Students get real world experience

The students presented their work to a pitching committee, comprising members of Absa's Group marketing team and The Jupiter Drawing Room (TJDR), Absa's creative agency.

Happy Ntshingila, Absa group executive: group marketing, explains how the idea came about: “Our regional marketing office invited the design students to submit proposals... The students came back with some very creative ideas, despite not working to a formal brief. We also realised that they needed some insight into the real world of advertising and decided to give them the opportunity to understand how it really works, beyond the theoretical knowledge and projects they receive, and to give them first-hand experience.”

Formal briefing

Jonathan Deeb, TJDR creative director, further explains: “We prepared a formal briefing pack that detailed precisely what was required of them in their presentations. The pitch was treated similarly to an agency pitch, complete with deadlines, presentations to a pitching committee and a feedback session. ...The teams arrived in Johannesburg for the presentations, and between 9am and 1pm each team presented their campaign, which was followed by a lunch break, and then a review session after lunch.”

Later that evening they wrapped up by announcing the winning team, which remained in Johannesburg to spend the day with TJDR, being exposed to the intricacies of working on a campaign. Later in the month, the team will come back to Johannesburg to complete the campaign, seeing it through to production and post production phases.

Each team that participated received a take-away pack detailing the process of developing a campaign, from the briefing phase, through to presentation, production, post production and preparation for placement in various media. It also detailed the responsibilities of various role-players in the creative process, and the difference between agencies and their roles relating to a campaign.

Absa is also one of the sponsors of Design Indaba and the bank believe that this is one way of extending its sponsorship of the development of creative ideas throughout the year. “For Absa, inviting the Potch students to be part of a complete creative process is about encouraging and nurturing the creativity that is vital to growing South Africa's sustainable economic future and investing in our country's creative talent,” concluded Ntshingila.

Absa and TJDR will be showcasing the work shortly.