Toronto’s Agency 59 and AdBuzz are giving Canadian advertising students the opportunity to be a creative director for a week.
The two companies are hosting a contest that asks students to develop Labatt 2012 “Know When to Draw the Line” corporate social responsibility program for a chance at the title, the desk, the salary, a company car and “the coffee-fetching intern.”
Students are invited to enter individually, or as a team. “Several” finalists will have the opportunity to present their ideas to a panel of executives from both Labatt and Agency 59.
The pitch process will be documented and posted on the Ad Buzz website. If a team submits the winning idea, members will likely have to share the salary, said Brian Howlett, chief creative officer, Agency 59. The winner will also have use of the agency’s Smart car.
Howlett doesn’t promise the winning idea will make it to market, which he said mirrors a real-life RFP.
“If it’s really interesting, then sure, we’re always looking for the next great idea. But if not, they will work on either something else here or on another way of slicing that same brief… We really want them to feel not only what it’s like to be a creative in an agency, but a taste of being a CD,” he said.
The creative brief is available to students online and includes a summary of Labatt’s 2011 campaign that introduced a Facebook app.
Noticeably missing from the three-page brief is a budget. However, Howlett said budgets no longer seem to be a starting point for discussions in the online world, where Labatt is focusing much of its efforts as of late (such as the aforementioned app).
If entrants are smart, they’ll do their homework and spend time on Facebook to see what the agency has done in the past and try to take it to the next level, said Howlett.
The submission deadline is Sept. 30 but will likely be extended given that school has only been in session for a couple of weeks. Howlett said the agency doesn’t expect students to take time off school, and will accommodate the winner’s schedule.
For more information, including the contest briefing materials, click here.
