It was a hugely valuable experience.
The first thing we got told at Creative LIAisons by Barbara Levy was to get rid of anything we thought we knew about advertising. Following this advice, Lauren and I decided to swap roles for this diary and share our experience through art and copy in a new way: worse. Please enjoy our account of Day 1 with an attempt at words by me and beautiful illustrations by Lauren. Thanks Barbara.
Two of the three talks today were focused around sound and sonic branding (by Ralph van Dijk and Diedrick van Middelkoop). These are words we felt like we hear thrown around a lot, so it was interesting to get the lowdown. It never occurred to us that Audio Directing is a job that exists – although now it seems obvious. Going forward, we want to involve more thinking around this in our work – if Lauren doesn’t run away to become an Audio Director first.
We also witnessed the definition of creative chemistry between Diane Jackson and Oliver Fuselier, which was appropriate since their whole conversation was about “collaboration in pursuit of magic”. They stopped using the word “partnership” to replace it with a much more active, involved one: “collaboration”. If there was one thing I took away from today it was this attitude – I love the idea of creative people working together without barriers of perceived roles (Lauren – can you please insert joke here about who’s the better writer).
The rest of the day we were in a workshop making 6 second videos with Great Guns. We were given the afternoon to create a 6 second ad for CloseUp toothpaste in groups of 10 type A’s armed with just an iPad and a box full of random props. I don’t know what happened to Lauren in those 4 hours we were split up but she reappeared with what I can only describe as Soft Core Clown-on-Panda BDSM…. but with toothpaste?.
Day 2: Dear Diary, We’re exhausted. Day 2 was a heckers back-to-back onslaught of information & we’re terrified it will all fall out of our brains since it’s fired at us so quickly. Today’s episode is brought to you by the number 8 – the hour that we will be in bed by tonight.
In the morning Pum Lefebure’s presentation was filled with fearless colour, attitude, and meticulous attention to detail. There was an audible clatter when every jaw in the room fell to the floor. Our inadequate summary consists of a few memorable quotes; we particularly liked her phrase “visually vigilant”, which means always being aware of the things you see around you. She said every creative, not just designers and art directors, should be fluent in visual language.
We were relentlessly hit with wise words throughout the day, from the gravitas of Piyush Pandey to the fast-paced world of the Branded Entertainment panel. Both talked in contrasting (but complimentary) ways about how to communicate with empathy with your client and other creatives.
Interestingly this topic came up again with Emad Tahtouh when he was discussing what happens when we combine emotion and tech. It sounds like storytelling will always be a part of what we do in the industry.
We then got an engaging crash course on presenting from Matt McDonald; from not having Coke at a Pepsi preso to the nuances of pitch theatre, “don’t try to solve the problem in the room” is probably the best advice of the day. It was a massive relief to see something we get could put to use immediately when we get back to work – in amongst all the case studies of Beautifully Crafted Multi-Million Dollar Ads with clients who would catch you in a trust fall…
Throughout the day, everyone kept talking about always learning, always being awake, and responsible for your self investment. That is, being proactive in furthering your skills. It was inspiring to hear this, especially since so many things went over our heads sometimes. We have a lot of self investment to do.
Day 3: Where to start? LIA 2019 has been permeated with this magical word: “empathy”. Empathy with our clients, with our consumers, and with each other.
A woman came and asked us (nerds in the front row) if the seat next to us was taken. We talked about where we were from, where she was from… she told us a story of the cockroaches in her apartment when she lived in Sydney years ago. In fact, she admitted that she had a cockroach story from every place she’d lived, even Afghanistan. And then she picked up a mic and was introduced as Lara Logan, multi-award winning journalist. Okay. Her poignant talk put our jobs into some much-needed perspective and is probably one of the main reasons we’re writing about today in so much detail.
In the afternoon we were treated to a RARE workshop, run by founder Stefanie DiGianvincenzo and featuring inspiring talks from Olympic snowboarder Šárka Pancochová, Fin Design CEO Emma Daines, Sweetshop CEO Wilf Sweetland, Amusement Park CEO Jimmy Smith, founder of FOX Pride Waseem Samaan, Samson Bonkeabantu Thulani Brown (of First Shave by Gillette fame), academic director Prof. David Slocum, and absolute baller and inspiration Blair Imani. Yup. It was a lot to take in.
