Dear friends of MAAG
Welcome to the MAAG News Bulletin. This is the place to be for MAAG news, community conversation and where you can catch up on events.
Please go on to the MAAG website to view all upcoming training and events or look out for the monthly events email which is sent out the first Friday of the month. If any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Hope you enjoy.
Jo Chappell
Director of Communications
MAAG
[email protected]
0207 535 3550
 
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*AW Europe next week - MAAG Members get discounted tickets*
Get your tickets now! Use code: MAAGPartner
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"A new kind of creative company" who have already featured on our most recent GreenJam panel. They are advocates for diversity and believe 'creativity is diversity'.
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Creative Directors Group are on a mission to make
“Britain’s youth creative again”.
The group addressed talent coming into the industry and started to discuss short term and long-term initiatives to support equality, diversity, making a creative promise to the ‘youth of the nation’ to 'make Britain creative again!'
Pictured: Jordan Dawson with his first finished Nike Air Force 1 design
We invited MAAG's Jordan Dawson who is a young London based hyperrealist artist to get his views based on his journey so far. Jordan explained “I was mocked at school for being a ‘Creative’ but my mantra and defence was always ‘everything is made or created by an artist, from the cars we drive, to the cutlery we eat with’. My initial difficulties at school made me stronger and more determined to succeed. I went on to showcase my portfolio to the world’s leading brands, which resulted in me designing the Nike London Air Force 1 campaign. Going through this journey personally, I hope I can motivate the younger generations by making them believe that there is a role for everyone in creativity.”
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Future Leaders addressed Diversity and Inclusion within Agencies in the March GreenJam
This GreenJam was initiated by the Future Leader Advisory Board and in particular by Zoe Anderson, Marketing and New Business Manager, RPM who is passionate on the subject " There’s clearly a commercial advantage to having a diverse workforce, not just because clients demand it of you, but because it introduces new ways of thinking and working to your business, resulting in original and innovative creative output. Clients themselves are now the ones inciting change within the businesses and are asking for transparency on not just gender splits and pay gaps, but also diversity statistics."
Zoe was joined by Mark Burgess, Business Director, SMP, whose company has a diverse culture due t o the type of work and the markets that SMP operate in and therefore has happened organically. In addition, Shannie Mears, Head of Talent and Co-founder, The Elephant Room shared her thoughts and experience from sitting on the Race Disparity Audit Advisory Group which advises no.10 Downing Street on the subject. The event was chaired by Dan Saxby, Founder, The Elephant Room.
Key outtakes and advise from the panel:
- Starting the conversation- don’t be scared to broach the topic of diversity & inclusion. It’s necessary and important for the success of your business.
- Race Disparity Audit - raising awareness of this and the important issues it raises - how we can use it to make positive change?
- Start sooner - make young adults aware of the vast array of career opportunities within the creative industry before they start making those important decisions about the direction they would like to go.
- Expose yourself to different & diverse audiences through collaboration.
More events on this subject to follow.
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Our Morning On... half day training sessions taught delegates
"How to be a Creative Junkie".
This workshop was an inspirational, interactive, and highly practical, designed to help delegates unlock their individual innate creativity. The session looked at creative habits and behaviours, including how creating distance, changing our routines, being more curious and more playful can inspire our creativity.
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And..
"How to position your agency for success"
A Leadership training workshop which discussed positioning and how this encapsulates what is not only unique about the agency, but how this meets the needs of customers. It requires Agencies to not only be brilliant at looking inside themselves and realising their skills, but also equally good at looking externally at the broader market place and the frustrations and barriers to the clients they’re trying to win and retain.
A clear positioning will help a business in a few ways:
- Avoid Commoditisation
- Change the relationships with your Clients
- Win more business
- Win more people
- Win back more time
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GreenJammer’s took on the “Creative Slam” challenge
"Creative Slam" was chaired by 3 Creative Directors, David Harris, Executive Creative, Gyro, Nick Peters, Executive Creative Director, Ignis and Carl Shand, Creative Director, Ignis. The attendees were split into mixed agency mini groups and took part in 50-minute brainstorms to develop a brief for a Peckham-based gin brand called Little Bird. The brief was to create ideas for a hotel/bar partnership pop up during London Fashion Week, which would raise awareness for the brand and generate noise amongst media, influencers and the public alike. The group then made a presentation, and a winner was selected.
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"Creativity is such a subjective thing, often sharing your ideas can feel quite personal, especially as part of a group. Yet as I discovered last week, diving in at the deep end for a "Creative Slam" with a group of total strangers from different agencies, can also be very liberating, fun and insightful. This was my first event and I met so many likeminded individuals, from all levels and backgrounds including; marketing, PR, experiential and advertising. Walking away from the session, reminded me why I love the creative side of PR so much. I loved the format of these ‘live brief’ sessions and will definitely add this to our next creative session at Cirkle." explained Charlie Fuller, Senior Account Manager, Cirkle.
Stephanie Haigh, Account Manager, Sense, part of the 'winning team' expressed; "It was such a great opportunity to get together in a relaxed, informal forum without any judgement or prejudice from anyone to have a bit of fun with a creative brief (with some flowing wine-ha!) The hosts were super inspiring- putting us all at ease and reminding us that we’re all creative and it’s why we chose our career paths."
As Albert Einstein once said: “Creativity is contagious, pass it on.”
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MAAG joined the Debating Group and will be sponsoring a debate on Mental Health in the the House of Commons on 20th May.
More details to follow..
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The Festival of Happiness is launched
A day dedicated to Mental Health and Wellbeing to support Independent Marketing Agencies. We have some excellent speakers lined up, a brilliant schedule of events from CEO Breakfast, to panel discussions, inspirational talks to Mental Health First Aid training, plus fun activities like Laughing Yoga and Art Therapy.
Date: 15th May
Venue: The Collective 14 Bedford Square, Fitzrovia, London WC1B 3JA
Time: 08:30- 20:30
More to follow....
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