Work experience #2

So this Friday I finished my second work experience placement. This one was at an advertising agency called VCCP. They call themselves an 'integrated agency' which basically means they do every part of your campaign, not just TV ads but every aspect. So they're pretty neat for large companies who desire a 'have it all' type of campaign. 

On my first day I was given a tour of VCCP which proved insightful for reasons other than just navigating my way around the building. I was introduced to all the different offices, and sub-companies of the VCCP group. VCCP have many different smaller companies off of the VCCP name, for example, VCCP Blue. This agency was created when the company got quite large for clients with perhaps a smaller budget, or those who don't necessarily want an integrated campaign. This sub-company has created some seriously cool stuff though, for example the infamous Compare the Meerkat/Market and Coors Light campaign!

It was really interesting to see how large companies adapt so responsively to meet the demands of their broad client base. VCCP has covered itself in every section, so they never have to turn away a client regardless of their budget.

So my time there was spent on the accounts department. I had always assumed accounts = finance, but that definitely wasn't the case. In accounts teams you start on account management and work your way up the ladder. Accounts effectively means clients so, to do this job, you have to be uber organised and really good with speaking to clients. Basic outline: you get the request/brief from a client, you read it, make sense of it and discuss it with them to make sure you have it right. Then you pass it on to the planners who literally have to take this massive idea and filter it into one sentence which summarises everything the client wants in the campaign. This is then passed on to the creatives who dream up the magical stuff and voila, it's presented to the client and then the account manager liases with them about it. I thought it was really interesting to see how large companies segregate jobs and divide up roles.

The things I got involved with here included:

- sitting in on a filming shoot for a team building video

- an introduction to the (many, many) areas of planning

- research and spreadsheet compiling for upcoming pitches including O2 wallet, mobile phone tariffs, Tesco Bank and Tesco Mobile

- competitor reviews

My week there has definitely given me a lot to think about with regards to my career. It was an unforgettable experience and I hope to continue building my portfolio of work experience and sharing it with you.

TV advertising is more powerful than you think

For those that have missed him, the nation’s favourite dog is back on our screens and has been since the beginning of May. Ever since Harvey first appeared back in 2010 featuring him selling himself to a couple in a dogs home through clips of him cooking, mowing the lawn and doing the school run he stole the hearts of a nation. Luckily for us Thinkbox has brought back Harvey the dog and this time we were in for an emotional treat. 

The advert sees Harvey attempting to sway his owner’s decision to throw away his beloved best friend, a stuffed toy named Rabbit. I think what is interesting about this advert is that it extols just how powerful the medium of television advertising is in a concise manner. In sixty seconds Harvey manages to stop his owner as he attempts to silently rid of the saliva drenched rabbit in the bin whilst he thinks Harvey’s back is turned. At this moment Harvey appears on the worktop and turns on the television to show an ad of him and Rabbit in a sweet montage of video clips showing their unity of friendship and bond together.

Everything about the advert grips you. What I believe is great about television advertising is that it has the power to tell a story in a way that other advertising mediums perhaps cannot. Print ads can tell stories, but it may rely on the consumer viewing the series of ads to connect the dots. Adverts with stories are normally the ones you remember most, for there’s a point to them which you can recall and pass on to others.

Music plays an important role in advertising too. Emotional low-key music grips an audience in pet home adverts, whereas upbeat music such as what they play in the Weight Watchers ads encourage enthusiasm, motivation and active participation. No one would join Weight Watchers if Coldplay or The Smiths were the soundtrack to their ads. Of course radio ads can feature music, but the point I’m getting at is that TV not only benefits from sound, but from visuals too. Just as the radio can only use audio means, print can only use visuals. Buying magazines and, ultimately, seeing the ads in those may not be everyone’s priority right now, but internet usage and the numbers of those who watch television, to me, prove just how powerful television advertising really is in reaching the targeted masses.

An advertiser's dream

Anyone who reads this post and who knows me well will laugh at what I’m about to write. I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for clever advertising campaigns. Notably those super-airbrushed beauty ones. The most memorable (and in hindsight naive and stupid buy) was a Maybelline mascara that promised to put what would look like diamonds on the tips of your lashes. It was effectively a gloopy, glittery formula. And no, my eyes were not dazzling like diamonds. 

I like to think I’ve gotten better over the years since having a part-time job alongside my studies, for I appreciate the value money a lot more now. But every now and then new mascara is launched, or a foundation that promises to give you photo-ready flawless skin with nil imperfections. Come on girls, who wouldn’t want that? 

The issue is that beauty and skincare companies blind the consumer with scientific laden terms that sound impressive. They read something like this: “Igty-bictaly improves the cellular appearance which in turn reduces the effects of visible ageing by up to 10 years.” Secretly you’re wondering what on earth Igty-bictaly is, but on the surface you’re thinking they’ve solved your skin problems. Igty-bictaly, that’s the one. Companies provide us with this false security of knowledge, and we oh so naively are willing to buy into it. Because if the “scientists” are willing support this new foundation with their research, it’s got to perform... right?

After a series of less than perfect results with high street make-up brands i.e. Bourjois, Maxfactor, L’Oreal I have been left a nervous purchaser whom very much sticks within my comfort zone for fear of disappointment. It’s not that £10 on mascara is too expensive, it’s just so very irritating when it doesn’t live up the expectations promised – because that’s £10 down the drain. I have used eye products from Urban Decay before, a brand I would consider to be on the more expensive side, and I have to say you do notice a positive difference. There are more colour shades to choose from, and if used alongside their eye primer they last on your eyes all day. I guess the age-old saying is true: like most things in life, to ensure you get quality you have to be willing to pay the premium.

Note: Igty-bictaly was in fact made up by me. It might exist, but as far as I’m aware I created it.