{"id":16526,"date":"2023-05-16T13:54:07","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T12:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=16526"},"modified":"2023-05-16T13:54:07","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T12:54:07","slug":"my-ai-and-i-a-case-for-neurodiversity-in-advertising-and-planning","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2023\/may\/my-ai-and-i-a-case-for-neurodiversity-in-advertising-and-planning","title":{"rendered":"My AI and I: a case for neurodiversity in advertising and planning"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lazyblock-text-full-width-ZCHhl5 wp-block-lazyblock-text-full-width\"><section class=\"fullwidth text-center\" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n    \n    \n    <p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>This piece was first published in Campaign<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">There are many types of intelligence: musical, mathematical, kinesthetic and artificial are some of them. There are even more types of brains, but human ones are described using two terms \u2013 neurotypical (they have typical neurological function and development) and neurodivergent (those with alternative brain development and function, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, autism, and ADHD).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Every type of intelligence, even AI, has unique strengths and challenges. However, most of life, education, work and socialising is designed to reward and encourage the neurotypical kind. This presents some of the biggest challenges for people with alternative brain functions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">As a new junior planner in advertising with a &#8220;neurodivergent&#8221; brain, I found myself asking: is my brain a good fit for planning\/strategy? After a colleague delivered a presentation called &#8220;A love letter to AI&#8221;, I had another question: could AI help neurodivergent people in the workplace? Here&#8217;s my perspective, to answer those questions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Please note I represent one neurodivergent person. There are also many types of AI, but I&#8217;m focusing on ChatGPT as it&#8217;s the fastest-growing app of all time and it&#8217;s difficult to get through a day without someone saying: &#8220;OMG look what ChatGPT did now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">To get to the answers with meaning, let me explain my brain and some of the traits that have been with me my whole life and made me feel like I don&#8217;t fit in in many environments, especially work ones.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">The traits: overthinking, asking a million questions, many of which can challenge conventions, quickly becoming deeply passionate about new things. Some say easily distracted, I say insatiably curious.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Now to capture my challenges in a work environment \u2013 specifically advertising, an environment that&#8217;s infamous for its lightning-quick pace and do-it-yesterday urgency \u2013 here&#8217;s an analogy for how my brain works. Ferrari engine, pedal bike brakes and a default speed of a billion mph. Remember, this is internal, so despite stereotypes, it&#8217;s not me sprinting around the office.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">From the second I wake up, to trying to get to sleep, this is the speed it&#8217;s taking in information and thinking. Ultimately, thinking at high speeds non-stop isn&#8217;t sustainable; the information needs to be organised and understood.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">This is why you need brakes, to slow things down to get your thoughts, ideas, and observations in order to be able to access them efficiently. Pedal bike brakes don&#8217;t really slow down sports cars, so eventually, I crash.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Crashing means diminished focus, elusive memory, zoning out and migraines. Therefore a strategy is needed, not to remove the Ferrari engine or eradicate my traits as they&#8217;re great assets, but as a gearbox to harness my potential and stay healthy.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lazyblock-quote-full-width-2poYty wp-block-lazyblock-quote-full-width\">  <section class=\"fullwidth fullwidth--top-lg text-center\" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n\n      <blockquote class=\"blockquote\">\n        Crashing means diminished focus, elusive memory, zoning out and migraines. Therefore a strategy is needed, not to remove the Ferrari engine or eradicate my traits as they&#8217;re great assets, but as a gearbox to harness my potential and stay healthy. \n              <\/blockquote>\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lazyblock-text-full-width-TwujU wp-block-lazyblock-text-full-width\"><section class=\"fullwidth text-center\" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n    \n    \n    <p style=\"text-align: left\">ChatGPT is that metaphorical gearbox and a supportive partner. There&#8217;s no judgment from it, it doesn&#8217;t get annoyed by anything I say. My curious nature and constant high-speed thoughts mean that I&#8217;m a whizz at research and finding insights. But it also means I quickly end up with too many tabs open to keep on top of or organise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Recently I&#8217;ve been doing a sales channel audit of five retailers. You can imagine with the number of channels there are, how that turned into hundreds of tabs and even more questions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">To avoid chaos, getting confused and staying organised I began conversations in ChatGPT on the initial task, and each of the retailers. That acted as an anchor point and base for me to go back and forth with my findings, interrogate them further with questions, then collate them into summaries all in one place.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Some people may use a notepad to do the same thing but it brings me clarity to get my thoughts and ideas out somewhere. I can ask questions and get answers back immediately, brainstorm, edit, get prompts and correct my mistakes all in one place.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Dealing with long text isn&#8217;t fun for anyone. But for a neurodivergent person, it can be impossible. Yet ChatGPT crunches it into key points in seconds. Recently I was looking through a 2023 trend report but I only wanted to know about Gen Z. I copied the text into ChatGPT and asked it to collate the Gen Z relevant information then I asked it to turn that into 10 key bullet points. It saved me a lot of time and fatigue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">To summarise and answer one of the questions: yes, AI can help neurodivergent people in the workplace, ChatGPT is a fantastic assistive tool that&#8217;s helping me navigate personal challenges in my daily work as a planner.