Author Archives: Jennifer Wallis

My Big Fat 1st Week At The Office

I’ve had a few jobs in my time. And even though I’m a seasoned professional with 14 plus years experience, I still get nervous about starting a new job.

That first week at a new job can either go really well, or make you totally rethink your new position entirely. Sometimes even your entire career path.

The key to having a great first week is mostly in the hands of the agency. It requires preparation and understanding on the part of the HR team and the hiring managers.

Over the years, I noticed a trend with a lot of the advertising agencies. Once you’re hired, it seems as though everyone is too busy to show you the ropes. And more often than not, orientation of any sort goes out the window. Don’t get me wrong, hitting the ground running isn’t a problem for me, but sometimes, everyone could use a little padding when they land.

The key to having a great first week is mostly in the hands of the agency. It requires preparation and understanding on the part of the HR team and the hiring managers.

Rhoderick Lising, a graphic designer at Station X, Vancouver recently told me that on his first day at the agency, his boss took him – along with a few new colleagues – out for lunch. After that, it was three days of orientation and meetings with key staff. They had even printed personalized business cards printed and ready to go on his first day.

In my experience, a boss taking time out of his or her busy day to have lunch with a new employee is unheard of. But it sounds as though Rhoderick’s new agency put time and effort into preparing a proper orientation for their employees, and everyone was on board with the program. Continue reading →

Inside Jobs: Copywriter

Jennifer Wallis

Ever since I can remember, I loved writing. Even some of my elementary school report cards noted how “Jennifer prefers to express herself through written versus verbal communication.” (I used to take that as a compliment, when I’m quite sure they were expressing concern about me.)

Since then, I’ve written copy for print and TV ads, billboards, websites, brochures, and (obviously) blogs. But I’m not sure I’ve ever identified myself as a copywriter. That’s why, when FreshGigs.ca asked me to write an “expose” on the job of a copywriter, I felt compelled to reach out to my pals who actually donned the title.

I asked them all the same questions, and they shared their candid (and sometimes smarmy) answers with me. Here’s the cast of copywriters:

Kenny Kamerman (KK)
Freelance Copywriter, here, there, everywhere in Toronto City
Mary-Jo Dionne (MJ)
Self-employed Writer, Editor, Strategist, Tofu-eating animal-rescuer, a cozy cabin in the woods at the base of North Vancouver’s Mount Seymour
Jan Evanski (JE)
Creative Director, Corus Radio Vancouver
Geoffrey Vreeken (GV)
Copywriter, DDB, Vancouver
Manu Chopra (MC)
Former Senior Writer for Dare Digital, Vancouver

JW: Alright, let’s get this started. First question, what do you tell people you do?

(KK) >> I’m an ideas guy. I write ads.

(MJ) >> My career is three-pronged. I write ad campaigns, write and edit magazine editorial, and do whatever I can to promote animal issues on the side. (Go check out http://fleasplease.com/)

(JE) >> I’m a creative writer who manages a team of creative writers.

(GV) >> I’m a writer. In advertising. Like, I write ads. Oh you hate TV ads? Well, I write websites and radio ads and billboards and stuff, too. What? No, I really like it. Ha…yeah…(ugh) it’s not really like Madmen.

(MC) >> I write ads.

Don’t be afraid to write the way you speak. Copywriting is not prose. It is a form of conversation designed to convince the listener to take some kind of action.

JW: Do your parents understand what you do?

(GV) >> Vaguely.

(KK) >> After 13 years they still think I write jingles.

(MJ) >> My mom has an entire room where she’s built a sizeable shrine of all my work over the last 15 years. I’m not sure it’s healthy actually. I may need to talk to her about scaling that back a bit.

JW: What would you say is the single most important trait to have as a copywriter and why?

(MJ) >> The ability to adopt the voice of a brand. In any given day, you will need to speak like a veggie burger, a city’s tourism board, a grocery store, or a dog needing to be adopted. Don’t pigeonhole yourself as “the beer guy” or the “long-copy kid”.

(JE) >> Strong communication skills. You need to fully understand your client’s needs and expectations before creating a compelling message to the masses. You also need to work well with your internal clients – fellow writers, sales people, producers, voice talent etc.

(MC) >> Curiosity. No information is useless, because to write about shit, you need to know even more shit.

JW: Did you go to school to become a copywriter? If yes, was it imperative? Continue reading →

Advertising & Marketing Resources in Canada: How To Find What You Need, When You Need It.

Jennifer Wallis

Contemplating a lateral move? Asking for a raise? Trying to break into the world of advertising? Perhaps you’re a freelancer looking to figure out what hourly rate to charge, or what courses you need to take in order to advance your design career. Has your boss asked you to locate stats on how much online advertising was bought in 2011 versus 2012? And most importantly, are you being underpaid?

So many questions, so little time.

