{"id":14665,"date":"2022-03-01T14:14:36","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T14:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=14665"},"modified":"2022-03-01T14:14:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T14:14:36","slug":"michael-lee-in-campaign","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2022\/mar\/michael-lee-in-campaign","title":{"rendered":"Michael Lee in Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lazyblock-two-column-text-quote-image-Z24Sj7p wp-block-lazyblock-two-column-text-quote-image\"><section class=\"fullwidth fullwidth--overflow \" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\r\n  <div class=\"container container--spaced-lg\">\r\n    \r\n    <div class=\"row\">\r\n      \r\n      <div class=\"col-md-6\">\r\n        <h1>Persil&#8217;s &#8220;Dirt is good&#8221; has yet to be bettered<\/h1>\n<p><strong>The 17-year-old campaign is one of the most influential in advertising history, says VCCP&#8217;s chief strategy officer\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>First published in Campaign.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is a campaign that I suspect few British creative directors would have even momentarily considered. Indeed, it&#8217;s hard to recall a single ad campaign that&#8217;s run in the UK that has delivered a knockout blow of wondrous brilliance, which is why it might be more of a planner&#8217;s favourite.<\/p>\n<p>Persil\u2019s \u201cDirt is good\u201d is very much the slow burner of brand platform ideas, but I do sincerely believe it is one of the most influential in advertising history.<\/p>\n<p>It was arguably the first example of an established, decades-old FMCG brand managing to successfully imbue its product with \u201cpurpose\u201d. I\u2019m still not convinced it has been bettered.<\/p>\n<p>Launched in 2005, it broke a category convention that when it came to washing powder brands, there were only two things you could claim \u2013 that it was the best at removing stains and\/or it was the best at washing well at lower temperatures.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, the casting and scenarios for washing powder ads were dreadfully homogenous, typically oppressive portrayals of perfect Stepford mums beaming at a neat stack of clean clothing.<\/p>\n<p>To this day, I marvel at how on earth David Arkwright managed to persuade his Unilever colleagues to approve the radical shift in brand proposition and endline that is \u201cDirt is good\u201d. Even the language itself is utterly dissonant and radical, to even mention the word dirt in a category obsessed with clean is quite the paradigm shift.<\/p>\n<p>I suspect a large factor in it being approved is that it\u2019s a work of unmatched dual messaging genius. Here was a piece of language that enabled the client to have their cake and eat it.<\/p>        \r\n                \r\n  \t\t\t      <\/div>\r\n      \r\n      <div class=\"col-md-6\">\r\n    \t\t<div class=\"ArticleBodyPaywall\">\n<p>First, it opened up a completely new canvas for a washing powder brand \u2013 it liberated creatives from perfect mum\u2019s perfect kitchen and perfectly folded piles of clothing into the outdoor world. A world where children really did play outside, stay healthy and, yes, got their clothes dirty in the process.<\/p>\n<p>I would also be extremely impressed if, at the original presentation of this idea, someone said: \u201cIf you buy this campaign it will still be going strong 17 years later, enable your brand to be highly active in the experiential space where your competitors are absent, be running in 78 countries and, one day, you\u2019ll be co-sponsoring a global conference with the UN to champion the importance of outdoor play in childhood.\u201d All of which has happened.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s just the top half of the\u00a0\u201cDirt is good\u201d\u00a0idea. The bottom half is the bit where Unilever got to keep the cake, which is the inherent product superiority claim behind this proposition.<\/p>\n<p>The only reason Persil is able to champion dirt is because it\u2019s confident that every dirty item of clothing \u2013 a symbol of a healthy and joyful day lived \u2013 can be effortlessly washed clean because the product is so damn good. Even without the purpose element, that is an extremely clever fresh take on the category.<\/p>\n<p>As for the creative ads themselves, well, I\u2019d say that BBH&#8217;s \u201cRobot boy\u201d, a crying robot that turns into a happy child at play, is the best of the initial bunch.<\/p>\n<p>MullenLowe London\u2019s\u00a0\u201cFree the kids\u201d\u00a0is also worth a look \u2013 a clever, documentary-style campaign featuring prisoners in Indiana to highlight the lack of outdoor play that many children face. It was a campaign that garnered a number of global awards, but it\u2019s telling that the majority of those that won at Cannes related to effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>I said at the start that I felt it hadn\u2019t been matched since. By this I mean that many brands have attempted a similar task, to retrospectively apply social purpose to decades old FMCG brands that previously had none. Far too many brands have only achieved that goal by sacrificing their ability to champion the more functional virtues of their product.<\/p>\n<p>The simple reason this undesired outcome has happened so often is because it&#8217;s an &#8220;eye of the needle&#8221; utter bastard of a challenge, the sort of stuff that makes a planners\u2019 brains explode with the sheer difficulty of the task in hand.<\/p>\n<p>Given the longevity of the idea, 17 years and counting, I suspect the current stewards of the Persil\/OMO brand know exactly what a uniquely valuable asset they have in their possession.<\/p>\n<p><em>Michael Lee is chief strategy officer at VCCP and the chair of APG.