When I walked into Leo Burnett on my first day there was a sea of familiar faces. I immediately felt at ease knowing that this workplace while new, was not foreign. This is due to the close working relationship that Leo Burnett and Diageo share. A relationship that I am lucky enough to experience both sides of.
Leo Burnett Sydney is a fast paced environment where you could experience voiceover recordings, client meetings, production meetings and functions all on the same day. In my first blog post I wanted to find out the differences between working agency side and client side. Although I have only been in ad land for a few weeks I am beginning to understand how the two sides work together.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…
Here at Leo Burnett the apple has become the symbol of ‘welcome’ since 1935. Apples were offered to staff and visitors during The Great Depression in the Chicago Head Office. It represents the spirit of caring and concern that Leo’s has for its staff and clients. Something that I found out from my first day when I saw an apple sitting on my desk.
It is this caring nature from my fellow employees that has allowed me to experience so much within my first few weeks here. They all want to make sure that I get the most out of this experience, which as an intern is sometimes hard to find. I have been lucky enough to work on Canon and GIO as well as Assistance Dogs Australia. I have been on set for a shoot at Fox Studios, written studio briefs, written creative briefs and have been tasked with overseeing production for an exciting up and coming project.
So…what’s the difference?
Here it is, what you have been waiting for. First-hand information on the difference between working client side at Diageo as opposed to agency side at Leo Burnett. My answer? The work. The work you are doing is different.
At Diageo we focused on brand management, pricing, distribution of product and were constantly planning for the future. At Leo Burnett, planning for the future also plays a key role and the work is focused on creativity and innovation while communicating brand messages and strategies that utilise the most suitable channels for the client. These decisions are based on insights and the end product is a collaboration between multiple departments including creative, production, digital, planning and traffic. There are quick turnarounds and the environment is dynamic.
However, there are some similarities. The people are similar, the work place morale is similar and finally the business model is similar. At both companies people come first. This is evident through the people that work there, they are giving and friendly. It really is as if the two companies were sown from the same seed.
A smooth sea never made for a good sailor…
I can’t put into words how much I have gained from this experience. Two completely different jobs, two new workplaces on either side of the marketing fence. It sounds daunting I know and I am going to be honest with you- my first few days at Leo’s were tough. I had to readjust the way I had been thinking for the past 6 weeks. However, the challenges are what help you develop and grow as a young person starting out in your career. It is amazing how quickly you can adapt and learn.
One thing being a Nester has taught me is that you have to challenge yourself to better yourself. These challenges can be anything from speaking to someone in the office who you haven’t introduced yourself to yet or perhaps seeking out some extra work in an area of your interest- for example, for me it was PR.
I’m taking things day by day, learning and learning. That is all you can do.
Stephanie Cook
The Nest 2014