My Biggest Lesson: Kerry Gibson
Kerry has worked in marketing teams in various agencies for the past 12 years. She brings great experience in gathering the right capabilities, teams and departments together to crack even the most challenging of briefs.
There wasn’t exactly a single piece of advice, but here’s an insight that made me think completely differently.
Like many in our industry, I stumbled into the world of advertising. I wasn’t taught it at school and the advice I was given that was I needed to work in a creative agency of some description (helpful!).
After two years at Dare with stints on reception, a two-week exploration shadowing a creative team, numerous design tutorials, three weekends learning how to code in Flash (it was a thing at the time!) and then a bit of time being a PA & team assistant at another agency, I landed in new business and marketing at McCann.
At first, I wasn’t sure if the role – part PA, part team assistant – was for me. It didn’t seem like the clearcut path that I thought I needed. But I was still seeking out what my next step looked like.
I then attended a talk from Nikki Crumpton (the then CSO) at the McCann Worldgroup Women’s Network. The event was to launch their mentor programme and I’ve never forgotten the killer insight that she shared:
According to the British Council, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don't yet exist.
That notion, that things are going to change in ways that we can’t really imagine or predict has really stuck with me. It meant that I didn’t need to worry so much about having a clear direction. Perhaps I could embrace the unknown.
I always knew I wanted to be surrounded by creative people, but this gave me a focus. A focus to learn the things that might withstand change and find my place.
I signed up for their mentoring scheme immediately and put my best foot forward doubling down on very human-centred things. Things like how to ask the right questions, how to get the best out of people, how to embrace change, how to better articulate myself, and how to push things to make them a little better (that famous last 10%).
Luckily, new business is a great team to keep being curious and learn about those things.
Small words with big outcomes
About a month later, I worked on a pitch for a large FMCG brand. My sole contribution was to plaster the agency walls with photos and accompanying quotes from colleagues talking about what made them love the particular product.
The impact of the small, human touches was so big in contributing to the overall pitch. It was because I had asked the right question: “How can I help?”. It just so happens that proactively rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck in works incredibly well for anyone in new business.
Learning how to get the best out of people
I once was asked to make one person in a whole room of people a cup of tea. I thought it was the strangest thing to single one person out like that in this situation. But what I didn’t know was the context as to why that person really needed a cup of tea today. My manager knew that this colleague would be pivotal in the meeting and read what she needed.
After 5 minutes of that cup of tea, we absolutely cracked the purpose of the meeting and it made me realise, I needed to learn how to read the room and really get to know people if I was to get the best from them. In a pitch situation working together and chemistry is everything. I continued to build my relationship with this colleague through many cups of tea after this. She taught me a lot.
Nothing is forever except change
Pretty much everything you do in new business & marketing is asking your colleagues to go above and beyond their day job. I’ve asked colleagues to work late, on weekends, to help me write hundreds of words overnight. I remember occasions where I’ve not even gone home because of last minute changes. Ideas change, the world changes, events happen. Embracing the change has to be a permanent mindset.
It’s all these moments of being human and thinking emotionally that I attribute to that one inspiring quote and why I love new business.
A few years and agencies later, it’s also one of the reasons why I joined an agency like TMW Unlimited (part of Unlimited). It’s a truly integrated agency full of super smart people, with such an interesting story to tell and they care so innately about their people and the work they do.
We stay curious, we keep learning, we use the power of our Human Understanding Lab, and we can all take inspiration in the fact that things are evolving even now.
So to anyone reading this who might not know where to go next, don’t worry, your opportunities will change, it’s an undeniable fact.