The RARE masterclass felt like the answer to a lot of the questions we had been asking ourselves, not just today, but throughout our short careers. It was an enlightening and empowering session on unconscious bias, what we stand for, and how we can embrace everyone’s differences to better the creative work, each other and ourselves. We did a few exercises with David Slocum about negotiation and our personal values. For one, we had to go through a list of about 100 adjectives and decide on the 5 values that we believe in the most. To end this article on a slightly lighter note, we found that ours were pretty similar (makes sense). Here they are:
Lauren 1. Empathy 2. Honesty 3. Compassion 4. Genuineness 5. Pleasure
Aïcha 1. Love 2. Curiosity 3. Teamwork 4. Integrity 5. Fun
Day 4: Dear diary, Today was what we all came here for. A pool party.
And to watch some of the best campaigns of 2019 get torn a new one. Today was judgement day.
I chose to sit in the Production and Post-production jury room today, because I believe in the importance of craft. The parts I was looking forward to most were the animation and music video categories (for anyone who knows me, this is not surprising in the slightest). It was really interesting to hear the jurors’ conversation about style. Again, an animation or music video could have been executed flawlessly – but was it something we haven’t seen before? Is it something fresh? Has it been seen in this context before? Does it go beyond just serving the story? These questions ultimately decided the prizes awarded.
One of the overall takeaways for me today was that creativity doesn’t stop at the idea, or even just the treatment. Every single detail along the way should be decided with this in mind. There was a lot of debate in the room about solutions that work and serve the ad, but lack any additional creative perspective.
There were also some interesting debates about the role of skill and the difficulty of certain executions. Diane Jackson told the room a great metaphor relating to this: a jazz saxophonist could be (very impressively) circular breathing throughout a whole song, but if it doesn’t sound good, it doesn’t matter how technically adept the musician is. Ultimately they judged on the end product rather than the process, which is an approach we agree with, and one Lauren’s room also touched on.
She sat in on the New and Social Influencer categories, which were really interesting but also really hard to define. How do you define what makes something ‘new’? And what counts as an influencer these days?
We were lucky enough to be able to speak up when we felt we needed to. And lucky we did. One particular LIAson’s articulate observations proved the importance of (and obvious lack of) diversity and inclusion in award judging rooms, especially when it comes to people with disabilities. Of course, this is really just a reflection on the industry and society as a whole, but it was amazing to see up close.
After today, we have a new respect for award jurors. It’s a job that requires a lot of endurance; we were only with them for about 7 hours or so, but this was the fourth day that they had sat down to deliberate. There were 19 hours of production entries sent in to LIA this year. Woof.
Tonight’s the big pool party. And apparently if you’re not schmoozing, you’re losing.
Day 5: Dear Diary, We’ll keep this final one short – pools and pokies are calling.
Since our wild week is wrapping up, and our brains are full from learning (pretty sure we know everything now), we’re un-swapping roles. Bring back the alliteration baby, Aïcha’s the art director again.
Creative LIAisons was rounded off in true Yankee style, with an entrepreneurial workshop feat. Daymond John from Shark Tank. So I guess that makes us entrepreneurs now, kinda like Lindsay Lohan.
So what exactly did we learn here? Oodles. But here are our top 5 takeaways:
1. Although we’re still learning, our point of view is just as relevant as those who’ve been in the game forever. And we shouldn’t be shy about sharing it.
2. We learnt how to get what you want at work, and how not to piss off everyone while you’re doing it.
3. You can ask anyone you want to be your mentor. If they’re worth learning from, they’ll want to help.
4. Brands have more power than governments.
5. Don’t pay to go to Europe when you can do shots on the sunny Venetian canals at midnight.
The highlight? Making friends from all over the world. And some of them weren’t even Australian! Thanks to LIA, we’ve got couches to crash on in Chicago, New York, Toronto, Paris, Berlin & Amsterdam.
