ASIA-PACIFIC – SINGAPORE, AUGUST 28, 2013 – The Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity opening four academies for young talent that will run throughout the 2013 Festival: the Young Creatives Academy, the Young Marketers Academy, the Young Media Academy and the Young Account Executive Academy.
Launching this year, the Young Media Academy will demonstrate the value and execution of creativity in media channels, while providing a greater understanding of Asia Pacific’s media and advertising community. With over 25 years of advertising experience, Philip Talbot, outgoing CEO of ZenithOptimedia APAC and founder & CEO of Asia Communication Expertise, will mentor professionals, aged 28 and under who will join.
The Young Account Executive Academy will be sponsored by McCann Worldgroup this year and will be led by course mentor John Wright, whose career spans leading agencies J. Walter Thompson, Young & Rubicam, Ogilvy & Mather, Chiat Day Mojo, and The Campaign Palace in Australia, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Intended for account executives aged 28 and under, the programme will focus on building stronger client relationships and a deeper understanding of how creativity is making a difference for both client and agency.
“Given the ever growing scarcity and thirst for talent in Asia, it is critical for the success of our industry that we treat talent development as a primary mandate,” said Charles Cadell, McCann WorldGroup Asia Pacific president.
The Young Creative Academy, open to 15 students aged 23 and under, will once again return to Spikes Asia for its fifth year. Here, students will be immersed in a tailored programme that will include dedicated tutorials from recognized industry figures. Noor Azhar, senior lecturer in Visual Communication and Media Design at the Singapore Polytechnic Design School, will mentor the students. A five-year Academy tutor, Azhar had practiced advertising as an art director at CreAds Advertising and Batey Ads before establishing an integrated brand communications agency Just Media (now JM Asia). Cheil has been sponsoring the academy since it was launched in 2009.
Completing the academy line-up, the Young Marketers Academy will offer marketers and brand managers aged 30 and under an exploration into the importance of why creativity matters to brands today. The program includes identifying trends, exploring how creativity increases effectiveness and discussing the client/agency relationship. The group will be mentored by Joe Talcott, whose marketing experience stretches nearly three decades, including seven years at News Corporation in Australia, most recently as chief creative for NewsLab, a creative division of News Limited. He has also worked for 17 years with McDonald’s in markets across the world, including Chicago where he worked on the launch of the ‘I’m lovin’ it’ campaign as global marketing and director. Today he heads CREATISM.IS, a business that helps marketers and their agencies to connect to produce superior communications.
Sponsoring the Young Marketers Academy this year will be Dentsu. “At Dentsu, we believe creativity is key to driving long-term customer engagement for brands. The ability to successfully apply creativity in every aspect of marketing is extremely valuable to young professionals today,” said Dick van Motman, chairman and CEO, Dentsu Network/Asia. “It’s a skill that will never grow old because of the role it plays in the success of a campaign, career or an organization. The Young Marketers Academy will give participants a fresh perspective on creativity through experts who have been successful at harnessing it in their careers.”
“Year on year Spikes Asia has been growing and we believe it important that investment in the future of the industry should be part of this growth. These academies represent four key areas of the industry and offer an unbeaten opportunity to not only learn from unique presentations, but to do this against a backdrop of intensive creativity whilst benefitting from all that the Festival has to offer,” commented Steve Latham, director of Talent & Training at Lions Festivals.
Further information on the academies along with details of prices can be found on the website at http://www.spikes.asia/talent_training/. Anyone wishing to request a place should contact Steve Latham at academies@spikes.asia.
Spikes Asia will take place from September 15-17 at Suntec, Singapore and will offer outstanding content, networking opportunities and inspiration, culminating in the much anticipated Spikes Asia Awards.
Delegate registration is currently open and further details can be found on the website www.spikes.asia
