The M Grad Project – Inside the talent war
In this guest post, Elissa Good-Omozusi explains why Group M decided to invest in raising the profile of media as a career option with graduates
Let’s face it. Our industry struggles to attract its fair share of talented graduates, with a career in advertising and media often overlooked in favour of the more lucrative world of high finance, management consultancy and IT.
The reality is, when it comes to selling itself to the employees and leaders of tomorrow, these industries are much more effective at luring – and retaining – new high-calibre talent. In BRW’s survey of the 50 Best Places to Work last year, 20 were IT companies.
Our industry’s ability to compete for new recruits has been hampered by our failure to educate graduates about the plethora of rewarding, challenging career opportunities available in media and advertising.
Full marks for effort, GroupM. We need to attract more bright young people into our industry. Interesting to note Mediacom wasn’t mentioned / didn’t take part. Perhaps all they want from graduates are bog standard media buyers.
Great work sis. I know how hard you and Group M worked on this Grad program. In youth we learn, in age we understand. People rewards are headed your way.
This was an excellent initiative by Group M and really well organised. I was so glad to be a part of it, and it would be great if there were more events like this for all the students who couldn’t make it, to open their minds up to the world of creativity that exists within the changing media industry today. The whole day had a really positive energy about it and all the presenters were so helpful, approachable and inspiring. Looking forward to the Open Day!
As an ex groupm’er who experienced first hand how hard it was to get great grad talent to even consider media let alone a media agency, I think this is a really great initiative from the guys. Top work.
Yes, and then the media industry take all those talented inspired graduates and make them check confirms for a year.
The media industry needs to completely rethink agency progression if they really want people with imagination and entrepreneurial spirit to stick around.
Only 2 media lion short list spots for media agencies?
Not surprising, we bored anyone creative out of their minds, and out of our media agencies ages ago.
The graduate stream was really interesting but I still have some doubts about creativity in media agencies. The overwhelming response from media professionals at the conference was that almost everything creative was being done by creative agencies. The media side is purely a numbers game. I think I’ll avoid dooming myself to an eternity staring at excel and media research software thanks.
I have only been in the industry for a relatively short period of time (5 years) but the attitude I have encountered around graduates has always astonished me. They are often underpaid (because they have to ‘earn’ a proper wage) and viewed as short-term fodder that should have to do all the base level work without any proper professional development. Until agencies take a long-term view and invest in talent from the very beginning we will continue to see some of our best and brightest poached by other industries willing to offer more and in a much faster timeframe.
Not an easy task to attract youngens into the Media business. Unfortunately knowledge does not a wordsmith make! The media world is more like the sports arena. If you dont have talent you loose. Grim reality but a good place to start.
@Callan – You’re right on the mark I reckon