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>  \t\t<\/div>\r\n  \t\t\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":57,"template":"","categories":[191],"class_list":["post-14665","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-agency-news"],"acf":{"author":false,"capability_ids":[],"client_id":"","hero_video":"","hero_image":{"ID":14666,"id":14666,"title":"ML website","filename":"ML-website.jpg","filesize":72497,"url":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ML-website.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2022\/mar\/michael-lee-in-campaign\/attachment\/ml-website","alt":"","author":"57","description":"","caption":"","name":"ml-website","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":14665,"date":"2022-03-01 14:10:01","modified":"2022-03-01 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UK: A view from Michael Lee 'Persil's \"Dirt is good\" has yet to be bettered'","meta-description":"The 17-year-old campaign is one of the most influential in advertising history, says VCCP's chief strategy officer.","social-media-image":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ML-website.jpg","news_id":"191","related_content_title":"You may also like","relateditems":[{"relateditem":{"ID":14649,"post_author":"57","post_date":"2022-02-28 09:11:42","post_date_gmt":"2022-02-28 09:11:42","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/two-column-text-quote-image {\"text-left\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eWhy hard product truth always lies behind any emotional selling proposition.\\u003c\\\/strong\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0022I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.\\u201d\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThis famous quote from Maya Angelou can come in very handy when you're trying to persuade a decision-maker that it's better to underdo rather than overdo the rational component of their advertising.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eYou will never argue someone into liking you, you have to make them feel something first.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eMost advertising theory now accepts this principle, that the heart should have primacy over the head. That's why we get models such as love-choose-buy and its various iterations (eg feel-think-do).\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe argument that love or feeling should come ahead of thought or reason has been considerably bolstered in recent years by advances in neuroscience, not least our understanding of intuitive System 1 thought processes (or, more accurately, lack of thought processes).\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThat said, a few years ago the model was threatened by the rapid ascendancy of performance marketing. In contrast to the hard metrics associated with programmatic, SEO and clickthrough, softer measures such as brand fame and brand love came under pressure.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eBut, after some notable U-turns from some prominent doubters, the big ad and the big feel are back. Indeed, given current double-digit levels of TV media inflation, the return of emotion might well have further to go.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eWhich leaves a question hanging over the middle tier in the layer cake of love-choose-buy. Just like love, the role of buy is assured. Yes, performance budgets might have been reined in from their peak but, given their inherent accountability, they will continue to command a significant chunk of overall spend.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eIn light of this, a client might well decide to focus more and more of the remaining budget on appeals to the heart (love) rather than the head (choose) so as not to dilute resources.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eIf we put our foot on the ball for a moment, this is all a long way away from concepts such as the USP and brand differentiation which guided a lot of thinking in the 1980s and the 1990s.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eIn one of my numerous advertising apprenticeships (at WCRS) I was taught to \\u0022interrogate the product until it confesses to its strengths\\u0022. No mention of anything so woolly as a brand, let alone feelings. The starting point for most briefs was a product story, a proof point, or a reason to believe.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"text-right\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-size: inherit;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\\u0022\\u003eOf course, there was always more to it than simply rational substantiation. In another of my advertising apprenticeships (at BBH) I was taught the concept of the ESP (emotional selling proposition).\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-size: inherit;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\\u0022\\u003eLike many things you learn young, this has stood the test of time. Perhaps because it was ahead of its time in game-changing campaigns for Levi's, Audi, Boddington's et al.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eBut the ESP was, in itself, something of a sleight of hand. Scratch any one of the campaigns mentioned above and you'll get to a hard product truth, whether it was stone-washed for Levi's, Quattro for Audi or smoothflow for Boddingtons.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe trick was to wear these product truths sufficiently lightly, so that they didn't become an impediment to emotion.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eWhat was true then, is 10 times truer now. To use a meteorological analogy, where brands once competed with the equivalent of a headwind in the fight for attention, they now compete with a storm Eunice.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eWhich means we have to fight harder and harder to be remembered, to achieve the gold standard of branding which is, of course, a tiny little bit of real estate in the mind of your prospect.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eCall them what you will \\u2013 distinctive assets, fluent devices, brand properties, sonic or visual equity, branded language and nomenclature \\u2013 these are the new vehicles for the only measure that counts. And that measure is mental availability. Without mental availability you might as well whisper into the face of the storm.