"I Absolutely Love Agency Leadership And I’m So Pleased To Be Back": Lindsay Turner On Life At VCCP

When VCCP announced the arrival of Lindsay Turner as managing director last September, it showed clear intent to bolster its ‘supercharged’ leadership team. 

Joining from LADbible Group where she was director of marketing and communications, Turner has also worked for Publicis Media as CEO of Spark Foundry after leading the merger of Blue 449 and Spark Foundry brands in December 2019. 

Her career has seen her working with a plethora of clients across a range of industries from Clarins to Currys; now returning to the world of media agencies, she oversees the day-to-day operations at VCCP Media. Turner tells Creative Salon about what attracted her to the role, her thoughts on the ever-changing industry and what it takes to be an agency MD.

Creative Salon: Six months on, how are you settling into your new role?

It’s been a brilliant first six months. Joining forces with James [Shoreland] and Will [Parrish] as part of the new VCCP Media leadership lineup has been a lot of fun. I’m loving that together we’re building an agency that is a poster child for real integration and truly fit for the future.

It has been an adjustment returning from media owner life to agency life again, it’s a different rhythm, but I’ve enjoyed getting back into the swing of things. I’ve brought with me learnings in social and content that I’ve loved sharing with clients and I absolutely love agency leadership and I’m so pleased to be back.

What attracted you to the role?

The opportunity to shape an agency that's really fit for today's media landscape. 

VCCP Media has creativity in its DNA and really understands, respects and champions the need for media to work in true partnership with creative. 

One of the biggest things I saw in my previous role at LADbible Group was the accelerating effect of brilliant creativity. That's true of content, but it's even more true of ad assets. The performance of a media campaign is significantly helped or hindered by the quality of the creative work.  Being part of a world class integrated agency who not only understands this but really champions it throughout is quite special.  

And of course, getting to work with really lovely, smart people closed the deal!

What are your top priorities for the business?

Outside of the usual agency goals such as growth, I think talent, tools and time would be key priorities.

I’ve learned that you cannot underestimate the importance of having the right talent and finding fabulous people who are philosophically aligned and excited to accelerate the agency together.  We’re lucky that we’ve got great people at VCCP Media so the focus over the past six months has been to add to these with more fresh faces - and specialists in capabilities - as a top business priority.  Every agency has the things that make it special, for us it is a particular focus on strategy, a media x creative planning philosophy and a digital-first approach.  Our most recent joiner, Jack Bellamy, has joined to lead our Creative Partnership capability to enhance how we work with our valued media partners and create brilliant content partnerships for our clients. 

VCCP Media believes that knowledge is proprietary and technology is curated. Because we're independent, we can bring in the best tech or solution for a particular client - we're not beholden to any one particular provider or any one solution. We can collaborate widely and differently - that's part of what makes us special. However, we want our people to have the best planning tools in the business and so we are in the middle of building something special that harnesses the best of AI so I’m looking forward to this launching in Q2. 

An ambition for all agencies should be to spend more quality time with their clients and their interagency partners. The best work comes when you can have candid conversations that push everyone to be better.  

What makes this business different from any other in the industry?

VCCP Media sits in a real ‘Goldilocks’ zone - we’re perfectly placed to harness the power of integration. 

More and more clients want to work with integrated agencies that understand that the magic comes when media and creative [teams] are tightly woven together. We also work with a lot of clients that simply just want a brilliant media agency that is really strategic and creative in its DNA. 

That's what makes VCCP Media a special proposition in the market, and it’s certainly a part of what attracted me to the role, is this ability to be both a standalone media agency as well as what several titles have crowned as the best integrated agency in town. 

Why did you want to return to the world of media agencies?

I think when you're working at a media owner people most often come to you after they've worked through problems in the early stages. You know what their challenge is to a certain extent and they've decided you're the answer. 

The thing that I missed [most] is having those detailed conversations, really helping to solve clients’ big business problems. The best agencies are great at being a true partner to their clients: supporting over a long period rather than being there for a particular campaign or a particular challenge. I’ve missed standing by a client’s side, helping them face down the big scary grizzly bear of a business challenge that they’ve come up against. 

What did you learn from leading within LADbible?

I learned that in the modern media landscape, if you have £1, you should probably spend it on social. I would say that because I was responsible for selling social-first content partnerships for a large amount of time, but I truly believe it. The full-funnel aspects of social; the connection that you can create with an audience; both the awareness and deep engagement;  the role it has in young people's lives. It's such a powerful channel. 

 It is not until you work in a social organisation that you really understand the power of great content and I've had a lot of interesting conversations already with clients who are trying to tackle this challenge.  

I gained a deep respect and understanding for Gen Z and how brands need to behave to authentically connect with them. I also learned that agencies should spend a lot more quality time with media partners to get the most out of the relationship.  

And so much more. I’m enjoying bringing this knowledge and youth specialism to our VCCP Media clients.  

Tell us about one experience you’ve had as a client services lead that made you proud

It would be easy to say a big awards or new business win but honestly, I think it’s every time a client calls you when they've got a problem, and asks for your advice. 

That’s why I love client servicing. I love solving clients’ challenges. Of course, I love winning awards for amazing work, but if I get a WhatsApp from a client asking for my advice - that, for me, is when I feel it's been a good day.

What do you think the new client-agency relationship looks like?

It's always been the same. I don't think there is a new version because it's a partnership. It always has been - if you've got it right. This is something creative agencies have always understood and media agencies have sometimes struggled with.

I think, across the board, marketing departments have never been more complicated, more stretched and under more pressure. Clients have always wanted you to help them solve their challenges and help them grow. It's just harder now. They need you to be candid. They need you to be collaborative. They need you to make their lives easier.

What still takes you by surprise?

The difficulty of having a good work-life balance. But no matter where I work, it always surprises me how if I'm doing a good job in one place, I worry I'm not doing a good job somewhere else. It always just sneaks up on you and then you are surprised when you realise you still haven’t returned your best mate's phone call or you’ve forgotten you have to organise that play date.  

When you love what you do, you want to make it all work, so that's the thing you're always striving for - but it's very much a juggling act, the difficulty of which takes me by surprise constantly!

What advice would you have for someone wanting to get into media?

To get into this industry, you have to really know you want to join it - whereas if you talk to anyone around my age in the industry, almost everyone says they accidentally fell into it. Now, you've got to be really focused, because it's harder. When I started out there were big grad schemes intakes, you all started the same time and grew up together - but now these large-scale programmes seem few and far between. That's why I'm so proud of things like The Table, The Challenger Academy, The Den, The Creative Placement Scheme and Ad School - all available here at VCCP to help people get into our industry, 

If you're trying to start in the industry, you've got to be open to trying lots of different things. Look for those internships. Look for the opportunities. Do as much as you can when you're at university or even before that - just try and get yourself as prepared as you can, because it's crazily competitive.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to become an agency MD?

One thing I’d say is if you want to become an agency leader, know that it’s incredibly rewarding, but it’s tough. It's tough. There's a lot of things to juggle.