Tom Lawrence: diary from Manhattan (rooftops mainly)
This year I was lucky enough to be sent to NYC by AWARD School. The official trip was seven days, however I chose to extend it to allow for a week of unchaperoned fun in Brooklyn before the business end of the trip started. I won’t delve into the details of my first...
Tom Lawrence: diary from Manhattan
In August Tom Lawrence from NSW was crowned Australia's Top Student of the 2017 AWARD School. In an AWARD School-first, Lawrence (son of the late, great Neil) won a once in a lifetime trip to New York where, yesterday, he met David Droga to compare their winning...
Q&A with 2015 Planning Idol winner – Sam Geer
Time is running out to enter the APG Planning Idol competition and what better way to understand the process than to talk to someone who has experienced it. We get a debrief and some key advice from our 2015 winner– Sam Geer. He’s the national head of strategy for...
Daily co-chairs announced for Creative Leadership Residential
Chaired and curated by industry trailblazer Warren Brown, partner at Gutthink & Partners and BMF founder, The Creative Leadership Residential is Australia’s only custom-designed Residential for senior creatives looking to transition into leadership roles and...
Mind the leadership gap
I was 31 when I abruptly became a CEO when my boss got sick (Jon Clark, a wonderful man). Obviously it was unexpected, so I had no training, no succession plan, no support network, and NFI what I was doing. Predictably I failed miserably over the course of two...
5 takeaways for PR professionals from, A Conversation with Event Experts – leveraging large scale events.
Sydney’s PRC members assembled last Wednesday night at Woollahra’s Hotel Centennial to learn the tips and tricks some of Australia’s most revered event strategists apply to leverage optimum PR outcomes. Chaired by Annalise Brown (PRC) Emily Weight, innovation...
Q&A with national AWARD School winner Tom Lawrence
Prior to claiming the coveted national AWARD School prize–packing his bags and jetting off to meet acclaimed ad man, David Droga, in bustling New York City, Tom Lawrence was busy working in video production and documentary making. His communications campaign Proudly...
2018 Comms Council New Grad Program open
The Communications Council 2018 Grad Program is now open. Graduates from all disciplines who are looking to launch a career in advertising are encouraged to apply. Running successfully for 36 years, the program recruits on behalf of member agencies in NSW and VIC, and...
Q&A with Paloma Newton, The Grad Program
When you grow up watching your parents’ adverts and learning the industry lingo before you’re a teenager, it makes sense that you might choose a career in advertising. For current graduate, Paloma Newton, account executive at J. Walter Thompson (JWT) she applied...
AWARD School Launch Alumni Group
AWARD School announce the launch of the Award School Alumni, a group aimed at helping the transition from the intense 12-week course to a career in creativity. The initiative will assist recent graduates to establish and maintain connections, develop mentor...
Marketing Effectiveness on Trial /Sydney 31 August 2017
What’s baked and what’s faked Top of our agenda throughout August and September was delivering effectiveness in the digital era, so much so, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth welcomed a stellar line-up of industry heavyweights. The Communications Council was at The Sydney...
APG launch 2017 Planning Idol competition
The Account Planning Group (APG) today launch the APG Planning Idol competition to find Australia’s next top planner. The competition targets young professionals 30 years or under with an interest in strategic thinking and a passion for communications, to apply their...
Value of creativity in marketing cannot be underestimated
Chief executives are under more pressure than ever to drive growth. Shareholders are demanding greater returns, consumers have higher expectations, competition has never been fiercer and technology is changing rapidly. In a recent KPMG survey, 54 per cent of CEOs said...
Panel guide UNSW new grads in advertising career pathway
A panel to address over 300 advertising, journalism and PR students at UNSW is being used to help promote the relaunched Communications Council Graduate Program and strengthen relationships with key universities. The panel addressed students nearing...
“We have been radically misled by the key digital players”: Peter Field, Effectiveness expert
Ahead of their session for the summit next week: Marketing Effectiveness on Trial, Godfather of effectiveness, Peter Field stopped by with a few hints about what he and co-presenter Les Binet will discuss. TCC: What is the number one reason for media agencies to...
The King was in his counting house – a short story by Mark Earls
At the Comms Council, we love a good yarn. So, when we asked the "HERDmeister" Mark Earls for his thoughts on effective social media ahead of his upcoming summit appearance in Australia, we knew we would be in for a treat. Mark Earls: The King was in his counting...
Storytelling key to LEGO Serious Play
LEGO Serious Play expert and IPA Strategic Planning speaker, Michael Fearne, is on a mission to encourage planners to embrace creativity—one block at a time. How many times can six bricks of LEGO be configured into something new? Close to one billion, or to be...
5 minutes with JWT’s Angela Morris and BWM Dentsu’s Jordan Price
Ahead of the IPA Strategic Planning Residentials, executive planning directors and co-chairs Angela Morris (JWT) and Jordan Price (BWM Dentsu) share their insights on the current state of play for planners and why the role of the strategic planner has become so...
“Too often we expect business to speak the language of marketing, but it should be the other way around” – Pieter-Paul von Weiler
What has been the impact of the digital revolution and is it time to revisit key principles in marketing? In this Q&A, we chat to AJF Partnership's head of strategy and IPA Strategic Planning course chair (Melbourne), Pieter-Paul von Weiler, to find out. TCC: Why...
AWARD School appoints Karen Ferry as NSW school head
Karen Ferry, senior copywriter of Leo Burnett, has been appointed NSW AWARD school head alongside Brendan Willenberg, creative director of Clemenger BBDO. Karen joined Leo Burnett in 2016, as a senior copywriter. Her career spans 11 years, acquiring over 70...
Embracing play to develop creative mindset – Michael Fearne
* LEGO® Serious Play® expert, Michael Fearne to speak at upcoming IPA Strategic Planning Course: “Changing Perspectives”* Joining Fearne straight from the UK are strategist Mark “HERDmeister” Earls, and effectiveness expert Peter Field* Final chance to register for...
Peter Field: Short-termism is undermining long-term success in advertising
Ahead of his much-anticipated return to Australia, UK's Godfather of Effectiveness Peter Field is on a mission to break Aussie brands out of their short-term thinking. OPINION: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you listen to everything that is said these...
“Our linear, siloed approach to strategy has now become irrelevant” – Alex Wood, Strategy Director, AKQA Melbourne
What are the challenges facing CEOs today? And how can strategists stay ahead of the curve? AKQA Melbourne's Strategy Director and AdSchool course presenter Alex Wood shares his insights and how you can benefit from the new eight week course. For the first time in...
Mental availability – does your brand have it?
Ahead of her guest appearance at our 'Marketing Effectiveness on Trial' Summit, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute’s Associate Professor Rachel Kennedy explains the role of mental availability in driving brand success. To delve into how advertising works, it is useful to tap...