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eWhich is why Angelou's quote is so salutary. If brand distinctiveness is the vehicle to unlocking memory, then emotion is the key. You can say what you like, you can even do what you like, but without emotion you will be forgotten. People only remember what they feel.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eDespite appearances, this is not an argument against the layer cake's middle tier of evidence and substantiation. I remain a firm believer in the proof point and the reason to believe.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe only caveat nowadays is that the point of the proof point has changed. Where once it was an end in itself, it is now a form of logical permission to leave justification behind (perhaps in the body copy or on the website) and take your brand up to the altitude of emotion.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThis is where memory resides and Eunice is a mere breeze.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eCharles Vallance is a\\u00a0founding partner of VCCP.\\u003c\\\/em\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"Z4iJBg\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-two-column-text-quote-image-Z4iJBg\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/quote-full-width {\"quote\":\"You will never argue someone into liking you, you have to make them feel something first.\",\"quotee\":\"Charles Vallance, founding partner of VCCP\",\"blockId\":\"nLJ3k\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-quote-full-width-nLJ3k\"} \/-->","post_title":"What's the point of the proof point?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"whats-the-point-of-the-proof-point","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-02-28 09:33:03","post_modified_gmt":"2022-02-28 09:33:03","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=14649","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"relateditem":{"ID":14184,"post_author":"44","post_date":"2021-10-25 11:29:39","post_date_gmt":"2021-10-25 10:29:39","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/carousel {\"items\":\"%5B%7B%22image-1152x648%22:%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22IMG_0659-Updated-5mb%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:14186,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=14186%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/IMG_0659-Updated-5mb-scaled.jpg%22%7D%7D%5D\",\"blockId\":\"2fhL6T\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-carousel-2fhL6T\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP has today announced the opening of a new office in the birthplace of the British creative industry, \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eStoke-On-Trent\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e. It becomes the agency\\u2019s first UK office outside London and reflects the challenger network\\u2019s ambition to open up and attract more diverse talent. In its initial phase, the office will function as an Academy with staff from VCCP London working to raise awareness, provide training, work experience, mentoring and paid internship schemes, with a future apprenticeship scheme set to launch next year.\\u00a0\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eSet against a backdrop of recent art colleges and advertising school closures and a global pandemic which has exacerbated the situation, the pathway to the industry has become narrower with more and more opportunities being removed. People outside London are struggling to see advertising and media as a career option, especially those from low income areas or from diverse backgrounds.\\u00a0\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eStoke has o\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ene of the highest rates of economic deprivation, especially amongst black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Within the creative industry, \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ecities like Stoke are often overlooked in favour of Manchester or Leeds when setting up outside the South East.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eOpen to people in Stoke and surrounding areas, \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eVCCP Stoke Academy \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ewill tackle\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e \\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ethree major recruitment barriers faced by the industry which include a lack of awareness of the creative industry as a potential career option, a dearth of pathways into entry level jobs around the country and the extremely high cost of moving to and living in London where most entry level job opportunities are to be found.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eVCCP Stoke Academy \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ewill focus on three areas:\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cul\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eRaising awareness\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e: promoting the industry as a viable career choice through a school outreach programme, providing work experience and inspire young adults through mentoring\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eImproving employability\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e: Providing practical and industry specific work experience and increasing employment prospects of local young adults and students through paid summer internships for students in higher education in Stoke\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eJob preparation and creation\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e: Creating extended training programmes and job opportunities for Stoke-based employees through Apprenticeship schemes for young adults seeking that first vital step on the career ladder\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003c\\\/ul\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Academy is the culmination of over 12 months\\u2019 work by a project group consisting of agency planners, creatives, HR and account management. Led by Chie\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ef Strategy Officer, Michael Lee and Executive Creative Director, Jim Thornton, the group also includes Senior Brand Planner, Luke Alexander-Grose, Lynsey Monroe, Learning \\u0026amp; Development Manager and Account Manager, Kenny Dada. The group spent time in Stoke building relationships with local schools, colleges and universities: S\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003etoke Sixth Form College, \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eStaffordshire University, Keele University and Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Council and the MP for Stoke North, Jonathan Gullis.