NGEN Bootcamp is empowering our latest group of media industry newcomers

Inspiring speakers, a deep dive into all things media, tools to set you up for career success, a dash of friendly competition and a whole lot of fun. There’s a lot to love about NGEN Bootcamp.

Held in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, the one-day NGEN Bootcamp events are designed to bring industry newcomers up to speed with everything they need to know about the media agency industry: what we do, where their career can take them, the in-demand skills they need right now, the ins and outs of the media channel landscape, and more.

The Bootcamp attracted 160 NGENers in Sydney last month, and another 87 in Melbourne this week. Brisbane NGEN Bootcamp is coming up on Wednesday 24 April – REGISTER HERE

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Here’s what some of the latest attendees had to say about their experience:

Quianna Baterna, OMD

“Before NGEN Bootcamp, I was anxious about being new in the industry as I felt like I didn’t know much to fully succeed in my role. It was also difficult to network with other people as I only knew the people in my agency. Thanks to the MFA and NGEN, this event helped me feel more confident and excited about my career.”

Zafreen Zannat, Publicis Media

“I learned a lot given that I am brand new to the industry. It was reassuring to meet people who are in the same boat as me. Key takeaways for me were how to build my brand and also the vast range of media channels and how they can be used to reach consumers. That was very interesting to learn about.”

Solomon Mander-Jones, Hearts & Science

“Very informative and inspiring event! Loved the brief response, collaborating with peers across the industry to share experiences and unlock new ideas. Also loved the DE&I talk, and how to better create safe and welcoming workplaces.”

Zoe Parker, News Corp

“NGEN Media Bootcamp is an amazing networking and confidence-building opportunity. You cover so much in one day and we walk away with actionable tools, tips and tricks to take into work.”

Tanya Pham, Mindshare

“Getting to work on a brief from Boomtown was really good. It encouraged everyone to think outside the box and really think about how they could achieve the best results for the client in the most engaging way possible.”

If you’re interested in speaking or mentoring at NGEN events, please contact the NGEN team at ngen@mediafederation.org.au

SYDNEY SPEAKERS: Patrick Beck (JCDecaux), Pawena Kaniah (iProspect), Raymond Ly (This Is Flow), Liam Pierce (Initiative), Alex Williams (PHD), Georgia Gemell (Nine), Cassandra Anderson (ARN), Julia Bonato (Val Morgan), Tim Bowen (Scentre Group, Brandspace), Rosalinde Czysnok (News Corp Australia), Shannon Moriarty (Cartology).

MELBOURNE SPEAKERS: Brad Montgomery (Scentre Group), Bridget Wever (Zenith Media), Charles Xu (OMD), Nisha Rajamani (Carat), Liz O'Dowd (PHD Media), Arabella Adams (ARN), Leanne Glamuzina (Boomtown), Peter Siorovingas (Val Morgan), Ari Petropolous (News Corp Australia), Jessica Webb (Nine), Harley Jones (oOh! Media), Marie Galinsky (Cartology).

Inspiring speakers, a deep dive into all things media, tools to set you up for career success, a dash of friendly competition and a whole lot of fun. There’s a lot to love about NGEN Bootcamp.

The Bootcamp attracted 160 NGENers in Sydney last month, and another 87 in Melbourne this week. Brisbane NGEN Bootcamp is coming up on Wednesday 24 April – REGISTER HERE

MFA Leadership Series challenges leaders to think differently to thrive in an evolving modern workplace

The leadership playbooks and toolkits of just three years ago have become obsolete, Professor Martin Bean told attendees of the first MFA Leadership Series workshop of 2024, held this week in Sydney.

MFA Leadership Series is the new name for the MFA 5+ events – previously called MFA 5+ Inspiration Series. With workshops held twice times a year in Sydney and Melbourne, the aim of the Series is to develop the business and leadership skills of our future leaders through hands-on learning.

The launch MFA Leadership Series workshop attended this week by 240 leaders, is titled Master the Modern Workplace: Practical Tips for Modern Changers, and will be held in Melbourne next week, Tuesday 16 April.

Keynote Speakers, Professor Bean, the former CEO of RMIT Melbourne, author and an adaptive leadership advocate, and Mandy Kennett, people development expert and founder of Tomorrow People & Culture, took to the stage to discuss how embracing modern leadership principles can revolutionise the approach of leaders, empower their team, and drive unprecedented success.

