31st January 2017
Welcome message 2017
Welcome back and Happy New Year! Like us, I hope you were able to spend some time over the holidays to relax, recharge, and get together with family and friends. With 2017 now underway, I look forward to working with our members and representative councils to deliver a rich calendar of activity throughout the year....

17th October 2016
How to become the hybrid Strategist of the future
Gone are the days of Strategic Planners being pigeonholed into the silo disciplines of Brand, Digital, Media, Retail, Data and Social, says Bohdi Lewis. Today’s Strategist must be truly hybrid in order to survive and thrive, and must evolve to embrace the principles of UX and Design that put people at the centre of ideas...

21st July 2016
THE craft of copywriting
We sat down with AdSchool Adelaide Copywriting lecturers Jason Hollamby and Jeremy Egerton, to hear a bit more about their creative craft. How has copywriting changed as consumers have turned to digital channels? JH: In some ways we've rediscovered an appreciation for great single-minded ideas...
July 2016
IPA Client Service: Agency Leadership
This month saw the wrap up of another successful IPA Residential course, with more than 35 delegates completing an intense 3 days of Client Service: Agency Leadership training…
30th June 2016
making the move: manager to leader
With one ear to the ground, moving up the ladder is easier when you know what to look out for. Simon Lamplough, Group Managing Director at Clemenger Melbourne shares the tips he has picked up over his years in the business…
9th June 2016
What will Strategy Planning look like in the year 2020?
What will ‘strategy planning’ look like in the year 2020? What does a 'future ready strategist' look like? These are important questions to answer because planning and strategy has evolved dramatically and will continue to do so. The most obvious and biggest change has been the extraordinary growth in specialist skills in data & analytics, user experience, search optimisation, social media, connection planning…
4th May 2016
Art of Account Management course returns to Melbourne
The Art of Account Management returns to the Melbourne AdSchool timetable this month, led by CHE Proximity Group Account Director, Bryce Coombe. Here he explains why a solid foundation in the many facets of Account Management has never been more critical as our industry continues to evolve.
13th April 2016
Can you sell your ideas?
Even the most talented creatives can struggle to get their ideas over the line when it comes to the pitch. Ahead of a dedicated workshop in Sydney and Melbourne next month, Ben Keenan, Creative Director at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, discusses why the ability to sell is just as important as the idea itself.
13th April 2016
IPA Campaign Planning - 5 things I learned
In delivering an industry professional development program, we have the great privilege of working with some of this industry’s brightest minds and best talent. Every so often, we’re reminded of the great spirit of generosity and humility that characterizes the stars of this creative profession. Delivering the IPA residential programs is one of those moments - a ‘pinch yourself’ encounter with inspirational masters and their talented apprentices.