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eChief Strategy Officer at VCCP, Michael Lee explained:\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u201cWe\\u2019ve been concerned for some time about the increasingly narrow talent pool that we\\u2019re able to attract into an industry that we\\u2019re incredibly proud to belong to. Great creativity has always relied on being able to draw on a diverse group of people. Right now, because of the increasing socio-economic barriers to entry, we\\u2019re in danger of becoming quite a monocultural profession.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u201cWe wanted to find a way to remove barriers for people to enter the industry. But it was clear that even if we could solve the awareness problem, cost was still a massive obstacle for the vast majority who don\\u2019t live in London and don\\u2019t have access to financial support from their families to be able to start on entry-level wages. The easiest way to solve both problems for all the prodigiously talented young people in Stoke who could and should be working in our industry, was to set up a local base.\\u201d\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThis summer VCCP trialled work experience programmes with Stoke Sixth Form College called \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eThe VCCP Stoke Student Challenge 2021 \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eand set up partnerships with Stoke-based creative industry businesses and social enterprise initiatives. This work experience programme was run for sixth-formers at the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College, Stoke\\u2019s largest sixth form college with over 1700 students. It was devised in partnership with Geoff Willis, Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment, and Naomi Baxter, \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eTeacher of Creative Media \\u0026amp; CAP Futures Lead\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e and was run by Luke Alexander-Grose and Kenny Dada at VCCP. 40 students formed 9 teams to compete in a six-week pitch style competition designed to give them opportunities to develop their strategic, creative and presentation skills. Weekly check-ins enabled teams to benefit from guidance and mentoring from VCCP strategy, production and creative teams, with a final presentation session in which two winners were selected for the Best Creative Idea and Best Film. Students were also assigned mentors to help them in the project and to help them understand what future roles they could apply for within the creative industry.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eNaomi Baxter, Course Leader at Stoke Sixth Form College said\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e: \\u003cem\\u003e\\u0022The VCCP project enabled students to work collaboratively in researching, developing and creating an advertisement for a live brief. Students received excellent mentoring to guide their work and prepare them for a final pitch. The VCCP team challenged them to think bigger and aim higher with their work. The experience really helped widen their industry awareness and inspire their future career ambitions.\\u201d\\u003c\\\/em\\u003e\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eBuilding on the success of the last 12 months, the Academy has set an ambitious target of engaging, inspiring and creating opportunities for more than 500 young people in the coming year. It will expand its successful \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eStudent Challenge\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e over this academic year, adding two new local colleges: Stoke City College and Newcastle. VCCP Stoke Academy will also work with Staffordshire University to attract students into the summer internship programme based at their office space, whilst also giving guest lectures to students on Art \\u0026amp; Design and Digital Production courses.\\u00a0\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAlongside its education work, VCCP has also formed a partnership with Carse and Waterman, a local specialist in digital VFX and animation. Founded by two former Staffordshire University graduates, Gary Carse and Daniel Waterman, the animation agency works for eBay, Michelin and the BBC\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e. \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP Stoke Academy will now share office space with Carse and Waterman in a refurbished old NatWest Bank building a few yards away from the famous old Spode pottery works.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e In the next few months, VCCP Academy will welcome existing employees to work part-time or permanently from the VCCP office and run the outreach and training schemes.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIn return, VCCP will support Carse \\u0026amp; Waterman\\u2019s social enterprise\\u00a0 called \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eFramescape\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, a joint venture with filmmakers \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003ePlatinum Pictures\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, headed up by Richard Turner and Terry Stone, Daniel Waterman of Carse and Waterman and post-production outfit \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eDreamscape Studios\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e. Framescape aims to raise awareness of potential careers in VFX, animation and production amongst Stoke youngsters in exactly the same way the Stoke Academy will for Advertising Communications.