Both speakers agreed that the turbulent events of the past five years – including the pandemic, climate and political anxiety, the rise of the multi-generational workforce, inflation and financial concerns, as well as legislative changes – have irrevocably changed the workplace in a short period of time.

With Gen Z set to make up 42% of the media industry by 2025, a key challenge of the modern workplace was summarised in the concept that leaders need to ‘Earn the commute’ - the idea that a day in the office needs to be worth the commute to get there.

Across an interactive breakfast session, leaders discovered how embracing the changes of recent years can work for themselves and their teams, as they explored essential steps and tools modern leaders can engage to address the new leadership paradigm - or risk being left behind in a modern workplace.

Here’s a look at the takeaways of three Sydney attendees:

Florence Horwich, Director, iProspect

“A light bulb moment for me was Professor Bean’s concept that the adaptive mind is a superpower which helps leaders drive progress through ‘disruption’ to ‘advantage’. I’m already considering how to implement this and how it will make a positive difference in my team and company. Both speakers were engaging and inspiring - I’ve come away with insights that are immediately actionable.”

Katherine Pochroj, Group Director, EssenceMediacom

“I loved Mandy’s insights on Gen Z - particularly on how they are forecast to make up 42% of our industry by 2025. Her tips on how important trust and approaching recognition are for Gen Z were insightful, particularly when framed within cross generational engagement.”

David Carmody, Group Investment Director, CHEP Network

“Never in history has the workforce been re-shaped so rapidly, or radically. Modern Leaders require an ever-evolving understanding of the modern workforce. Using disruption as a ‘force multiplier’ to achieve what’s impossible in stable times; and driving adaptation & advantage, are something I’ll apply to both personally and professionally. Overall, the biggest theme was the importance of constantly adapting and innovating, and learning with each other – including younger generations. Now is not a time for standing still or hanging on to the old ways of working.”

MFA Leadership Series is open to all media professionals with more than five years’ experience – and no cutoff limit! To register for the next events in the series, speak to your agency’s MFA 5+ representative or contact us: mfa@mediafederation.org.au

Entering Awards is about more than winning - but maximising your chances of winning is still the smart way to do it.

Entering awards programs is not a meaningless, feel-good exercise, according to Chris Colter, Chief Strategy & Product Officer at Initiative and Co-Chair of the MFA Awards. Quite the opposite – there are genuine commercial benefits to entering awards on behalf of your agency and your clients’ business, he told participants of the MFA Awards Entry Writing Clinic.

The clinic, hosted by Chris and Co-Chair Sophie Price, Chief Strategy Officer at EssenceMediacom, outlined reasons to enter the MFA Awards, a checklist for identifying the most award-worthy work and tips for making your entry the best it can be.

MFA members can access a recording of the MFA Awards Writing Clinic here

“We firmly believe great media deserves to be celebrated, it creates that inspirational benchmark for the industry to try to attain,” Chris said. “And it helps us all get better at what we do because we’re learning new ways to do things. Seeing the bold thinking being delivered by our fellow agencies helps us reshape the possibilities in media.

“It also strengthens client relationships by showing how committed we are to delivering results on their behalf.”

Chris outlined four commercial benefits to entering the MFA Awards:

1.

ELEVATION of pride in our people, our industry and our impact: entering the MFA Awards is a manifestation of our industry purpose of We Are The Changers. “The more you celebrate the impact we make, the more purpose your people feel,” Chris said.

2.

VALIDATION of the impact media agencies deliver on brands, businesses, and broader society and culture. It helps to improve the ROI factor that media brings to the table and gives potential clients informed confidence that you’re a business that can deliver the goods.

3.

INSPIRATION for what’s possible in media today and tomorrow.

4.

It provides EDUCATION on best practice media thinking in our market and beyond.

Sophie Price reminded participants that not all great work is necessarily award worthy. A key factor she added to the checklist, she said, was whether the campaign had an “I wish I’d thought of it” element.

Again, don’t underestimate the company-wide positive effects of entering the MFA Awards. Engagement in the awards, pride in the agency, connection and support across teams are all achieved as soon as the finalist list is announced. Whilst being a finalist is not guaranteed, missing out on this unifying opportunity is absolutely guaranteed if you don’t enter.

Awards are a win-win even if you don’t win.

You have until 3 May to enter the 2024 MFA Awards. Download the entry kit here.