Before we sign off, we want to thank Adrian and Sarah and everyone at MADC for giving us that ridiculously oversized boarding pass. It’s been an invaluable experience and we won’t forget it. Plus a massive thanks to Barbara from LIA for putting on the show.
Sure there were some weird moments this week, but it’s Vegas. Everyone wins here, right? Well ok, maybe some people will walk away losers. But don’t despair if that’s you. After all, every time you lose something, you learn something. Signing off for the last time, L&A @ LIA
After Creative LIAisons:
The best talks were:
Pum Lefebure: Inspiring Excellence.
Ralph van Dijk of Eardrum: Great ideas from an often - underestimated media.
Matt MacDonald: How to Present Yourself. I’m already putting his teachings into practice.
All the coaching talks were useful such as the following.
Lara Logan: An outstanding career.
Daymond John: Great Motivation.
The best part of the program was the opportunity to get to know people with the same energy and goals from all over the world, but all together in one place. Overall LIAisons was a lovely experience.
Before Creative LIAisons:
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
A couple of my friends have participated in the Creative LIAisons program, so I have heard a lot about LIA.
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I expect to meet people who are passionate about creativity and communication, both above and below the stage. I hope to find inspiration and new points of views.
3. If you were to choose what the speakers present, what topics would you choose?
I think we can all have good ideas today. I would like to hear about how to sell them or even how to make them for yourself.
4. If you could choose any juror to interview for two minutes, who would it be and why?
I would like to interview Mark Tutssel, because of his incredible career.
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
Friends from Jung von Matt / SAGA and a few other German agencies were given the fortunate opportunity of attending LIAisons in the past, so I had heard a few stories about the judging, the panel talks, and the camaraderie of waking up.
2. How did you feel when you were chosen to participate in Creative LIAisons, an exclusive program of 100 attendees aged 21 – 30 from around the world?
I feel that when industry leaders speak, subjects often concern the steps agencies should be taking to be better. It’s extremely important, but I’m still figuring myself out. Being selected for LIAsons excites me, because it gives me the opportunity to ask the selfish questions. I am also excited for tacos.
3. If you were to choose what the speakers present, what topics would you choose?
• The mistakes they or their friends made in their career and what we should learn from them.
• What impact did their own mentors have on their career and what were some of the timeless lessons they were given.
• What would you specifically warn the incoming class of Portfolio School 2019?
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I saw a flurry of photos online when two friends attended the LIAs last year as Creative LIAisons. I have realised two things since; it’s ‘LIA-isons’ (very clever) and that it was in Las Vegas…not London… explaining the Pyramid and the neon Las Vegas signs.
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
After browsing the other young creative’s profiles for hints on how to answer these questions I’m excited to meet them all and casually follow up on the answers they gave without being too specific and creeping them out. I’m also excited to see how the judging is done and how I can manipulate that process into winning awards.
Secretly, the main reason I am excited is to make lifelong memories with my copywriter partner. I can feel her pulling away and this will be a great opportunity to reignite our spark. She can’t see this, right?
3. Who from the LIA Juries would you most like to meet/speak with? (https://www.liaawards.com/juries/jury/)
I would like to meet Matt Eastwood for sure; Aussie ex-pat that has taken over the world in style. I need his step-by-step guide as soon as possible.
4. If you could choose any juror to interview for two minutes, who would it be and why?
I would follow up with Matt Eastwood from our previous hypothetical conversation in question 3. He will recognise me at this point and our interview will be filled with friendly banter resulting in a mutual respect that would usually take years to build.
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I first heard about LIAisons 3 years ago when a colleague told me about “a meeting of creatives” in connection to LIA. Right away, I liked the thought of being able to observe the judging process.
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I expect to meet different kinds of creatives from all over the globe, see their creative approach, how they develop and judge ideas and get inspired. And hopefully, make connections that last longer than the time being in Vegas. Also, I have to play the slot machine just once.
3. Who from the LIA Juries would you most like to meet/speak with? (https://www.liaawards.com/juries/jury/)
I would like to meet and speak with Judges in categories where I feel like I can learn the most, such as Tiffany Rolfe. And experienced creatives with an Art Direction background such as Bernardo Romero.
