Marking...

So we've now closed our applications..

Thanks to everyone who applied - we had a bumper year and it looks like we've received some really good applications.

Us grads have been tasked with the mundane job of making sure we have a hard copy of each of your applications on file... Here's a brief snapshot of some of them....

All work and...

It's not all work for the Publicis Grads: Thursday night saw the whole agency descend to the decorated ground floor for the most competitive event of the year. This is - of course - the agency quiz. Fuelled on by numerous pizza and drinks galore, the teams vainly battled for premier position. The questions were loosely based around Hollywood, although towards the end they did seem to go a little off topic, but with good consequences. Needless to say, the Grads put on a great show in the points department. One of them was a member of the team with the lowest score (no names ahem), and the recipent of a dunce doll, but we won't mention that. The night ended with the inevitable trip to the Barley Mow, and on to SoHo for some of the more intrepid members of the agency.

Training

Not all ad agencies are a member of the IPA but any worth their salt are, including Publicis. So we are lucky enough to benefit from a range of events, both social and training, as part of our membership. Lots of these involve free food and free beer, such as the 44 club quiz night you may have read about on here. However, the more serious side of the IPA is providing excellent training to employees of all member agencies.

So just when we thought we would never see another exam paper again we have all been enrolled in the IPA Foundation Certificate exam at the end of February. It is voluntary though so we only really have ourselves to blame!

This is an online training course and final exam designed for people who have either just entered the industry or are looking to move roles within their agency. It covers all the basics you need to be a good account handler and gives you a great understanding of how to create great work and get the best from people. It is definitely worth doing not only for your CV but also simply to make you better at the job.

We have been told that if we simply pass we should hang our heads in shame. Only a merit or distinction is worth any respect. Nothing like a little bit of pressure, especially seeing as the results are published in Campaign for the entire industry to scrutinise. Those study sessions are starting to sound like a good idea.

AGH

PS. I hope those applications are coming along nicely, not long until the deadline!

Technical error! (Sorry)

We've just found that our email grads@publicis.co.uk isnt working.
If you used it to send in your application, can you please resend your application/CV to gradteam@publicis.co.uk instead.
That's gradteam@publicis.co.uk.

Sorry!

Would you like a job in advertising?

Not only do we have a white Christmas, but we've just opened applications for the Publicis Grad Scheme for 2011!

Full instructions on how to apply can be found at the following link:

http://www.publicis.co.uk/graduate-scheme/

We're all looking forward to hearing from you,

The Grad Team

My long overdue blog entry...

The other grads will tell you it has been out of laziness but I have been so busy I’ve managed to somehow contribute nothing so far to this glorious blog.

Whilst the others have given you a fairly decent overview of what we’ve been up to, they have missed out a few key events...

There was Movember. That started very badly. Having blonde hair I managed to grow a suspicious looking blonde/red thing that took weeks to look like nothing more than a few pre-pubescent whiskers. The amount of times someone would take a second look at me in the lift and ask ‘are you doing...no, you can’t be?’ was downright embarrassing. But, I stuck with it, and although I wouldn’t go as far to say it paid off, having it for the Christmas party (80’s theme) helped the last minute attempt at a costume. I also raised a few pounds for a very important cause.

The real reason I had to tell you about Movember though is that when we had our pictures taken for our grad page (soon to launch) Anthony and I were a week and a half in. So just to clarify, our moustaches were not fashion statements, just charity work. Apart from with Oliver who spent a week grooming what he called a ‘Brandon’ (Flowers), only to shave it off just before it became a David (Seaman).

The Christmas party was a fantastic night. We all still have our jobs, and the karaoke was unforgettable. A few of us managed to get up on the stage but by the end of the evening it was so popular you couldn’t get your hands on a mic due to the more senior members of the agency singing the songs of their youth. The next morning I woke up, alarm left unset from the night before, and after whispering every swear word I know during a twenty second shower, sprinted in to work a little later than usual. I don’t remember the entire evening which I’ve been assured is probably for the best.

We are all now fully settled in to our accounts, working hard and it has been a great few months. When I was applying for grad schemes I remember being told about what to expect and one thing was that no day was ever the same, that stuck with me and so far it’s fair to say it’s been true. Ollie’s been to Toulouse, Gina to a couple of the Celtic nations. Lizzie never stops talking about her trip to Hammersmith, and all round the agency there’s a buzz about the work.

We feel very lucky to be working here and we hope a few of you will too in the New Year. For now though, enjoy being a student or whatever you’re doing to fill the time. When the application goes up we’ll let you know and hopefully we’ll be reading some applications that would have put ours to shame. Ta da

JH

Quiz times...

Avid readers,


Although we profess to be working hard, the Grads are of course keeping up the vitally important "networking" end of their careers. Replace "networking" with "highly competitive team event", and the result is the Publicis Grads' team effort at the 44 Club's annual quiz night. The night commenced at the ITV television centre, where we mistakenly started to queue for one of the late night shows, and Ant got somewhat over-excited when he realised we were in the vicinity of the Daybreak studio. After some time of reorientation, we staked out our tactically placed table in the quiz room and the fun began. The rounds focused on "bad looking celebrities, bad language, bad ads, bad excuses and bad men" and needless to say our team stormed through. Upsettingly, we were denied victory over mere technical "points", but in terms of enthusiasm the PubGrad team were certainly firm winners. After getting lost on the way to the after-party (good work), we ended up at a very pleasant pub/bar-type location where the girls opted for mulled wine, with the boys ordering a predictable lager-fest. 

Over-and-out.


G

Busy busy week!

Ended up having a really busy week on the UB account...

New ads should be appearing on a TV screen near you the other side of Christmas - it really is amazing how much work goes into a 20second/30second ad...

Now we're all off to celebrate Gina's birthday - drinks on Baker Street!

Recommend checking out the amazing Ralph Lauren 4D experience posted on our facebook page - awesome light show!
Just search 'Publicis Graduate ADcademy 2011' in the facebook search bar...

AJH

1st Week on our accounts

So after 4 weeks of training in different departments in the agency, we've been placed on our accounts.
I've been placed on the UB and SCA accounts.

UB has all of these household brands under it's wing:

The SCA brands I'm working on are Plenty (which used to be Bounty), Tempo (a huge tissue brand in Europe, but relatively unheard of in the UK) and Zewa (a cheaper tissue brand, also available on the continent.)

The week flew by - there is lots and lots of learning when you get placed on accounts with such a strong heritage (I'm nearly drowning in paperwork) but it's been a really exciting experience.
The people on the accounts are great and it's a fast paced, lively and creative environment to be working  in.

We're still working on the application process for this year, but very soon all will be revealed so keep checking back for announcements.

Ant x

Royal Mail - you guys!!

So the chaps down at Royal Mail HQ have a questionable sense of humour!
What punnery!

Ant x