some really unlucky breaks too, but at the end of the day I worked my ass off. And I still do.

Jr: Any final words before the iPhone battery dies, and the sound recorder with it?

D: Have as much fun as you can. It’s hard work but we’re lucky to be doing it. Making ads means you get to meet and work with some really, really talented people, which is awesome. Advertising isn’t really a job—it’s a lifestyle. If you see it as a 9-5 job, you’ve got it wrong. If you live and breathe it, you’ll get the most out of it.

So you’ve started adding digital work to your folio, but dammit, there’s only so many iPhone apps and ‘find the product’ maze games you can come up with. Don’t worry, we’re all still figuring out this thing too. Stan suggests you start thinking about the possibilities beyond the obvious.

Got any digital work in your folio? Of course you do, it’s 2010. But before you take a moment to pat yourself on the back for having a banner or two in your book, consider this:

Digital work dates fast. Really fast. So make sure you keep up to speed with the possibilities.

Think video not animation. Think engagement not clicks. Think sharing not watching.

Anything is possible with digital. And if it isn’t it soon will be.

You also need to think digital not computer. Because before we know it almost everyone with be using mobile internet.

To get a glimpse of what I’m talking about take a look at this video and then put aside some time to think about the possibilities it offers you as a creative.

If you wanna be a success in this game, sometimes you need to do things you might not want to. But, as Stan will tell you, it’ll make you better than anyone else hawking their folio about. And it’ll be impossible not to get a job.

Ever shown your folio to someone and they’ve made comment about having seen one of your ideas before?

No? Lucky you!

For most of us though (including me) having an idea that has been done before is an occupational hazard.

So if someone tells you they’ve seen one of your ideas before, ditch it.

Yes ditch it.

Don’t sit there fretting about how long it took you or the fact that it’s one of your favourite pieces of work.

Just ditch it.

And as you crumple it up and toss it into the bin take a moment to sit back and smile.

Why?

Because you’ve come up with an idea that was considered good enough to run. Possibly even good enough to have won an award.

The only problem being that somebody else had the idea before you.

Now all you need to do is sit down with your pad and pen and come up with a new idea that’s just as good, that nobody has seen before.

Chaka Khan once sang, “I’m a woman in a man’s world”. She was chanting about the wonderful world of showbiz but it’s fair to say the wonderful world of advertising is only the far less glamorous sister. It’s a sausage-fest no matter where you go! And being part of that can be fairly difficult when you’re sausageless. As if the industry’s not tough enough. That’s why we asked our good ol’ female buddy, Mel Peters, digital creative director at Lowe Sydney, to give us her best advice on being a lady in a man’s world.

And girls, or boys for that matter, if you want to pick her brain some more, reach her at mel.peters@loweworldwide.com. No spammy spam please.

Junior: Do you personally find it tough to be a woman in this industry?

Mel: No I love it! It’s all about standing out with great ideas and that’s something I’m passionate about. A lot of people have been comfortable with male creatives because that’s what they’re used too. However, good ideas will always cut through no matter who you are.

Jr: Has there been a particular incident where you know your gender has worked against you? What about for you?

M: It’s how you look at things. For example, working on car accounts, I was the only female creative on the team. In this situation I always added a valuable and different perspective to briefs. I was able to approach the brand with really powerful insights that led to award winning creative. Taking the car ‘beyond the metal’ was a big part of creating innovative campaigns that engaged and empowered their audience. Female creatives can do amazing work on even the most ‘blokiest’ of briefs. There really is no boundary to what you can work on.

Jr: Why do you think it’s more difficult for women?

M: I think there has been a limited number of role-models and Senior Female Creatives in the industry and for young female creatives on the rise, this can be daunting. I’ve worked with strong female Creatives like Fiona Davidson and Paula Keamy who are both fantastic role-models. It is important to find these role models and seek advice along the way. Women have a great opportunity to lead in senior creative roles today and I see more and more talented young women choosing ‘creative’ as a positive career path.

Jr: Is there any other advice you have for women in or wanting to get into the industry?

M: Understanding your audience is key, and women are the primary purchase decision-maker for many brands in Australia. Female buying power hasn’t fully been tapped into in Australia, and there is a great opportunity for female creatives to lead this. Women are also powerful communicators, and as we continue to move into the digital world with influence marketing and social networking changing our traditional communication habits, women in the industry will bring great insight and creative ideas to the table. Ultimately though, it’s all about great thinking and powerful ideas.

And just cause she can, here’s Mel’s tips to success:

01- Believe in your ideas. Gain confidence in your thinking by exploring your ideas thoroughly before you talk to others around you.

02- Present, present, present your work. This is so important. Grab as many opportunities as you can to showcase your ideas yourself and get in front of clients, as often as you can.

03- Look for female mentors, if not in your agency, outside it. Some may have blogs or twitter feeds that will give you insight and spur you on. You can follow me here.

04- Hit the streets and do your own market research. Get to know your audience inside and out and become an expert in the briefs you get. If your agency celebrates big ideas based on powerful insights, you will shine.

05- Don’t be afraid to think of yourself as a brand and sell yourself. Getting your voice and point of view out there is a great place to start. I see many juniors who have put their folio online and started a blog. It’s a great way to make sure you are heard and noticed.

06- Have fun and enjoy what you do. If you love it, everyone will know.

George Lois was probably the most powerful adman in late 20th-Century New York. His idea of advertising was big, simple, to the point, and always made you do something. He created Lean Cuisine out of nothing, made MTV into a global behemoth, turned Tommy Hilfiger into a household name overnight, and made the most famous Esquire magazine covers of all time. But the very best thing about George Lois was his way of seeing the world–a trait evident in the video below, which can be credited to a childhood spent in the Bronx during the 1930s. Every communicator who wants to affect change has a lot to learn from George Lois, whether or not his motivations were slightly askew. Do not let your education stop here.