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I had heard about the program through other creatives who were given the opportunity to attend last year. Nothing but great things were said about the experience.
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I look forward to the opportunity to mingle and pick the brains of top creatives that I wouldn’t have the chance to chat with otherwise. Also excited to get a look behind the curtain when it comes to the judging process.
3. If you were to choose what the speakers present, what topics would you choose?
- What makes great work great work?
- What the judges are looking for?
- Where are awards shows headed?
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I knew nothing about it. However, I knew that our CCO had spoken at Creative LIAisons last year, but that’s it.
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I expect to get a renewed sense of creativity. Reassurance that everything is going to be alright! That advertising will persist and agencies will survive! I want to be able to meet and get to know fellow young creatives for inspiration, etc.
3. Who from the LIA Juries would you most like to meet/speak with? (https://www.liaawards.com/juries/jury/)
Leslie Sims
4. If you could choose any juror to interview for two minutes, who would it be and why?
I would choose Leslie Sims, because she is based in New York and has experience in big, traditional agencies that I am interested in hearing and learning more about.
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I was aware of the Awards show but not of the LIAisons program.
2. How did you feel when you were chosen to participate in Creative LIAisons, an exclusive program of 100 attendees aged 21 – 30 from around the world?
It felt great to be recognized by my agency as a young creative who should be a part of this. As I’m starting my career, I am always looking to be involved in events that can allow me to grow and help with my creative development.
3. If you were to choose what the speakers present, what topics would you choose?
I’m an Art Director, so I would be most interested in seeing Design Panels, Technology Panels (how to be on the cutting edge of social) and what makes creative work stand out in a crowd.
After Creative LIAisons:
It was an honour to attend Creative LIAisons this year. I gained so much practical knowledge that I’m already using in my work, and I met some incredible creatives from all over the world. I think, for me, meeting those other creatives was the best part about LIAisons. I loved being exposed to different ways of working, different problems, and work that I probably wouldn’t see in my own market. Thanks for having me and for all your hard work! We all had a blast.
Before Creative LIAisons:
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
My Creative Director had told me about Creative LIAisons and said it was a week (or so) of learning, networking and mingling with other creatives from around the world. That’s about all I knew!
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I expect to be really inspired by the people I meet at Creative LIAisons. I’m hoping to make new friends, to learn more about what creatives are doing in other markets and to get new ideas for our clients back home.
3. Who from the LIA Juries would you most like to meet/speak with? (https://www.liaawards.com/juries/jury/)
I’d love to meet Suyin Sleeman, a fellow Australian and Copywriter! Her journey in the industry has been really inspiring and I would be interested in learning more about it.
After Creative LIAisons:
Creative LIAisons was an incredible experience. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The LIA’s really reminded me of the small bubble I live/work in. This industry is huge and it was so cool to hear/see everybody else’s perspective on creativity. It was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve done in my career.
What I loved about LIAisons: The speakers were amazing. LIA did an amazing job selecting the best of the best to talk to us. The speakers that stood out the most to me were the ones that had and showed us the process of how they got to the final work lessons. For me, the speakers I took the most away from were: Pum Lefebure, Matt MacDonald, Mark Tutssel, Lara Logan, Malcolm Poynton and Ralph Van Dijk.
Statue Discussions: Definitely the coolest experience of the entire week. I am so thankful that the judges allow us to sit in the room. I feel like they really care about teaching the younger generation of creatives (i.e. Mark Tutssel was very accommodating).
Dinner & Cocktail Party: I loved that it happened after Statue Discussions, when the jury’s discussions were still fresh in our minds. I also loved that it was a standing event, because it gave people the opportunity to approach each other and meet new people all night.
Flights & Accommodation: You made it super easy to sort this out with our agencies. I’m very happy that I didn’t have to pay for everything myself first, then have to get reimbursed a month later.
I truly value everything LIA did for us and want to help make it even better. It’s an amazing program that is so beneficial to young creatives.
Before Creative LIAisons:
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I did not know anything about it until I was recommended by Ari Weiss to attend.
