W+K creatives Jason and Joris mentored students at School of Communication Arts last week and they lived to tell the tale. Here it is, in Jason's own words:

Last week, Joris and I did some good.

We took advantage of a cancelled de-brief to venture (gasp) south of the river to meet, greet and mentor the students at the School of Communications Arts.

Located in a church in Brixton, the school has gone from strength to strength since it re-opened in 2010 and is now supported by over 500 industry mentors. To put that number into context, it’s more than three Wieden + Kennedy Londons or half the amount of tourists that mistake the agency for a shop each day.

[not a shop]

After walking and eventually crawling up what must be one of the world’s biggest staircases, we emerged into a huge open studio full of students. Like locals in a northern pub when a southerner comes in asking for directions, they all looked over at the same time. We could smell the unmistakable scent of fear. We could hear the knocking of anxious knees. We couldn’t help it. We were terrified.

After steadying our nerves* and meeting Marc Lewis, Dean of the school, we were shown 3 briefs that the students had chosen from. Then we were on our own. Working the room one team at a time, we listened and prompted, probed and pushed wherever we could. Surprisingly for students only 8 weeks into their course the thoughts were fairly developed and strategically sound. Some had big ideas with huge striding campaignable legs. Others opted for simple print executions. A few came up with app ideas. All were impressive.

Interestingly, most of the students had agencies in mind and tailored their response to the briefs accordingly. I gave myself an internal fist bump whenever W+K was mentioned, which turned out to be quite a lot.

[dedication: Joris answering emails whilst the students present]

Then came the most enjoyable part of the afternoon – the presentations. They presented like they’d been doing it for years, marching to and fro, cracking jokes and picking the briefs apart. One young guy made me laugh so much when he read his TV script that I cried. Sadly, I’m not sure Ofcom would share our sense of humor.

[Presentations: No fear here]

At the end of the session everyone was told to go away and write a sentence about something they learnt that week, so here’s mine:

If you’ve got a spare hour or two in your day, going to teach the generation that will eventually put you out of a job is a lot more fun than it sounds.

*With coffee, not booze. That would have been irresponsible.

To follow more of their adventures in education, feel free to stalk @jason_scott on Twitter. 

Last week, we sent our brilliant new Marketing Exec, Anna Ker, to a new business conference held by The Drum. Here's the lowdown from Anna:

As the newest
addition to W+K’s Marketing Department, I was delighted to have the opportunity
to attend The Drum’s inaugural ‘Brief Encounters’ conference last Thursday,
which promised to help create ‘more happy endings for the new business process’.
Armed with my notebook, pen and pinstriped blazer, I crossed town to join over
a hundred other marketing professionals for a day of discussion and debate on prospecting
and pitching, led by UK industry leaders.

With sessions
titled ‘What Clients Really Want’, ‘Best Practice Post Pitch Feedback’, and
‘Growing Faster by Doing Less’, presented by speakers from McCann, We Are
Social, Microsoft and Coca-Cola, the day provided much food for thought,
including the following insights:

1. First, know thyself. The pitch process should
   spring from a solid knowledge of agency identity, strengths and culture.
2. Next, know who you’re looking for. Having a clear
   set of criteria for the kinds of clients you want to work with will drastically
   increase your chances of attracting them.
3. Then be inventive when prospecting. Forget email –
   the best kind of attention is gained through having a clear point of view, and
   getting that across in an original way.
4. Rethink your creds. Awards and global maps of
   agency offices are nice, but tailoring your creds deck to what the client needs
   is crucial. 
5. Don’t be shy. You don’t get what you
   don’t ask for. Showing genuine enthusiasm for the client’s business, and the
   desire to work with them, is essential to gaining their respect.

[Tom Ollerton from We Are Social ponders the question 'To Pitch or Not to Pitch?' Photo by Richard Draycott.]

Overall, I came
away from the conference with several follow-up questions, a few more
connections, and the feeling of having consolidated everything I have learnt
about new business during my first six weeks at W+K.

A happy ending to
an exciting beginning indeed.