This is what a portfolio looks like.
But what to put in it?
Well, the answer to that used to be easy: 8 advertising campaigns, each consisting of 3 print ads, plus maybe an ambient execution or a TV storyboard (so long as it had no dialogue, of course.)
And such was the way it was for, ooh, years.
But it's all changed now. If your book still looks like that, you're doing it wrong.
Why? Because creative directors have gone digital crazy, that's why.
Most creative directors are surprisingly clued-up about digital. Remember, they're closer to the 'business' side of the business than rank-and-file creatives are - they know full well that clients are now demanding their agency start delivering great work in non-traditional media.
And as well as re-training their existing creatives, they're looking to the new generation to give it to them.
You must be that new generation. Your book must show compelling examples of how brands can exploit the digital space.
Heck, maybe your book shouldn't even be a book, but a website or a CD.
(Having said all this, you've got to show you can do all the traditional media as well. So yes, your 'book' still needs to have lots of great print work, and the odd TV ad, if you want a job in a so-called above-the-line agency).
But more and more you need to demonstrate how to reach consumers in new ways. That means new media, events, ideas for mobile games, TV shows, crazy shit... maybe even new products.
And above all, digital.
ADDENDUM. In case it's useful information for any young teams out there, the most recent student book that my partner and I have recommended to the creative director here looked like this: 9 campaigns, with a total of 21 print ads, 2 TV ads, 6 digital executions, and 31 (!) executions that are ambient/ new products/ crazy shit. Maybe there were a few too many of those. But you get the idea.
Tip No. 15 - How To Get A Job In Advertising Part I - FAQ
Tip No. 14 - Make Friends With Traffic
Tip No. 13 - Get Reference
Tip No. 12 - Don't Stop Too Soon
Tip No.11 - Be Very
Tip No.10 - Breaking Up
Tip No.9 - Working Well With Your Partner
Tip No.8 - Finding The Right Partner
Tip No.7 - How To Approach Agencies
Tip No.6 - Never-Seen-Before Footage
Tip No.5 - Dicketts' Finger
Tip No.4 - Two Blokes In The Pub
Tip No.3 - Play Family Fortunes
Tip No.2 - Should You Take A Bad Job?
Tip No.1 - Don't Overpolish
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday Tip No. 16 - How To Get A Job In Advertising, Part II
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7 comments:
Now, if you can just tell HR and all the headhunters out there who are convinced you should only have “8 advertising campaigns, each consisting of 3 print ads, plus maybe an ambient execution or a TV storyboard,” things would be good.
;-p
This complements your last post wonderfully.
Together, they fill me with a naive optimism that it's going to become a lot easier to get creative work up in the future.
After all, you can plausibly make the argument that a consumer will sit still and have information funnelled into them through, say, TV or radio (you'd be wrong, but you could plausibly make it.)
But even the most obtuse marketer must realise that, because digital communications are mostly opt-in, they have to genuinely interest consumers, and that creativity is the best way to accomplish that.
Hopefully, that pro-creativity mindset will start to infect their approaches to other media.
I can dream can't I?
you mean like a witty blog, maybe about advertising or trying to get a job in advertising? something like that would help?
cleaver I do hope you are right. Wouldn't it be great if all ads 'had' to be good?
Maybe we are on the cusp of a new golden age?
anonymous - a witty blog could well help you get a job. But it won't be enough on its own! You got to have good ads too.
I've been saying this for ages now. It's great to hear someone else spreading the word.
Any chance you can expand on the type of 'crazy shit' from those 31 bits in the portfolio?
:)
Great blog by the way, proving very useful.
Hi scamp,
I was just wondering if since this post over a year ago, that if your opinion on what makes a good book has changed?
I'm trying to put my book together at the moment ready to hit agencies early next year. I'm having a bit of a problem choosing brands to work on.
I have got 20 brands which need to be whittled down to 10.
Have you got any suggestions? check out my blog for my list.
www.theideabkaery.blogspot.com
So far i have a mixed feedback! Which was probably inevitable!
Hope you can help!
Thank you
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