MFA Members can access MFA Awards Writing Clinic here

Unlocking unity: the crucial role of listening in Avenue C’s approach to SBS’s Core Inclusion program

When it comes to promoting greater diversity and inclusion, listening is just as important as learning, according to Avenue C Managing Partner Mel Mullins. She explains how the agency embraced the SBS Core Inclusion program through a collective approach, learning from each other as well as the course modules.

As someone who fits into a few minority groups, I have always felt strongly that you can’t tackle deeply embedded systemic issues unless you offer systemic alternatives.

This was partly the reason I was so excited to return from maternity leave to see that SBS had shared its inclusion course with MFA member agencies. It made perfect sense that a network that has long led the way in embracing diverse voices should set about educating the industry.

Avenue C proudly champions being ‘good with being ourselves’ and felt it was important that we educated ourselves further in this space. However, we realised that putting in our headphones and watching the videos in isolation wasn’t our style. We love being challenged and working as a collective, so if we were going to broaden our understanding of diversity, we needed to learn and discuss together as a diverse group ourselves.

Every fortnight, we come together, protecting the time to dive into a new SBS Core Inclusion module of our choice and, most importantly, discuss it together.

One of the most interesting aspects of learning about DE&I in this way is you quickly realise that the take-outs of each person watching the same video are incredibly diverse in themselves, and by coming together and sharing, discussing, and listening, we can maximise our diversity learning.

Morag Cahill, Media Director:

While the course has been fantastic to do alone, the greatest gift it has given us as an agency is the opportunity to listen to each other’s stories, and most importantly discuss our differences.

A week ago, I didn’t know what ‘saving face’ meant in Asian culture, or that my ‘Aussie’ way of asking a question can be very offensive to others. You don’t often sit down with people you work with and ask about their experience as an immigrant or how growing up in a specific culture impacts how they communicate.

We are a rambunctious bunch and this course has made us stop, listen and learn a lot about what has shaped us.

Andrew Markou, Media Director:

Doing this training has been a reminder that people may be impacted by things that you may not even think of, but are important to them. Simply understanding that, gives you a greater level of respect for each other which in the workplace is key.

Dennis Wong, Business Director:

We don’t realise how far down our own echo chambers we are, hearing what we want to hear with our social circles, and content we watch. The discussions give me the opportunity to jump out of that echo chamber and appreciate that we don’t just live our lives, but we share them with the people around us.

If we really want to encourage DE&I in our industry, we need to both learn AND listen. By tackling the training as a collective, you get to hear the unique values and opinions of your colleagues and in turn, develop a greater sense of empathy for others’ experiences, which is what this training is all about.

I encourage you to try this in your agency and be amazed about what you learn from the people you sit next to every day.

The SBS Core Inclusion program is available to MFA members free of charge.

Weapons of Mass Distinction

It’s time for media agencies to think more creatively, said Sam Geer, Managing Director, and Chris Colter, Chief Strategy and Product Officer at Initiative, during their MFA EX 2023 session “Weapons of Mass Distinction”.

Why? Because when media is as creative as the creative itself, that’s when it’s most effective. And creating distinctive media devices is the way to achieve it, they said.

Here are the key takeouts:

Make Distinctive Media Devices the Goal

What is distinctiveness? It’s those elements that trigger your memory of a brand and everything it stands for, even when the brand name isn’t right in front of you.

To achieve it, shift the focus from short-term gains to distinctive media devices with long-term potential that you can build equity in.

Think of the Coca Cola billboard at Kings Cross – a 50-year screen investment. Once you have equity and consistency in a device like this, you can give it colour with cultural moments, like Pride or The Matildas.

Plan, Prioritise and Protect

Plan

To create distinctive media devices, you need to really understand your brand. Not just Why, How and What, but Where, When and Who they show up for consistently.

Prioritise

Think about which device you’re going to back and prioritise over the long term.

Protect

Don’t measure yourself short. With a distinctive device, like the Ikea shopping bags, the purpose is to build emotional memory structures and long-term associations, not drive immediate sales.

Set the right measurement agency with your clients – for example, salience over sales, affinity over action.

Evaluate the brand experience

Conduct a brand experience audit on all your clients, looking for any distinctive assets they may already have that are just waiting to be leveraged. Then build a proper launch and protection plan around them.

Watch the video of Chris Colter and Sam Geer’s talk at MFA EX here.