This week, the Advertising Association hosted two students, Alfie and Ciarra, to aid their early journeys into the advertising and media industry. With help from AA’s Front Foot network, commercial director Sharon Lloyd Barnes co-ordinated a week of visits to a variety of our members.
The week started off with an introduction to the AA team, alongside a visit to Arena Media, who were preparing for their Get Gaming 3.0 event. Both Ashley Bolt and Alexandra Etzine welcomed the students into the Arena Media office, where they were given the chance to watch them rehearse their presentations, introducing them to topics surrounding AI and next generation engagement with the media.
At Ocean Outdoor, agency partner Olivia Breen introduced Alfie and Ciarra to Ocean Labs and their OOH technology and gave them an overview of the company, before they walked down to the Piccadilly Lights to see one of Ocean’s sites in action.
One of their favourite parts of the week was attending the DCM Upfronts at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square, where they heard from CEO Karen Stacey alongside panellists discussing cinemas’ relevance in the advertising media mix. That afternoon, they met with Victoria Appleby and Luke Bozeat, who briefed them about WPP Media and their own journey in the industry. It was fantastic for them to spend so much time with senior professionals.
The Advertising Association’s annual Parliamentary Reception was held at the House of Commons during Alfie and Ciarra’s week with us, giving them the fantastic opportunity to visit parliament, develop their network and meet numerous members, parliamentarians, and peers.
Alfie and Ciarra said: “We are aware of how much of a unique privilege it was to get exposure like that so early on in our journeys, and the advice and conversations we had were impactful in developing our scope and understanding of the industry.”
The pair also visited the Channel 4 and ITV offices.
“At Channel 4, the values are clearly unmatched and have stood out to both of us. It’s been highly beneficial to hear personal experiences from those such as Rak Patel, Sam Hicks and Luke Gubbins, as well as Charlotte Lassman teaching us more about broadcasting sponsorship.
“The commitment shown towards young creatives has opened our eyes to the possibilities we hope to face while entering our careers.”
ITV presented a great opportunity for Alfie and Ciarra to speak to a variety of professionals within the industry, who shared important insight into their careers, as well as informing them about the vast number of jobs that work simultaneously behind broadcast advertising.
Alfie and Ciarra said: “The Advertising Association was immediately so welcoming and made sure the week was as beneficial as possible, this being shown across all staff who kindly supported us to get more familiar with the advertising industry.
“We’d like to thank the Advertising Association for hosting us, and specifically Sharon for co-ordinating all our incredible meetings throughout the week – it’s been unforgettable.”