23rd March 2016
EFFECTIVENESS Q&A WITH Meat and livestock australia
In 2015, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) became the first client to be recognised in the Australian Effie Awards for their role in championing effectiveness, taking out the inaugural Advertiser of the Year award. In the lead up to this year’s Effies, we questioned MLA Group Marketing Manager Andrew Howie on the secrets behind the brand’s success.
14th March 2016
A conversation with tim mccoll jones
Former Qantas CMO Tim McColl Jones will join the lineup of experts speaking at next week's IPA Campaign Planning Course in Melbourne (20 - 22 March). As part of the three-day residential program, Tim will be discussing how and why ideas spread and whether there is a science to sharability, particularly in today's changing landscape. In the lead up to the course, we sat down to find out what makes him tick with our very own Proust-style questionnaire...
25th February 2016
HOW Understanding User Experience Design can make us better planners
Ahead of speaking at our IPA Campaign Planning course in Sydney this April, Craig Adams, Strategy Director at Naked Communications, explains why it is important for today's campaign planners to gain an understanding of User Experience design in order to help brands discover and create advantage in the new communications landscape.
25th February 2016
Australia’s Seven Grand Effies
The Australian Effie Awards turn eight this year...meaning a total of seven Grand Effies have been delivered since the awards began in 2009. Recognised as the show’s highest accolade, the winning campaign is voted for by the jury from the list of Gold Effie winners. For those hoping to take the top spot in 2016, here we recap on what has caught the judges attention over the years.
15th February 2016
Coca-Cola and today's agencies
In the lead up to co-chairing The Communications Council's 2016 IPA Campaign Planning Course, Leo Roberts, South Pacific Group Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola, discusses the evolution of campaign planning and what the brand looks for in today's agencies.
2nd February 2016
Industry heavyweights chair 2016 IPA Campaign Planning course
Leaders from different corners of the industry have been enlisted to chair The Communications Council’s 2016 IPA Campaign Planning Course, which will address the need for a new breed of campaign planners to leverage today’s volatile communications landscape.
2nd February 2016
Changing communications world requires new breed of campaign planners
Ahead of The Communications Council’s 2016 IPA Campaign Planning Course, which runs in Melbourne from 20 - 22 March, and in Sydney from 3 - 5 April, course chair Sophie Price, Chief Strategy Officer at UM, speaks about the need for the industry to build the modern planner.
21st January 2016
Time to change our approach to industry training and professional development
As businesses that trade in ideas, agencies in the advertising and marketing communications industry rely completely on the quality of their people. It seems obvious then that ongoing investment in the creativity and intellectual development of staff is imperative for any growing business in the sector.
9th September 2015
When things go wrong: Lindt Café comms lead speaks at IPA Client Service
Ian Pope, Head of Corporate at Edelman Australia has been enlisted to speak at the IPA Client Service - Agency Leadership course about Edelman’s crisis communications strategy on behalf of Lindt Chocolate in response to the tragic siege on Lindt’s Martin Place Cafe last year.
8th September 2015
3 Qualities You Need to Succeed . Full Stop.
Gary Duckworth, a former agency leader himself, has been coach and consultant to the best and brightest agency leaders for over a decade. He’ll be analysing different leadership styles (including yours) at the IPA Client Service Course - Agency Leadership, to be held 13-15 September in Sydney and 20-22 September in Melbourne.
7th September 2015
IPA DATA SHOWS DEVELOPING PEOPLE IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS
Agencies investing in the continuous professional development of their staff are benefitting from increased revenue and business performance according to data released by The Communications Council’s UK partner, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).
10th July 2015
GREAT AGENCY LEADERS STALKBOOK THEIR TEAMS: EDELMAN'S MATTHEW GAIN EXPLAINS WHY
As Edelman COO Matthew Gain prepares to chair The Communications Council's IPA Client Service course, the first of its kind in Australia (13-15 September) he talks about what makes a great leader and the impact of Facebook on business relationships
15th June 2015
FORMER SAMSUNG CMO ON WHAT MAKES A GREAT PR AGENCY
We were delighted to be joined last week by Arno Lenior, former CMO of Samsung , for a PRC breakfast Q&A, led by Edelman COO, Matthew Gain.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA?
Tom Williamson, Head of Social Media at KWP!, will lead AdSchool’s Social Media Strategy Workshop in Adelaide on 16th & 23rd July.
I spend a lot of time talking to clients about a range of things from how to include social media as part of their latest campaign brief, to how to deal with an issue or crisis their social media team is facing. At the end of almost every conversation, I’m asked “So Tom, what’s the next big thing in social? What should we be preparing ourselves for?”. I’ll answer that in a minute but before I do, here’s what you should be doing right now for your brand.
4th June 2015
SHARK TANK TO THINK THANK
Students on this week's IPA Strategic Planning course in Melbourne were given a bit of a surprise before presenting their group projects to our judging panel. The brief? Create a strategic plan for The Stink Brothers, an Australian natural deodorant for teenage boys featured on the reality show Shark Tank on Network Ten in March. The surprise? Stink Brothers Founder Suzanne Bosanquet flew in especially to judge alongside course chair Justin Graham, Chief Strategy Officer at M&C Saatchi Australia.
3rd June 2015
PRESENTING WITH CONFIDENCE | MYLES POLLARD
Film and TV Actor Myles Pollard will lead AdSchool’s Presenting with Confidence workshop in Perth on Friday 19th June 2015. For course details, see here.
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