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">So is planning a place neurodivergence can flourish? I believe so. Our naturally unique perspective, passionate drive and relentless stamina for questions is perfect for uncovering insights and opportunities.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">My personal experience has also been very positive. I&#8217;ve been met with a mutual amount of curiosity and passion-felt lectures. For the first time ever I feel like I can ask all the questions and my different perspectives have been embraced, most recently in the inception of this article.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Staying true to my challenging convention mindset, and as a planner, I present an opportunity. Between 15% and 20% of the UK is neurodivergent, that&#8217;s a huge amount of talent and part of society for us to embrace. Welcoming different brains and intelligence into advertising will enrich the insights we get, inject jumping-off points for creativity that haven&#8217;t been there before, help us build more connected mass-appeal brands, and create more inclusive workplaces.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">So ask yourself as a curious person and a challenger, what you know about different brains, whether you&#8217;re embracing them, including the AI kind, and whether they&#8217;re in the room working on campaigns with you.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><em>Luke Rigg is a junior planner at VCCP London<\/em><\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":61,"template":"","categories":[191],"class_list":["post-16526","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-agency-news"],"acf":{"author":false,"capability_ids":[],"client_id":"","hero_video":"","hero_image":{"ID":16527,"id":16527,"title":"Luke Rigg","filename":"Luke-Rigg.png","filesize":1003759,"url":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg.png","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2023\/may\/my-ai-and-i-a-case-for-neurodiversity-in-advertising-and-planning\/attachment\/luke-rigg","alt":"","author":"61","description":"","caption":"","name":"luke-rigg","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":16526,"date":"2023-05-16 12:26:21","modified":"2023-05-16 12:26:21","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-300x169.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-768x432.png","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":360,"large":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-1024x576.png","large-width":640,"large-height":360,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-1536x864.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":864,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1080,"Header":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-1920x720.png","Header-width":1920,"Header-height":720,"Wide":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-1920x960.png","Wide-width":1920,"Wide-height":960,"Square":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-768x768.png","Square-width":768,"Square-height":768,"Tall":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-307x615.png","Tall-width":307,"Tall-height":615,"Mobile":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-768x960.png","Mobile-width":768,"Mobile-height":960,"Facebook":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-1200x630.png","Facebook-width":1200,"Facebook-height":630,"Grid-Item-Square":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-768x768.png","Grid-Item-Square-width":768,"Grid-Item-Square-height":768,"Grid-Item-Wide":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-768x384.png","Grid-Item-Wide-width":768,"Grid-Item-Wide-height":384,"Grid-Item-Tall":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-307x615.png","Grid-Item-Tall-width":307,"Grid-Item-Tall-height":615}},"meta-title":"My AI and I: a case for neurodiversity in advertising and planning","meta-description":"ChatGPT is helping me navigate personal challenges in my daily work, where I'm discovering that planning is a place where neurodivergence can flourish.","social-media-image":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Luke-Rigg-1.png","news_id":"191","related_content_title":"You may also like","relateditems":[{"relateditem":{"ID":16481,"post_author":"57","post_date":"2023-05-02 09:52:56","post_date_gmt":"2023-05-02 08:52:56","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cheader\\u003e\\n\\u003ch1 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eWhy some brands want to be a choice simplifier\\u003c\/h1\\u003e\\n\\u003c\/header\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eFor this month's column, VCCP's Founding Partner and Chairman Charles Vallance explains why\\u003c\/em\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eHow many thoughts do you have each day? Apparently, as a species, we average out at about 70,000. This equates to more than 4,000 every waking hour.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eAnd if you think that sounds tiring, then let me ask another question. How many decisions do you think (there goes another thought) you make each day? About 30,000 to 35,000 is the answer.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eBefore we start feeling overwhelmed by this huge volume of mental activity, it is worth remembering that the large majority of this cognitive burden is System 1, ie largely effortless and subconscious.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThat said, up to 10% will be System 2, which means that we are still making roughly 3,000 conscious decisions every day.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThat\u2019s a lot of decision-making and, by definition, a lot of choices that need ruminating on. This may explain why we often struggle to make up our minds, why we talk about the \\u0022tyranny of choice\\u0022. If choice can be a tyranny, then it's clearly not always a benefit.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThe reverse is frequently true. It can be very nice, even a luxury, when choices are made on our behalf. A set menu or meal deal takes the burden away from us. It\u2019s a few less thoughts, a few less decisions that our ever-whirring brains are spared from making.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eIn evolutionary terms, we are programmed to focus our energies on the things that help us either thrive, or survive. This is life. And it's energy-sapping.