Nadya Powell is managing director at MRY
A group of Millennials and a hell of a lot of smart people from two different continents pitched live on stage at Hackney House at SXSW last week. The Millennial Mentoring programme finale, the culmination of six months’ work, was a truly transatlantic affair – a collaboration of the best of London’s and Austin’s talent.
The three Millennial teams, made up of both Austin and Hackney students, pitched their ideas to answer three business challenges from clients Adobe, BA, and the Austin-based business RetailMeNot. In the run-up to the pitches, the students were mentored and guided by Poke, MRY, ShellsuitZombie, 3 Day Start-Up, Google, D&AD and Contagious.
Why did we decide to launch Millennial Mentoring?
Diversity – the industry is rapidly becoming a bastion of university educated, middle-class white boys and girls. This does not reflect society or a brand’s customer base. How can we make work that works for diverse audiences if the people making it are the exact opposite of that?
Value – ask a 30-year-old if they’re prepared to work for free on a three-month internship and they’ll probably laugh in your face. Yet the industry frequently asks people in their early twenties to do just that. Not only does this approach disadvantage those without financial backing, but it also puts experience over talent. Today’s young people have a lot to teach our industry. As well as being digital natives, they’re the most influential, creative and astute generation yet – the Millennials.
Education – many people assume Millennial Mentoring is a CSR initiative and that the value comes from brands giving the Millennials experience and opportunity. This is undoubtedly true, but the value exchange is actually two-way. CMOs were typically born before the digital revolution and can struggle to tackle what it means for their business or harness the full power of digital communications. Enter the Millennials – showing senior marketers what the new digital economy means for their businesses as well as how to use communications to tackle this influential demographic group.
So, Millennial Mentoring: three pitches for Millennials, by Millennials. Exactly how it should be.
Next year we won’t be opening the eyes of just three CMOs – Millennial Mentoring rocked Hackney House at SXSW and will be back in 2015 to drive diversity, value and education across the industry. Both here and in the US.