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Academy will also work with Eric Gresswell, founder of \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003ePopcorn Learning Media\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e to design a bespoke Apprenticeship scheme which will be run at the VCCP Stoke Academy and which aims to hire people within the subsequent 6 months. \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ePopcorn Learning Media Limited, is a multi-award-winning digital learning agency specialising in the creation of digital learning courses, filmed video and animation. Established in 2015, the company operates out of offices in Stoke-on-Trent and Southampton and they already offer apprenticeships in level 3 Team Leader and level 5 Management and Leadership.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP Group already has a successful existing paid internship scheme, called The Table which is an annual year long scheme which recruits for entry-level roles in Account Management at VCCP London, Good Relations and Snap LDN. Working with Staffs University and Keele University, The Table will be replicated in Stoke to provide early career opportunities.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP\\u2019s long-term ambition for the Academy is to convert it into a permanent office, which hires local staff, recruits from the early career schemes and also services local clients. \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eExecutive Creative Director at VCCP, Jim Thornton \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eexplained:\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e \\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u201cWe\\u2019d love to be in a situation where we end up attracting other creative industry businesses\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e \\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eto Stoke. Daniel Waterman and Richard Turner\\u2019s dream of revitalising the creative industry in Stoke is one we passionately believe in. But most excitingly, if we\\u2019re able to prove the success of this model in Stoke then we don\\u2019t see any reason why we couldn\\u2019t replicate it somewhere else, in fact anywhere where talent doesn\\u2019t get enough opportunity to work in our industry. \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eWe\\u2019d love to roll it out to other towns and cities, giving talented people greater choice about where they live and work.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u201cBut \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP Stoke Academy isn\\u2019t just about finding and nurturing talent, it\\u2019s also about retaining it. Entry level talent are not the only ones who find having any kind of life in London unsustainable, the same is true for employees with young families. If we can turn the VCCP Stoke Academy into VCCP Stoke, a successful VCCP agency hub, then we will have a way to both support our existing talent who may want to live and work elsewhere, as well as attract those who want to move out of London but continue to work in our great industry.\\u201d\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"16LWk\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-16LWk\"} \/-->","post_title":"VCCP opens an Academy in Stoke","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"vccp-opens-an-academy-in-stoke","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-03-01 14:13:47","post_modified_gmt":"2022-03-01 14:13:47","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=14184","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"relateditem":{"ID":14655,"post_author":"57","post_date":"2022-02-28 11:58:58","post_date_gmt":"2022-02-28 11:58:58","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP are delighted to have their D\\u0026amp;I Joint Heads recognised in a run of Campaign awards. Find out more below.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"Z1YpIua\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-Z1YpIua\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/carousel {\"items\":\"%5B%7B%22image-1152x648%22:%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22Xi-AOTY%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:14657,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=14657%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/Xi-AOTY.png%22%7D%7D,%7B%22image-1152x648%22:%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22Xi-AOTY-1-1%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:14659,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=14659%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/Xi-AOTY-1-1.png%22%7D%7D,%7B%22image-1152x648%22:%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22Xi-AOTY-2%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:14660,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=14660%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/Xi-AOTY-2.png%22%7D%7D%5D\",\"arrow-controls\":true,\"blockId\":\"1p5Dzg\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-carousel-1p5Dzg\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"heading\":\"Xi Yin Chen wins Female Frontier Award\",\"blockId\":\"1ggklG\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-1ggklG\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/two-column-text-quote-image {\"text-left\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eFirst to snap up a trophy was\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003e Xi Yin Chen, \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAccount Director at VCCP in the Female Frontier Awards 2022.