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I would love to get some insight into how an international jury aligns on a winner despite their different backgrounds and languages. I’m also excited to meet our industry’s leading creatives.
3. Who from the LIA Juries would you most like to meet/speak with? (https://www.liaawards.com/juries/jury/)
Judy John, Edelman Pum Lefebure, Design Army Kazoo Sato, TBWA\HAKUHODO Peter Alsante, BBDO
It was a hugely valuable experience.
The first thing we got told at Creative LIAisons by Barbara Levy was to get rid of anything we thought we knew about advertising. Following this advice, Lauren and I decided to swap roles for this diary and share our experience through art and copy in a new way: worse. Please enjoy our account of Day 1 with an attempt at words by me and beautiful illustrations by Lauren. Thanks Barbara.
Two of the three talks today were focused around sound and sonic branding (by Ralph van Dijk and Diedrick van Middelkoop). These are words we felt like we hear thrown around a lot, so it was interesting to get the lowdown. It never occurred to us that Audio Directing is a job that exists – although now it seems obvious. Going forward, we want to involve more thinking around this in our work – if Lauren doesn’t run away to become an Audio Director first.
We also witnessed the definition of creative chemistry between Diane Jackson and Oliver Fuselier, which was appropriate since their whole conversation was about “collaboration in pursuit of magic”. They stopped using the word “partnership” to replace it with a much more active, involved one: “collaboration”. If there was one thing I took away from today it was this attitude – I love the idea of creative people working together without barriers of perceived roles (Lauren – can you please insert joke here about who’s the better writer).
The rest of the day we were in a workshop making 6 second videos with Great Guns. We were given the afternoon to create a 6 second ad for CloseUp toothpaste in groups of 10 type A’s armed with just an iPad and a box full of random props. I don’t know what happened to Lauren in those 4 hours we were split up but she reappeared with what I can only describe as Soft Core Clown-on-Panda BDSM…. but with toothpaste?.
Day 2: Dear Diary, We’re exhausted. Day 2 was a heckers back-to-back onslaught of information & we’re terrified it will all fall out of our brains since it’s fired at us so quickly. Today’s episode is brought to you by the number 8 – the hour that we will be in bed by tonight.
In the morning Pum Lefebure’s presentation was filled with fearless colour, attitude, and meticulous attention to detail. There was an audible clatter when every jaw in the room fell to the floor. Our inadequate summary consists of a few memorable quotes; we particularly liked her phrase “visually vigilant”, which means always being aware of the things you see around you. She said every creative, not just designers and art directors, should be fluent in visual language.
We were relentlessly hit with wise words throughout the day, from the gravitas of Piyush Pandey to the fast-paced world of the Branded Entertainment panel. Both talked in contrasting (but complimentary) ways about how to communicate with empathy with your client and other creatives.
Interestingly this topic came up again with Emad Tahtouh when he was discussing what happens when we combine emotion and tech. It sounds like storytelling will always be a part of what we do in the industry.
We then got an engaging crash course on presenting from Matt McDonald; from not having Coke at a Pepsi preso to the nuances of pitch theatre, “don’t try to solve the problem in the room” is probably the best advice of the day. It was a massive relief to see something we get could put to use immediately when we get back to work – in amongst all the case studies of Beautifully Crafted Multi-Million Dollar Ads with clients who would catch you in a trust fall…
Throughout the day, everyone kept talking about always learning, always being awake, and responsible for your self investment. That is, being proactive in furthering your skills. It was inspiring to hear this, especially since so many things went over our heads sometimes. We have a lot of self investment to do.
Day 3: Where to start? LIA 2019 has been permeated with this magical word: “empathy”. Empathy with our clients, with our consumers, and with each other.
A woman came and asked us (nerds in the front row) if the seat next to us was taken. We talked about where we were from, where she was from… she told us a story of the cockroaches in her apartment when she lived in Sydney years ago. In fact, she admitted that she had a cockroach story from every place she’d lived, even Afghanistan. And then she picked up a mic and was introduced as Lara Logan, multi-award winning journalist. Okay. Her poignant talk put our jobs into some much-needed perspective and is probably one of the main reasons we’re writing about today in so much detail.
