Five weeks ago I was just settling in at Leo Burnett, now it is time for me to take a walk on the client side at Diageo.
Have an Apple on Leo Burnett
My time at Leo’s was an amazing experience and really opened my mind to the effort that goes behind every piece of advertising work. My key takeaway is that no job is too small and no challenge too complex. Every brief that comes in to the agency is treated with the same doting precision and methodology.
This reminds me of my first day at Leo’s when I was welcomed with an apple and a story. ‘The Apple Story’ tells of the tale of Leo Burnett first opening its doors armed with just a small team and a bowl of apples. It was through Leo’s distinctive blend of vision and logic that it was able to push through the depression and grow to become one of the world’s largest advertising firms. I certainly witnessed how this story is essential to the company philosophy and how it has remained an integral part of the work done today.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
A great day to start my client side journey was Melbourne Cup day. While the Johnnie Walker team were down at the Races in Melbourne seeing all their hard work pay off at the House of Walker, the Drinks Culture team kindly adopted me. It was a unique chance for the group to come together and bond over a brand new campaign that went live the weekend before. The campaign – ‘This calls for a cocktail’ invites people to celebrate the everyday by demonstrating the simplicity of making cocktails.
I am particularly excited about this campaign because I have unexpectedly seen it from three different angles. In fact, finding a way to promote spirits as a preferred drinks category over wine and beer was one of the challenges put forward to us on
The Nest recruitment day. Working through this challenge with my fellow ‘Nesters’ really emphasised how much I enjoyed taking on challenges in the consumer behaviour space. Through the lens of an advertising firm, I learnt first hand how an appropriate audience could be found and ways to creatively and effectively communicate a solution. Now I am lucky enough to be able to continue to watch the campaign evolve from Diageo’s perspective as they take the lead on promoting and growing this vibrant and exciting category.
Another fascinating factor in this campaign was the partnership between Diageo and another drinks superstar – Schweppes. I find it intriguing how two large influential companies are able join forces and co-run a massive campaign. Diageo definitely demonstrates the necessity of forging fruitful working relationships, not only within a company but also between companies - no organisation is an island.
A ‘Nester’s’ Final Tweet
This opportunity has been and continues to be a great experience, and I am so thankful to everybody who has helped me along the way.
What’s my final insight? Play it by ear. So far the only thing that has been constant is that everyday is constantly different. One of the things I am enjoying most as a ‘Nester’ is that I am always learning and nothing is static. Whilst my blogs do end here, fortunately my journey does not. I have only been at Diageo for one week and I am certain that by being open to and actively seeking new lessons, Diageo will prove to be just as enlightening.
Looking forward to a thrilling five weeks ahead of me – This calls for a cocktail!
Justine Simmonds
The Nest, 2014