surrounded by good company and a few cocktails, we congregated in our own section of a plush, art deco lounge in the flatiron district last night. Meanwhile, R/GA senior copywriter jenna livingston led us in a two-hour alternative advertising workshop, complete with creative brief and thorough q&a session. the highlight of the night was hearing ideas from attendees themselves, who came up with some of the most ingenious and hilarious non-traditional campaigns (or should I say “antics”) that very well could be the beginnings of the next big viral ad campaign. unfortunately, that’s all i’m able to share. you really had to be there! but as a quick recap, here are ten great tips jenna shared last night: 
- if you want to work for a certain agency, include work in your book that would appeal to them. make ads with similar clients you would like to work on.
- contact creative directors whose work you admire. Creativity and AgencySpy are great places to learn about industry news and agency happenings.
- do side projects, like Starbucks Spelling, that can be added to your book to make you stand out.
- ideas that can be done inexpensively or free are a major plus for attracting agencies looking to hire creative talent.
- in interactive, the idea should always come first. then figure out what the technology is (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc).
- bounce ideas off of other people. working alone is good, but can only get you so far. you never know when something someone says could spark a whole new idea and lead to an even better direction.
- you should try to add new work to your book every six months.
- ask for help. offer to pay other ad people to help you improve your work. giving a junior designer a couple of bucks to make your work look good will make you more desirable. same goes for asking writers to help out.
- go on artistic dates. take time out of your week to see a movie, go to a museum, people watch, and get some inspiration.
- many people have great ideas but never make them happen. go for it! you have nothing to lose.
for those of you who attended last night and have other key points you’d like to share, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. and don’t forget to sign up for next month’s speed-date networking event!
by
kendria smith
The Copy Lab 