Lucky for you, there are a number of resources – both online and offline – that you can utilize when you’re looking for answers (be it for personal or for work). Sometimes it’s as easy as a Google Search, and other times you have to dig a little deeper to get what you need.

Start With Your Local Association’s Websites

Use these websites as a compass to point you in the right direction.

Associations such as NABS, the Canadian Marketing Association, Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, IAB, and Direct Marketing Association are great resources and all carry a wealth of information on their websites. Anything from white papers, to research and statistics, job postings, professional development workshops, industry news, and salary reviews and guides.

Sure you can find almost anything online nowadays, but sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned face-to-face.

For example, IAB will provide you with free research on internet advertising revenue, cross-media optimization and Canadian media usage trends all in their research section.

The CMA has an endless supply of guides, white papers, and best practice documents, including an interesting Leadership Series. And the GDC’s monthly e-newsletter will provide you with inspiration, events, industry award-winners, and more. Continue reading →

10 Tips To Get A Job At An Ad Agency

Jennifer Wallis

There are some obvious and not so obvious things you can do to get a leg up on the competition when you are searching for a new job in an advertising agency. I’ve pulled together some of the most important tips and insights for your reading pleasure.

Make a serious effort with each application. Tailor your cover letter and resume to match the role that you are applying for.

1. KNOW THE AGENCY’S WORK
There’s a certain amount of sleuthing that you should undertake before sitting down to your first interview. Research the agency that you’ll be interviewing at. Who are their clients? What sort of work has the agency done? Have they won awards? Which ones and when? Knowing this will show that you are interested, informed, and passionate – it could also quite possibly give you a leg-up on the competition.

2. TAILOR EACH COVER LETTER & RESUME
Make a serious effort with each application. Tailor your cover letter and resume to match the role that you are applying for. Use the agency’s name in your cover letter body copy. Tell them why you want to work for them, what you like about the agency, and why you feel you would be the perfect fit. Be sure to include relevant experience on your resume, and get rid of any superfluous content that doesn’t apply.

3. HAVE AN UP-TO-DATE PORTFOLIO ONLINE
Jennifer Kim, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Blast Radius, Toronto shares this advice for those applying for a creative role:

“A portfolio will speak volumes over anything else. It will showcase your abilities infinitely better than just a resume or CV alone. When we hire for any creative position, we always ask for a link to a candidate’s online portfolio. If you want a job in digital, you need to know digital. If you are just starting out and don’t have much work experience, even a portfolio which showcases personal projects/work is a good way to show off your potential. Just make sure you don’t put work that you are not proud of or work that doesn’t showcase your skills in the best light just to fill your portfolio… better to have a portfolio with a few pieces of great work, rather than a portfolio filled with mediocre work.”

4. CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACT
It’s 2012. Don’t be surprised if the first thing people do is Google you when you apply for a job. If there are photos of you dressed in some freaky Halloween costume, after one too many beer bong hits scattered all over the internet, it might be time to clean up your social media act.

GOOGLE: Find out what shows up when someone Googles you. Have your friends do a search for you as well because Google tailors results based on your previous searches.

FACEBOOK: Update your Facebook security settings. Only share things with your approved friends list, and never post anything that you wouldn’t want your mom to see. Continue reading →

How to be More Creative at Work

Jennifer Wallis

I sat down to write today, but couldn’t find the words. So instead, I began cleaning out my closets and purging old clothes that I haven’t worn in a year. An hour later, I was moving my couch and sweeping underneath, then dusting my TV, and putting on clean bedding.

It was then that I remembered I needed a clean, uncluttered environment to help me think creatively.

This applies to my house and also to my desk at work. I often find that when my desk is cluttered, so is my mind. A little cleaning, organizing, and some quick feng shui helps my creativity flow much easier. And other things that need to be accomplished no longer distract me. Out of sight, out of mind.

After thirteen years in the advertising and marketing game, I’ve come to recognize the important factors necessary for my personal creative process. I need to remove all the obstacles. Clear the clutter. Turn off the television. Log out of Facebook and Twitter. And just focus my attention to get ‘er done.

It’s a funny thing, creativity. It can sneak up on you when you least expect it, or disappear right when you need it most. I decided to reach out to my network to find out what makes them feel more creative on the job. Everyone I spoke with seemed to have different methods of unlocking and super-charging their creativity.

Doug Bramah, Creative Director in Toronto, and Mark Busse, owner of Industrial Brand both gave similar insights; that heading out of the office and finding a change of scenery is the best way to reunite with your creativity.

“Most agencies have these open work environments; they’re noisy and there’s a lot of distraction. Sometimes that stifles the creative process.”

Says Bramah.

“Parks, coffee shops, restaurants – just changing where you do your work can make a big impact.”

But not all of us can come and go as we please. Continue reading →