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eSpeaking about Xi\\u2019s win, judges said that \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u2018coleading the agency's D\\u0026amp;I program for recruitment, retention, education, integration, culture and shining a light on the lack of Asian representation in advertising and media speaks for itself. Xi is not only a rising star but a superstar already.\\u2019\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eCampaign\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e Female Frontier Awards are dedicated to championing women who are consistently pushing the boundaries and challenge the status-quo within the UK marketing, advertising, media and technology industries. \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eSixty-three women and eight companies were shortlisted this year, with thirteen winners announced at \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003ca href=\\u0022https:\\\/\\\/www.thebrewery.co.uk\\\/\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Brewery London\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/a\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eXi has also played a key part in fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion for the agency, its clients and the wider industry. She took over the running of Ad School, VCCP\\u2019s work experience programme, and became joint head of the D\\u0026amp;I Collective. \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"text-right\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eShe helps to lead a team of 14, dedicated to driving tangible change both within VCCP and in the wider industry.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIn the last year, Chen and the team have introduced 21 D\\u0026amp;I initiatives and helped to organise 92 training sessions and D\\u0026amp;I talks. She also wrote an illuminating, personal piece for Campaign that shone a light on the lack of East and South East Asian representation in advertising and media.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eA tremendous and richly deserved achievement - well done Xi! Read more \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003ca href=\\u0022https:\\\/\\\/lnkd.in\\\/dgDiJr35\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ehere\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/a\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"28WKlq\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-two-column-text-quote-image-28WKlq\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/carousel {\"items\":\"%5B%7B%22image-1152x648%22:%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22DI-AOTY-2%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:14661,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=14661%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/DI-AOTY-2.png%22%7D%7D,%7B%22image-1152x648%22:%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22D\\u0026amp;I%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:14656,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=14656%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/DI.png%22%7D%7D%5D\",\"blockId\":\"cb05k\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-carousel-cb05k\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"heading\":\"Joint D\\u0026amp;I Heads win Talent Management Team of the Year\",\"blockId\":\"1cJ6Se\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-1cJ6Se\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/two-column-text-quote-image {\"text-left\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe next round of spectacular news came as joint Heads of the D\\u0026amp;I collective \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eXi Yin Chen, Luke Alexander Grose \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eand\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003e Lynsey Monroe \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ewere announced as Talent Management Team of the Year.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eXi, Luke \\u0026amp; Lynsey have shown their incredible passion for ensuring that anyone with drive and talent has an equal and fair chance to access and progress in our industry. From working closely with Chief Strategy Officer, \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eMichael Lee \\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eand Executive Creative Director \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eJim Thornton\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e on bringing the \\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eVCCP Stoke Academy\\u003c\\\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e to life to ensuring support throughout for VCCP\\u2019s entry level programmes, Xi, Luke and Lynsey have built a robust programme that has fostered a true culture of belonging at VCCP.\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u00a0\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"text-right\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe trio were also commended for their relentless embedding of D\\u0026amp;I into learning and staff development at VCCP, through educational D\\u0026amp;I written features and cultural pieces, resources, inspirational talks, training sessions on topics such as trans awareness, inclusive design, disability in advertising, and many more.\\u003c\\\/span\\u003e\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"Z2gRHUl\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-two-column-text-quote-image-Z2gRHUl\"} \/-->","post_title":"VCCP\u2019s D&amp;I Collective team wins at Campaign awards","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"vccps-di-collective-team-wins-at-campaign-awards","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-02-28 11:58:58","post_modified_gmt":"2022-02-28 11:58:58","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=14655","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}}],"hide_related_items":[],"visible_on_home_page":["1"],"websites_to_publish":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/14665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}