OUGD602 | PPP3 - Visting Professionals - The Elephant Room, Shannie Mears and Will de Groot

Shannie Mears and Will de Groot of disruptive new advertising agency The Elephant Room are going to discuss identity and diversity, it’s value and their motivations and goals for starting their own ad agency.

Will de Groot - Co-founder & Cultural Strategist. will.degroot@theelephantroom.net.

Shannie Mears - Co-founder & Head of Talent. shannie.mears@theelephantroom/net.

• The Elephant Room is an advertising agency that started less than a year ago. 
• Located in London. 
• The Elephant Room is the type of agency which helps clients/employees to do what is liked than what they do not like. 
• Agency looks into more of the potential aspects than following age general and now have become out dated structure within advertising companies. For example, creating new roles such as 'Head of Talent'. 
• They look into different interests with the employees, interns and clients. Hence connecting to anyone with a creative background or knowledge. 
• 'Always look out of things that could potential collaboration with.' 
• Expanding network is extremely important & to never disregard any sort of work. 
• 'she says..' is a women advertising industry that focuses on feminism. 

Why We Exist? - The Elephant Room

• The agency tells the truth to their audience and clients. 
• Maintain a stable and strong bond with other designers/clients.
• Wanting to expand their advertising agency - currently five members only. 

Reaction to a Brand

• The agency explained how some advertising companies may promote or adverts a product in a matter which could be seen as offensive, racist and discriminative etc. 
• The example that they gave us was the H&M selling a kids hoodie which the black kid was modelling. It was the wording of the hoodies which stated 'Coolest Monkey in the jungle.' 
• This developed controversial status as it was implied that black people are seen as monkey/animal like. 
• The H&M apologised for the image 'The ad sparked a backlash on social media, with some calling it inappropriate, disgusting and negligent.'
• Even though the brand may of wanted diversity within their brand and may not purposely being racist. 

What's important within an advertising agency

• Researching subcultures. 
• Able to communicate to clients on: belonging, desires, promotion, etc. 
• Understanding the audience - be aware that audiences are aware of the forefront person who represents the product/brand. 
• For instance - Kendall Jenner was the forefront person who represented a Pepsi advert. - Get it wrong!

Shift - talk presentation in New Blood D&AD

• Is an organisation which involves European countries to allow diversity and young people to be able to meet and create. 
• It's important to find a mentor or find a peer mentorship. 

Other Companies

• Dyson - coming into lifestyle products like hairdryer than heaters, air conditioning etc. 
• Wileyfox - is a collaboration in a big group and importantly a team of people with various talents and backgrounds. 
• Do not under value. 
• Royal Mail which The Elephant Room is currently collaborating has come up with 'Rethink Ink and Creative lock in' scheme. 
• Royal Mail wants to highlight or promote more of traditional prints/printings. 
• Expanding print such as a print as a channel. 

How to get an internship?

•  When emailing design agency constantly nag with sending repetitive amounts of emails. 
• Sunshine agency is worth looking up. 

Live Brief - Wickes Colour Selection

Background

• Wicked want to re-imagine the customer experience for selecting colour and create a journey to replace the current approach that;s their stories. 

Task

• Disrupt the market to significantly grow in-store footfall and attract new customers to Wickes by: 
• Connecting and delivering the best and most simple way for customers who are shopping colours in stores. 
• Helping customers choose a paint colour scheme and get them to the tin that they need in the most intuitive and straightforward way of any retailer in the UK. 

Considerations

• It's about shopping colour, not tins.
• It's about schemes not just individual colours.
• It overtly caters for the different ways customers shop colour. 

Deadline

• Week today - Thursday 8th of Feb, midday.
• Format 5-6 pages of PDF.

Recommended agencies that do internships

• YCC
• Social fixt on facebook 
• Mad hand hack
• It's nice that 
• Creative Equals
• Outer Box
• Virgin Atlantic 
• The dots 
• Exposer scouts 
• Creative Access