'We need to put positivity and confidence back into our industry'

When BBH London CEO Karen Martin stepped into the shoes of the IPA Presidency last year, she announced that her agenda would focus on ‘Creative Power’.

At the time she explained: “We need to put positivity and confidence back into our industry, because we’re not helping ourselves.” Now entering her second year in the role, she has masterminded the launch of the Creative Essentials certificate to champion the development of the next generation of advertising talent.

The eight‑week programme will run from 20 April to 6 July, aimed at early‑career creatives looking to build confidence, craft and commercial understanding.

Martin opens up on why this is an initiative she felt was sorely missing from the IPA’s agenda, and the work that went into its development - as well as revealing some of the people who will be involved in developing the next generation of creatives to come into advertising.  

Why is there a need for the introduction of a standard creative qualification

I think this is more about the need for the creative community to have access to more training and inspiration than it is for there to be a ‘standard’ set for the industry. The very word ‘standard’ feels like it could hamper creativity.

Creativity is at the heart of the advertising and media industry and yet historically there hasn’t been a great deal of support for creatives in terms of launching and supporting them during their careers. I want to change that.

This programme is about more than craft though, it’s about becoming a creative who can influence, persuade and thrive in the advertising and marketing industries.

The calibre of the speakers we have curated will excite, inspire and engage the next generation of creatives in the industry and we will all benefit from the better work that comes from that.

Also the IPA is known for its impeccable training for account people, strats and production - it’s time we had one for creatives. It’s what we sell after all.

Who is this aimed at and what will the course involve?

For creatives just starting out in their career, the course spans eight weeks from the 20 April to 6 July and instils in new creatives an understanding of their roles, why creativity matters and how to succeed in the industry.

Hosted at different locations across London, including BBH, Biscuit Filmworks, the IPA and Wieden + Kennedy London, the certificate covers the full creative journey, from idea to execution (and even evaluation).

With the following interactive sessions on how to: develop your creative voice and point of view,;craft and pitch ideas with confidence; sell work internally and to clients; build stronger, longer-term client partnerships; and understand the commercial and cultural value of great creativity, to name but a few.

We end on a full day with a creative careers coach, who will help them understand how to build their own creative reputation, the value of their personal brand, the importance of internal relationships/cheerleaders, how to negotiate pay rises and even how to become more resilient, which we all need

But accounts and strategists would benefit from it too.

How will this help potential employers as well as new talent?

The course benefits the employer, by making creatives more confident in their skills and commercially aware, resulting in stronger work and better client conversations. Importantly it will build a pipeline of future creative leaders.

What work has gone into developing the Creative Essentials Certificate?

Felipe Guimaraes [ECD at BBH] and I have collaborated with the IPA to merge their proven, rigorous approach to learning and development with our deep understanding of creativity. By combining these elements, we've crafted a method to inspire and bring out the best in this generation of talent and deliver exceptional results for our clients.

We are also lucky to have years of learnings from running Barn at BBH with Nick Gill to draw from, which has helped us shape the programme.

What do you need from the industry to make this work long term?

One word: Commitment - and send people on this course.

Anecdotally it seems to be becoming harder for young people to enter into the industry - how do you aim for this not to become another barrier for entry for those who can’t afford the fee?

My aim, certainly initially, is for agencies to pay for their creative people to be part of the course, and to view this as an easy and valuable investment in instilling the fundamentals of the job into them. And in time, we hope as word of success spreads, a creative looking for a role in an agency might make it part of their selection criteria that their new employer would invest in them taking the qualification to kick-start their career.

How can anyone from outside of London participate - is there any remote access?

As I mentioned in my speech at the President’s reception, this is the first time we have run this, it is running in London as a pilot and face to face, that’s how we think it works best. The IPA has for almost 40 years been running the Production Essentials Certificate for junior producers face to face and it fills with delegates from all over the country every time. This also builds a fantastic network of peers and connections for the future.

We have started all the sessions at 10am to give people from further afield more time to travel (yes this might mean an early start for them, but I refer back to my earlier answer, we need commitment from delegates, as well as their agencies).

All the sessions, apart from the final one, finish early in the afternoon to allow time to travel home or back to the office.

Once we have run this first version, we will look at demand from outside London and how we might take some of the more successful sessions around the country.

We already plan to take the final session on Creative Confidence & Career Craft with our career coach [Abi Findlay] to Manchester this Autumn and we’re in discussions about Belfast as well.

The course is £1,000 for the eight sessions (for IPA members), which represents fantastic value vs what other training providers charge - I also don’t believe you would find this course anywhere else, it’s unique.

What is your ambition for this in the first year for it to prove a success?

Needless to say, I want it to be full. I want the feedback to be fabulous, but I suppose the proof really will be in the pudding. Let’s see if any of our delegates from this year will be winning at Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, The Clios or indeed winning my new creativity prize in future IPA Effectiveness Awards.