Imagine completing a degree in marketing or PR but having no idea what agency life is all about, especially in terms of activations, campaigns and putting it all together. That's the sad result for many recent advertising graduates - but not the lucky few who attended the first ever Cape Town One Show Diversity Boot Camp.
From 1 to 5 July, the Protea Fire & Ice in Tamboerskloof was abuzz with that special hum specific to creative ideas flowing, gelling and growing into something big. That's because it was home base for the One Show Diversity Boot Camp, the first of its kind to be held in South Africa, coming on the back of The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town's Ross Chowles' appointment to The One Club's International Board of Directors, as one of his first self-issued tasks to improve diversity in the average South African ad agency.
While these boot camps have previously been held in the US and Asia, doing so locally gave 60 students from disadvantaged backgrounds in and around Cape Town - with one travelling from as far as Worcester by train each day, that's roughly 120 km one way - the chance to interact with South Africa's leading advertising minds, such as Chowles himself, as well as Roger Paulse of singh&sons and Xolisa Dyeshana of Joe Public. That time spent bantering and building ideas with agency bigwigs alone is a career-enhancing opportunity.
But the opportunities weren't hemmed in to our shores, as the participants also rubbed shoulders with Kevin Swanepoel, The One Show CEO, as well as international lecturers and mentors for the week: Jimmy Smith of Amusement Entertainment in LA and Sal Lombardo of Y&R New York.
Making it as real-world an experience as possible, they received a real brief from a real client on the first day of boot camp: from Woolworths itself, a major sponsor of the boot camp. Over the next few days, the brief was unpacked and ideas turned into actions.
The days were intense, lasting from 8am to 4pm with a special lecture each evening from other local creative greats such as Graham Lang from Y&R South Africa. The week was invaluable, as it offered more learnings about the industry than anything they would have learned in school, as well as about themselves and their own creativity.
This all culminated on Sunday, 5 July, with an award ceremony I was lucky enough to attend.
Before proceedings got underway, I spoke to South Africa-born Swanepoel, who was appointed as CEO just this year, with a total of 17 years at non-profit The One Club, spent developing One Show - Interactive into a standard-bearer for the digital advertising industry.
Explaining the boot camp process, he said the students were selected by merit based on scamps they had designed.
But why take part? The benefits are actually numerous and tangible. As Swanepoel points out, each attendee received a certificate for their part in the completed campaigns, with bronze, silver and gold winners receiving an additional sticker on theirs - those with a silver sticker are looking forward to rewarding their hard work with a night's stay for themselves and a partner; while the gold-winning team get the additional bonus of attending the Pharrell Williams concert. That's a big win for students. But at the end of the day, Swanepoel says all the attendees are winners as they get to add a case study of Woolworths' calibre to their portfolios. In addition, several agencies have stepped up to the plate by giving internships, with 99cents really stepping up by offering to pay for their tuition, too.
The end goal, he said, is to give people from diverse backgrounds a career in advertising, something they may not have otherwise considered. As Swanepoel explains: "For much of the local black population, there's little awareness of the opportunities offered by the creative industry, which actually pays very well. You don't have to give in to parental pressure and become an accountant or a lawyer. Not everyone's cut out for that."
The participating students certainly agree, and tie in nicely with Chowles' identification of a definite need for diversity. While South Africa did really well in the 2015 One Show awards, there's always room for more. So much so, in fact, that The One Club aims to give South African agencies a boost from the standpoint of having more local judges in the global jury, a move that's sure to increase local agency participation. "The results are speaking for themselves," says Swanepoel - click here for a reminder of South Africa's 2015 One Show showing.
But there's more to make next year's award show more enticing... For the last six years, the One Club has been allowing entry into The One Show on a quarterly basis in the interactive category.
This simplifies the judging process as it means the work being assessed isn't outdated by the time it come to judging: The work is still fresh and buzzing in the media. The judging is also a simpler process as judges are not as fatigued as those who judge in one solid chunk annually, and they have more time to do so. This has proven such a winning strategy that it is being expanded, rolling out the 'quarterly entry' to all One Show categories.
It was then time to scarper into the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Tamboerskloof's launch pad for the award ceremony.
If I hadn't already been hit by the wave of optimism and determination driving this bunch, I was about to be overwhelmed by it. Chowles welcomed us by reiterating that the ad agency is not an easy one in which you catch a break, it's tricky just getting your foot in the door. "You need money, training and connections," enough of a hindrance to anyone. "It's difficult getting up before 6am, catching a taxi and not fully understanding the end result".
Chowles added The One Club has held similar boot camps all over the world, but he hoped this batch of attendees would "Do the South African thing and kick the door down." They argued, talked to mentors and gave their best. As a result, Chowles commended the students and stated that their ideas deserve the best. They should be used to bring about change for good, and to effectively spread the message and bring more previously disadvantaged students into our agencies and teach them how to present and connect to consumers.
That's why Chowles said the Cape Town One Show Diversity Boot Camp simply wouldn't have been possible without agency involvement, with sponsorship coming from the likes of Ogilvy, Y&R, King James, 99cents, BBDO, The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town, Xolisa Dyeshana of Joe Public, Roger Paulse of singh&sons, Khaya Dlanga from Coca-Cola and the Protea Hotels Fire and Ice. But it went so smoothly, with Chowles so impressed by the vibe in the room that he feels it can only get better in years to come, with the possibility of a Joburg edition next year if they find the resources - one of the only reminders on the night that The One Club is a non-for-profit organisation. All the more impressive then that it is, as Swanepoel stated earlier, "Arguably the second largest award show globally. What sets The One Club and One Show apart from most other award shows is that the funds we receive from agencies entering our awards is used to uplift, train and improve the creative industry."
Chowles then introduced Khaya Dlanga, creative director of Coca-Cola, who gave a brief motivational talk based on his own career and learning that his dissatisfaction at a handful of bronze Loeries when he'd really wanted gold is what motivated him to keep stoking his own creative fire. He recommended Rise of the Creative Class for all with a passion for creativity.
That passion was the resounding message from the 60 South African attendees I experienced on the night. It's contagious, it's inspiring, and I hope to see more soon.
For more information on The One Club's mission to promote creative excellence through recognition and education, visit www.oneclub.org.
