Innocean, creators of Fck the Cupcakes, and B Corp agency Paper Moose, have joined forces to take a deep dive into how the industry is interacting with other people’s work and its impact.
Around 28% of the ad industry is affected by an ongoing mental health condition, and one in three people do not disclose this to their employer. Research from Mentally Healthy shows more than half of the members of the industry suffer from anxiety or depression at a scale that is unhealthy.
Giving good creative feedback is an art and yet important in the quest for creating great work. However, the impact of negative, unconstructive feedback on each other’s work may be profoundly affecting the advertising industry and adding to the talent crisis.
The two agencies have created a survey for the creative community to gather information and better understand the issue. The survey will be open until September 22. The results will be analysed to produce a report on the impact of creative feedback. The goal is to receive industry-wide support and create a voluntary code of conduct for both agencies and publishers.
Jasmin Bedir, CEO at Innocean, said: “As an industry, we can do a lot better in collectively celebrating the thinking and craft that goes into our work and our contribution to the Australian economy. Tearing each other down makes us smaller in many ways.”
Jeremy Willmott, creative director at Paper Moose, said: “I’ve seen the effects, first-hand, of creatives receiving poor feedback on their ideas or reading anonymous feedback online about their work. Words really do sting.
“But most creative leaders never get any formal training in how to give good feedback and we don’t hold ourselves accountable, as an industry, to a code of standards, so we thought it was time we do something about it.”
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Top image: Jasmin Bedir and Jeremy Willmott