In the afternoon we were treated to a RARE workshop, run by founder Stefanie DiGianvincenzo and featuring inspiring talks from Olympic snowboarder Šárka Pancochová, Fin Design CEO Emma Daines, Sweetshop CEO Wilf Sweetland, Amusement Park CEO Jimmy Smith, founder of FOX Pride Waseem Samaan, Samson Bonkeabantu Thulani Brown (of First Shave by Gillette fame), academic director Prof. David Slocum, and absolute baller and inspiration Blair Imani. Yup. It was a lot to take in.
The RARE masterclass felt like the answer to a lot of the questions we had been asking ourselves, not just today, but throughout our short careers. It was an enlightening and empowering session on unconscious bias, what we stand for, and how we can embrace everyone’s differences to better the creative work, each other and ourselves. We did a few exercises with David Slocum about negotiation and our personal values. For one, we had to go through a list of about 100 adjectives and decide on the 5 values that we believe in the most. To end this article on a slightly lighter note, we found that ours were pretty similar (makes sense). Here they are:
Lauren 1. Empathy 2. Honesty 3. Compassion 4. Genuineness 5. Pleasure
Aïcha 1. Love 2. Curiosity 3. Teamwork 4. Integrity 5. Fun
Day 4: Dear diary, Today was what we all came here for. A pool party.
And to watch some of the best campaigns of 2019 get torn a new one. Today was judgement day.
I chose to sit in the Production and Post-production jury room today, because I believe in the importance of craft. The parts I was looking forward to most were the animation and music video categories (for anyone who knows me, this is not surprising in the slightest). It was really interesting to hear the jurors’ conversation about style. Again, an animation or music video could have been executed flawlessly – but was it something we haven’t seen before? Is it something fresh? Has it been seen in this context before? Does it go beyond just serving the story? These questions ultimately decided the prizes awarded.
One of the overall takeaways for me today was that creativity doesn’t stop at the idea, or even just the treatment. Every single detail along the way should be decided with this in mind. There was a lot of debate in the room about solutions that work and serve the ad, but lack any additional creative perspective.
There were also some interesting debates about the role of skill and the difficulty of certain executions. Diane Jackson told the room a great metaphor relating to this: a jazz saxophonist could be (very impressively) circular breathing throughout a whole song, but if it doesn’t sound good, it doesn’t matter how technically adept the musician is. Ultimately they judged on the end product rather than the process, which is an approach we agree with, and one Lauren’s room also touched on.
She sat in on the New and Social Influencer categories, which were really interesting but also really hard to define. How do you define what makes something ‘new’? And what counts as an influencer these days?
We were lucky enough to be able to speak up when we felt we needed to. And lucky we did. One particular LIAson’s articulate observations proved the importance of (and obvious lack of) diversity and inclusion in award judging rooms, especially when it comes to people with disabilities. Of course, this is really just a reflection on the industry and society as a whole, but it was amazing to see up close.
After today, we have a new respect for award jurors. It’s a job that requires a lot of endurance; we were only with them for about 7 hours or so, but this was the fourth day that they had sat down to deliberate. There were 19 hours of production entries sent in to LIA this year. Woof.
Tonight’s the big pool party. And apparently if you’re not schmoozing, you’re losing.
Day 5: Dear Diary, We’ll keep this final one short – pools and pokies are calling.
Since our wild week is wrapping up, and our brains are full from learning (pretty sure we know everything now), we’re un-swapping roles. Bring back the alliteration baby, Aïcha’s the art director again.
Creative LIAisons was rounded off in true Yankee style, with an entrepreneurial workshop feat. Daymond John from Shark Tank. So I guess that makes us entrepreneurs now, kinda like Lindsay Lohan.
So what exactly did we learn here? Oodles. But here are our top 5 takeaways:
1. Although we’re still learning, our point of view is just as relevant as those who’ve been in the game forever. And we shouldn’t be shy about sharing it.
