The development of young talent is a critical component of any agency that wants to stay relevant to their clients and their clients’ businesses.
In the same way we get frustrated with clients who want to stick to the ground most trodden, we need young talent to help unlock new places to tread; sometimes a naïve question can be the key to unlocking a new approach to a problem.
I’ve often found that my best contribution has been what I didn’t know. New to the industry, I was able to take a fresh look at everything, challenge our thinking, not because I knew better, but because I knew nothing.
The world of healthcare advertising has changed drastically from 20 years ago when it was a niche area, where all that people made all day were drab looking ads placed in doctor-only magazines that your friends would never read (unless your mates are GPs).
Contrast that with today where society is driven by health and there are so many new opportunities for us to help support people on their journey to a healthier and more enjoyable life. Millennials are looking for something far bigger to be involved in than just delivering incremental sales increases; they are the generation that wants to change the world and feel that what they do really matters.
Now, we genuinely have the chance to create a product or service that could have a significant impact, like giving the NHS more money to spend on life-saving treatments or helping to find a cure for Ebola.
An entrepreneurial spirit and native understanding of the modern world where anything is possible
These days, it’s pretty much a given that the young talent in our industry has grown up in the world where anything seems possible. They aren’t waiting for a training course to come up or reading a white paper. They are instead finding side projects, learning how business works and bringing these experiences back to their agency.
Shops like RGA and Droga5 have paved the way for us agencies to have the right to actually solve business problems, rather than just communicate solutions. Surrounding ourselves in young, talented entrepreneurs who haven’t had a chance to learn what isn’t possible and why it isn’t possible can help us to constantly find new, better solutions.
Giving young talent the chance to shine
We have a duty to keep the industry we are in full of bright, vibrant talent. It is our job to find them, support them and give them opportunities to challenge our current behaviours wherever possible so that we can benefit from their fresh perspective and make both our ideas and our agencies better.
The IPA are great supporters of this cause and the Pip Award initiative, new to the IPA Best of Health Show this year, is another example of how they are championing the need for young talent in the industry.
The Pip Award is a great opportunity for young talent in healthcare agencies to rise to the top, to cut away all the excuses of the wrong client, the wrong budget and the wrong support. It creates a level playing field for young talent to show their agency, the industry and themselves what they are truly capable of, which is most likely a lot more than we give them credit for.
Find out more about the Pip Award and how to enter the Best of Health Show at www.bestofhealthshow.com The deadline for entries is 7th September 2015.
Mark Evans, Langland’s Digital Strategy Director.
In 2013, Mark was awarded the IPA Best of Health Young Talent award and also works as part of the IPA Healthcare group to promote best practice in healthcare advertising.
