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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

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Better, faster, sleeker, the demands go. Use data, drive results, get more engagement! The advertising industry has always been one that moves at speed. The energy, the pace and the creativity is, very often, what draws the crowd - those individuals who find their professional home in the industry. It’s true that in advertising we value speed and agility and on-the-spot creativity. Our ability to respond quickly and cleverly is exactly how we showcase our creativity, our solutions, and our understanding of the culture. We think big, bold and beyond. If you’re looking for somebody with a good work ethic, your average advertising agency is a good place to start. If an all-nighter (or three) is what it takes to get the pitch over the line, we’re there for it. The client doesn’t like or get the creative, no worries - we work on the weekend to get it right. It’s dynamic and it’s exciting but, and here’s the big but, is it making us better creatives or merely faster ones, slowly burning out? And more than just burning us out, are we sacrificing real creativity, solutions-driven design and creative work with impact and emotional resonance for the sake of speed, metrics and/or the holy grail known as going viral. There is no one answer, and the 'solution' is probably a spectrum of sorts. And while I can’t solve for the pace of an entire industry sector, it does make me wonder (and worry!) if we’re investing enough time and resources in mentoring the next generation of creative talent in the country. To handle the pace. To maintain - and exceed - a level of creative excellence that, as an industry, allows us to showcase our work next to the best in the world. Does mentorship need to enjoy more priority in the advertising industry? Yes, I believe it does. Let's remove the creative leadership from attending every client meeting, let the client service directors, account directors, and business unit directors handle that, unless we are discussing creative. Let's open more time for mentorship and leave client servicing to the client service teams. The benefits of mentorship are manifold but the real magic of mentorship is not quantifiable in the way that we’ve come to measure our output. It’s in the synergy between the mentor and mentee, when both are aligned on the ultimate goal of the interactions: to be better creatives. Better in this instance meaning sharper, bolder, more critical creatives. While every industry and profession probably has a need for more mentorship I can only speak for what I know best. We need to futureproof the advertising industry, not by investing in fancier tools or faster AI, but by mentoring the next generation of creative leaders. Understanding that mentorship is not the same as guidance or instruction, but that it’s an investment of time, interest and attention, is key. It’s about helping the individual refine their talent, hone their skills, elevate their strengths and face their fears. Sometimes it requires kindness, sometimes compassion, often constructive criticism but it always takes time and attention. For me, mentorship is about the individual before it is about their work, and nurturing the person alongside elevating the work they do. What does this look like practically? It’s taking the time, again. It’s having conversations (and not just about the work). It’s about questioning together. It’s about listening. It’s about sharing your own experience. It’s being candid about your own shortcomings. It’s about connecting them to your network. It’s about looking beyond the output to the potential that lies beneath and nurturing that in a kind and strategic way. And it’s about doing it unselfishly. Mentorship is a way of giving back - paying it forward, if you will - to the next generation of bright, creative young minds who believe (because it’s true) that creativity can change the world.

Mentorship Needs Higher Priority In The Advertising Industry

Marco Russolillo, Co-Founder and Creative Partner at Cache Studio, says that in advertising we value speed, agility and on-the-spot creativity. Our ability to respond...

Social Media Is Trumping Search Engines: Here’s How Brands Can Adapt

According to Flow Communications, social media platforms are replacing Google. Brand marketers should be changing their tack and shifting their chief efforts from website...
Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards Announces 2025 Finalists

Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards Announces 2025 Finalists

Established to honour the legacy of June 16, 1976, the ‘Top 16’ not only symbolises youth empowerment but also aligns with the African Union’s...
How Marketers Can Claim Their Space In The AI Era

How Marketers Can Claim Their Space In The AI Era

Modern Marketing interviewed Moagi Bodibe, Managing Director Marketing Practice at Accenture Song South Africa, about the opportunities and challenges AI poses for marketers, as...
Kantar Launches 20Th Edition Of BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands

Kantar Launches 20th Edition Of BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands

The Kantar BrandZ 2025 ranking shows that US brands now comprise 82% of the total value of the Global Top 100, up from 63%...
RAPT Group Divisional Head Joins Global Cannes Lions Jury

RAPT Group Divisional Head Joins Global Cannes Lions Jury

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place from 16 to 20 June in France, is the world’s most prestigious event recognising excellence...
PR Professionals Need To Be Their Own Social Media Content Moderators

PR Professionals Need To Be Their Own Social Media Content Moderators

Yolisa Mkele from Tribeca Public Relations says platforms like Meta and X have handed the content moderation keys back to users in the form...
South Africans Shine At Global ADC 104th Annual Awards

South Africans Shine At Global ADC 104th Annual Awards

Agencies and designers in South Africa and Egypt were among the global winners at the ADC 104th Annual Awards ceremony. A total of 10,935...
Pick n Pay And Gorilla Honoured At MMA SMARTIES Awards

Pick n Pay And Gorilla Honoured At MMA SMARTIES Awards

The MMA SMARTIES Awards honour the most creative and effective modern marketing in South Africa. Up against more than 250 competing entries from South...
ACA Launches Podcast For Marketing And Communications Industry

ACA Launches Podcast For Marketing And Communications Industry

The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has launched ADventures, a bold new podcast created to inform, inspire and ignite conversation across the South...

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