AWARD

With the AWARD School creative brief due to be released on 13th February, we caught up with Dentsu Creative Director Pete Ogden for some words of advice for this year’s applicants.

1) What attracted you to the industry? Has your perception changed and how?

Apart from a certificate in ‘advertising design’, my only other career qualification is a forklift truck licence.
I figured I’d be much happier in an agency than a warehouse. Glad to say I have been.
It’s an amazing industry and there is never a dull moment.
My perception of the industry hasn’t really changed that much over the years – while the method of delivering ideas may have evolved, you're still measured 100% on the quality of those ideas.

2) How has the creative’s role evolved in recent years? What does a typical day look like?

I think it comes down to the individual as to how typical their day is.
You can choose to just get by and clock in and out. Or you can find something worthwhile in every single brief that crosses your desk.
On top of that, it’s all the extra work that excites – the opportunities that arise by just talking with your colleagues or a client. Those little nuggets that grow into something unexpected and exciting.
If you embrace that way of working, to be always looking for the next big opportunity, you’ll do well.
 
3) What qualities do you think make a good creative?

Talent to make a good idea great is a given, but for me that goes hand in hand with perseverance. The ability to bounce back after rejection to produce something better than the original concept is the major asset for any creative.
I have seen people come through agencies that have it in spades and they thrive – they take it on the chin and move on quickly to bigger and better things.
Others take it personally and find it harder to pick up the marker pen again.
 
4) What are you looking for in this year’s AWARD School applications?

What we look for every year: originality.
And that has nothing to do with Mac skills – it is simply showing us a great idea laid bare on a piece of A3 layout paper.
 
5) What words of advice can you give to aspiring creatives looking to join the industry today?

Every time you present an idea to a fellow student, a prospective creative partner, a tutor, your first CD or even your mum, it requires you to sell a part of yourself: A good idea usually comes directly from the creator’s personal experiences. It’s not easy to lay yourself bare, so to speak, but it does get much better with practice. So just put on your suit of armour and jump in.