2. We learnt how to get what you want at work, and how not to piss off everyone while you’re doing it.
3. You can ask anyone you want to be your mentor. If they’re worth learning from, they’ll want to help.
4. Brands have more power than governments.
5. Don’t pay to go to Europe when you can do shots on the sunny Venetian canals at midnight.
The highlight? Making friends from all over the world. And some of them weren’t even Australian! Thanks to LIA, we’ve got couches to crash on in Chicago, New York, Toronto, Paris, Berlin & Amsterdam.
Before we sign off, we want to thank Adrian and Sarah and everyone at MADC for giving us that ridiculously oversized boarding pass. It’s been an invaluable experience and we won’t forget it. Plus a massive thanks to Barbara from LIA for putting on the show.
Sure there were some weird moments this week, but it’s Vegas. Everyone wins here, right? Well ok, maybe some people will walk away losers. But don’t despair if that’s you. After all, every time you lose something, you learn something. Signing off for the last time, L&A @ LIA
After Creative LIAisons:
“How do we make brands strong? How do we come up with good ideas? How do we deliver the idea and convince the client? The seminars given by the first-class creatives were inspiring and filled with tips that I could use right away. It was also great knowing 100+ young creatives from all over the world. Exchanging different ideas with them gave some depth to my way of thinking. With all that I’ve learned, I want to create creative works that are meaningful and appropriate for the era we live in.”
At LIAisons, creators from around the world form groups for collaborative workshops, attend presentations by legends of the creative industry, and observe the LIA judging process; it’s an intense program.
Among the young creators in attendance I heard, “Someday, I want to become the kind of creator who can serve as a juror.” The program is not finished at the end of the week, the friendships continue.
I am lucky to have the opportunity to participate in this rewarding program, unlike any other competition, and I savor the invaluable realization that I have friends and rivals around the world. I’d like to express my respect for the LIA staff members who organize LIAisons and I hope that they continue to offer this program far into the future.
Interview:
What were some of the key learnings you got out of Creative LIAisons or the highlights of the program for you?
There are so many ways we can make brands strong and I should’ve known. However, I might have been thinking narrow since I used to start with the frames, not ideas. Creatives should think more freely, and not hesitate to create what some people might hate, if it is necessary. This whole experience pushed me to the next level.
Are there any other programs like this that you have attended?
No, I have not. I really want to attend more of these kinds of programs. I have only attended a copywriting class in Japan.
How valuable to you was sitting in on the LIA Statue Discussions?
It was great watching judges’ discussions over awards, because the whole process was fair and not biased. If the idea is strong and simple enough, the language and the cultural background do not matter. I feel I was encouraged to trust my gut again and create more creative works.
Before Creative LIAisons:
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I have a coworker who attended the LIA Creative LIAisons program last year. She told me that the program provides attendees with a variety of lessons and workshops to strengthen how to build methods to come up with ideas and broaden imaginations. One also gets a chance to talk with award-winning creative directors from all over the world and mingle with creative people of the same age group. I think it is a great opportunity for the young creatives like me to go up to the next level through seeing and understanding how to create creative works that can be effective and influential globally.
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I would very much like to know how to come up with creative ideas that can actually move people of different cultures and values. I also want to see how award-winning creative directors create their presentation decks and also how to do presentations. It would be great if I could learn how to persuade clients too.
3. If you were to choose what the speakers present, what topics would you choose?
· How to come up with creative ideas that can make great impacts on people regardless of their races, cultures, and values.
· How to create creative presentations that can persuade clients.
· How to strengthen copywriting skills.
· How to make ideas simple and bold.
· How to find insights of the target.
· How to make creative campaigns that can actually win global awards.
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I knew that LIA was a competition that, while being globally well-known, involves people who are active in numerous, different unique creative fields.
2. How did you feel when you were chosen to participate in Creative LIAisons, an exclusive program of 100 attendees aged 21 – 30 from around the world?
I felt happy and also a bit nervous at the same time, because I feel a high sense of responsibility towards my participation in this program.
3. When sitting in on statue discussion judging what do you hope to learn?
I hope to learn about how other creators and designers, with different cultural and education backgrounds, transmit emotions through their creations and also learn about the judges’ point of view and opinion about the execution. As, I have only worked in Japan, I would like to get some hints about how people with a different upbringing conceive creativity and how they actually express it.
4. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I expect to encounter numerous creators and be inspired by their artistry and their points of view.
5. If you were to choose what the speakers present, what topics would you choose?
I would like to hear about the changes that are expected to affect the creative arts industry in the future and how creators and designers can adapt to those new trends.
After Creative LIAisons:
Sadie and I have just got back from the Creative LIAisons programme in Las Vegas – one of the most informative, bizarre and brilliant experiences of our careers so far. Nobly pushing through jet lag, I've gone back through our notebooks to share some of the things we learned this week.
What we learned from the judges:
1. Go that extra mile. It may sound obvious – but when we sat in on a judging panel for the day, it was incredible to see how the tiniest thing would bump work down against flawless competition. We saw a film spot drop from a silver statue to a shortlist based on one imperfect transition and a mistimed copy line.
2. Would your mum understand it? Jon Chapman, ECD at Havas Lynx and judge on the Pharmaceuticals jury, gave us his brilliantly simple personal checklist for assessing creative: 1. What is it? 2. What does it do? 3. Is it interesting/different? 4. Would my mum understand it? We’ll be checking all our future work against it (using our own mums of course, we don’t know his).
3. Context makes a difference. Judges are watching 100+ entries at first pass. They're not going to analyse each in depth. An entry video setting up context can be the difference between being awarded or not. Why is it so effective? What makes it unique in its category? If you don’t tell them, they won’t know.
What we learned from the speakers:
1. Be more Pum. Pum Lefebure is one of those people who inspires you without trying to, through her personality and work. In her gentle, genuine way you could see she loves what she does and won’t compromise on her vision. We’ve already ordered prints of her Hong Kong ballet work as a reminder to stay optimistic and find inspiration in everything. The new campaign video's fantastic too.
2. Find the opportunities already in your hands. Malcolm Poynton showed us there are no excuses, you can make an outstanding campaign for the clients you already have. He shared examples – including the Black Supermarket campaign for traditionally conservative French supermarket Carrefour – to illustrate what you can achieve if you dig deep into the clients you have and find a story or cause worth pursuing.
3. Put as much time into planning the presentation of your idea as you do into the idea itself. We are certainly guilty of not doing this…while moaning how hard it is to get great ideas through. So Matt MacDonald’s talk on presenting your work was invaluable. Here’s a summary of the key things we’ll be implementing:
What we learned from other creatives:
1. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. Nothing is as bonding as laughter, and it leads to great results too. In the Great Guns workshop, we were grouped with creatives we had never met from Canada, Austria and Germany and given four hours to create a 6 second video. It was undoubtedly a shared sense of humour that got us to this winning entry. That, and some pretty stellar fake vomit.
2. Don't get lazy. At the upper end of the ‘young creative’ age range, we met some people almost a decade younger. They are brilliant. As a borderline technophobe I'm already doing my homework to keep up. Mashable helps.
3. Copywriters en masse get nerdy fast (don’t get me started on the oxford comma). Art Directors en masse compare tattoos.
What we learned from Las Vegas:
1. What happens there stays there. Mostly, it turns out, because it's impossible to describe. Vegas is a weird place.
2. Sleep is for the weak.
3. Roulette is not our game.
This only really scratches the surface of everything we experienced during Creative LIAisons 2019. We've come away with so much to implement in our work, a broader outlook of our industry and new friends around the world. It may not quite be Vegas, but you can catch some of the LIA talks and interviews here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKBffG_7gmQE6ob74fn8vQw
Before Creative LIAisons:
1. Prior to being chosen to participate in this program, what did you know or hear about the LIA Creative LIAisons program?
I had heard a little bit about the program from our Creative Director, including that participants get to observe Statue Discussions in the jury room, which I thought would be fascinating. And of course that it was in Las Vegas!
2. What do you expect to get out of Creative LIAisons? What do you want to get out of Creative LIAisons?
I want and expect to come away having met inspiring people and feeling energized and determined to produce some great work.
3. If you were to choose what the speakers present, what topics would you choose?
• How to keep ideas fresh
• How to make the most of new channels
• The speakers’ personal experiences and advice