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThe biggest consumer by far of the body's energy is the brain (at 40% of daily output). So it is perhaps no surprise that we are hard-wired to insulate our brain from conscious choice, just like we insulate our lofts from heat loss. We don't want to waste energy.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eIn order to reduce our cognitive load, we continually look for mental shortcuts and heuristics. Anything to simplify choice, or to dispense with it altogether.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThat's why we develop patterns and routines. Few of us pick up a toothbrush and think, which tooth should I start with first? We have an automatic routine. The same is true of the way we butter bread or open a boiled egg.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eGiven half a chance, human beings will avoid difficult decisions, and the strongest brands are the ones that understand this most profoundly. In fact, you could argue that the primary role of a brand is to act as a 'choice simplifier'.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eSimplicity, of course, is as rare as genius. And it is immensely difficult to achieve. To simplify choice, Robert Woodruff understood that Coca-Cola would need to be \u201cwithin arm's reach of desire\\u0022.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eIt would need to achieve ubiquity. You can imagine how much the distribution manager thanked him for this blindingly simple strategy back in the 1920s.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eBut at two billion drinks a day, it appears to have paid off, despite the logistical challenge involved.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eAnother challenge with simplicity is that it's a constant work in progress, an unrelenting race with your competition. We all understand that it\u2019s important to make things easy. But that\u2019s not the point.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThe real art is to make them easier. Winning brands are always tackling the next point of friction, ironing out the ridges and seams of the customer journey, replacing deliberation with intuition.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eWe see this pattern endlessly repeated in any number of markets from food retailing to finance. I\u2019ve lived through the process in banking.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eWhen I first went to university, the only way to get hold of your money was to visit the bank during banking hours, roughly 10am to 3.30pm (but not the hour when the bank was shut for lunch).\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThen along came ATMs, then telephone banking, then online banking. Now you can do all your banking on an app in the back of a bus during lunch on a bank holiday.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eThis process of simplification has transformed the customer experience of finance. But there is one caveat. Outside of first movers (eg First Direct) none of these developments was fundamentally differentiating from a brand perspective.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eDespite all the UX upheavals, the biggest brand simplifier in finance remains the same as when I was at university. It's our old friend brand distinctiveness.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eWhatever category you operate in, the first and most important step in simplification is to be instantly recalled. Any brand that forces us to rummage around in the corners of our minds (trying to find it under a bag of vanilla wafers) inevitably starts with a huge cognitive disadvantage.\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp dir=\\u0022ltr\\u0022 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eJust as the greatest sprinters leave the blocks on the b of bang, your brand should be recalled, without a moment's thought, on the f of front of mind.\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"S8gok\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-S8gok\"} \/-->","post_title":"Makes You Think","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"makes-you-think","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-05-02 09:52:56","post_modified_gmt":"2023-05-02 08:52:56","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=16481","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"relateditem":{"ID":16368,"post_author":"61","post_date":"2023-03-28 16:41:43","post_date_gmt":"2023-03-28 15:41:43","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP has today been unveiled as the UK\u2019s biggest creative agency.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAccording to exclusive Nielson billings figures revealed in this year\u2019s Campaign Magazine School Reports, VCCP has now risen to the top spot after jumping three places in the top 100 creative agencies table.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIn 2022, VCCP won 37 new accounts including Old El Paso, Dog's Trust and Thames Water which subsequently saw its billings rise by 34% and top AAR\u2019s new business rankings for the fourth year in a row.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eHighlights for the challenger agency for challenger brands include winning the IPA Effectiveness Grand Prix Award for Cadbury, having their Cadbury 'Secret Santa Postal Service' campaign named the most effective Christmas campaign by Kantar and their DE\\u0026amp;I Collective winning Campaign\u2019s Talent Management Team of the Year among other moments.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP has also \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003elaunched numerous programs through the VCCP Stoke Academy. These include the Student Challenge work experience scheme, the Best Summer Job internship programme and an apprenticeship scheme which has since hired four Apprentices in their Stoke-on-Trent office.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eEarlier in the year, VCCP promoted Darren Bailes to Global Chief Creative Officer and Creative Directors Jonny Parker and Chris Birch became joint ECDs of the London agency. Chief Strategy Officer Michael Lee shifted to the same role for VCCP Group, and his deputy Clare Hutchinson succeeded him in London.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003ca href=\\u0022https:\/\/www.campaignlive.co.uk\/article\/school-reports-2023-top-100-creative-agencies\/1817588\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eClick here to see the full rankings\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/a\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e______________\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003col\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400;text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe tables are compiled by Nielsen Ad Intel from the billing and account information provided by agencies.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003c\/ol\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"7Ip8T\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-7Ip8T\"} \/-->","post_title":"VCCP revealed as the biggest creative agency in UK billings","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"vccp-revealed-as-the-biggest-creative-agency-in-uk-billings","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-28 16:58:54","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-28 15:58:54","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=16368","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"relateditem":{"ID":16496,"post_author":"57","post_date":"2023-05-10 13:37:41","post_date_gmt":"2023-05-10 12:37:41","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/video {\"video-id\":\"825431752\",\"blockId\":\"2sdQAt\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-video-2sdQAt\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThis week VCCP\u2019s \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eInternational CEO and Vice-Chairman, Julian Douglas \\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ewas interviewed on Sky News \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eIan King Live \\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eabout the UK advertising industry's place on the global stage, how investing in digital skills will help the UK maintain its position, and why our industry's top priority must always be talent.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eHaving landed an annual export of advertising services reaching \u00a315bn in exports in 2021, up 32.5 per cent year on year (according to the \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eAdvertising Association\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e), the advertising industry is now one of the UK's strongest exports and a critical driver of economic growth. This is partly due to the UK advertising industry procuring clients worldwide.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eFor Dougie, this can be attributed to the UK advertising industry staying ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, and its rich history of creativity as a nation. \u201cWe are the most advanced country for digital marketing on the planet. So international companies all around the world want to buy the best. And the UK really is the best, our creative industries have always been fantastic, whether that\u2019s music, fashion or architecture, advertising is a real crown jewel amongst those industries.\u201d\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eYet although the UK is enjoying advertising exports, particularly to the US and Australia, Dougie emphasised how importing from other countries needed to be a symbiotic relationship, that the UK will always have more to learn from other countries.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u0022It's really important that we do have those imports from abroad to make sure we\u2019re learning from other nations and other developments in tech so that we\u2019re at the leading edge. We need to work with new areas, whether that be India or the West Coast in the US.\\u0022\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eWhen asked about Brexit and how it may be impacting the industry, Dougie explained how we are still seeing significant trade and exports going out to Germany especially and Ireland, so that continues to be the case. Yet in order to stay ahead, he emphasised how the UK needs to continue investing in talent, from abroad as well as locally. \u201cThe main concern is talent. The reason the UK does so well is education, training and talent. It\u2019s about the people and we\u2019ve got great people across the country, but we also have the best people in the world coming to work in our country, so there could be some challenges in accessing that talent from across Europe.\\u0022\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe UK joining the CPTPP (\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eTrade Agreement is also likely to show benefits, and Dougie is hopeful about how this will support both advertising and other industries. \u201cRemoving barriers for trade is only good for business. The true scale of the opportunities remains to be seen. But we\u2019re hopeful.\u201d\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eKing also asked Dougie about online advertising, and how it appears to be reverting to more traditional advertising channels like TV and display. Dougie described it as a \u2018dynamic space with lots of change as new technology and media channels become available.\u2019 There\u2019s ongoing debate on streaming platforms, but he continued that it\u2019s about much more; through sponsorship deals and placements.\u201d\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eShould the industry be concerned about consumer spending being under pressure, if brands are reevaluating their marketing spend? Dougie doesn\u2019t think so. \u201cThere is always a pressure on marketing budgets. But any companies that want to grow, advertising and marketing are absolutely key to drive that growth. The more accuracy we have in understanding the effectiveness of advertising, the more investment we can put there.\u201d\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eVCCP\u2019s own work with Cadbury has demonstrated effectiveness, winning both the IPA Effectiveness Grand Prix award as well as their Garage campaign (which aired in both the UK and the US) landing the top spot on \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003ca href=\\u0022https:\/\/www.adweek.com\/brand-marketing\/the-most-effective-campaigns-of-2022-came-from-kfc-cadbury-and-starbucks\/?\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eKantar\u2019s most effective campaigns\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/a\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e in 2022; the hero film was briefly shown during the interview.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"GYkTo\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-GYkTo\"} \/-->","post_title":"Dougie on Sky News","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"dougie-on-sky-news","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-05-10 13:37:41","post_modified_gmt":"2023-05-10 12:37:41","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=16496","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\/16526","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\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}