The second session of the Mediaweek Academy welcomed back attendees, this time to Nova’s offices in Pyrmont.
Facilitator Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham lead the session, which focused on building client trust and respect.
Legend speaker Mark Buckman, chairman of OzTAM and senior advisor at Accenture Song, was pleased to see the cohort engaging with ideas surrounding “building client trust and respect.”
“Trust and respect between agencies and their clients are critical elements of the business relationship. The fact that the team are thinking about that is really critical,” he said.
Superstar Duncan McGrath shared that he was impressed by the calibre of the questions from the attendees.
“The empathy they had for the clients’ scenario that we’re working in, and then how they can be more helpful and more effective in their own roles, as well as maintaining those relationships long term, is going to serve everyone,” he added.
Buckman noted that he hoped attendees learnt from their respective stories of their past practical experiences in dealing with clients, agencies, or media relationships.
While for McGrath, he highlighted to them the importance of having values and an unwavering backbone of who they are in business.
“Over your career, what you do will likely change, in fact, it probably should change. But who you are as a person, how you show up in those relationships, day to day, is the thing that’s constant.”
Reflecting on the session, after speaking to attendees and their thoughts on the industry, Buckman said he was inspired by the talent coming through the industry.
“I see a lot of young people in the business on a regular basis through my consulting work with Accenture. I’m totally inspired by this young, up-and-coming generation of people.
“They’re obviously working in an era where technology is enabling so many things that haven’t been there in the past, but their curiosity, their capability, their ability to learn so much and apply that is phenomenal,” he added.
McGrath was just as impressed with the talent in the industry and said: “I think the industry has never been better with access to things like the Mediaweek Academy, The Marketing Academy, and all these other great leadership and development courses that you have access to today that maybe weren’t there a couple of decades ago,” he said.
“The talents are there, and today, for those who are hungry for it, the resources and the training are also now available,” he added.
McGrath also shared that he was humbled to be asked to speak and share his industry insights for the Academy attendees, as well as to hear career wisdom from Buckman.
“I think there’s so much you can get out of just listening to other people who’ve had different experiences from you. That opportunity is just invaluable for wherever you’re heading next.”
Buckman applauded Mediaweek’s Academy offering, the solid attendance and the questions asked.
“I know there have been other Legend and Superstar sessions with Mediaweek. I think there are certainly people in the industry who want to give back as well, and it’s a great opportunity for us to be able to do that as well,” Buckman added.
Among the attendees of the second session of the Mediaweek Academy was MW/IMAA Academy scholarship winner Brooke Tunbridge, media manager from Enigma, and Mediaweek Academy ambassador Alexander Coucouvinis, independent agency manager from News Corp Australia.
Tunbridge said a highlight from the session was listening to the experience and insights of both Buckman and McGrath.
“They’ve both got incredible experience and diverse experiences as well, which is really good to hear about.”
Tunbridge noted that while there were many points to take away, she resonated with McGrath’s three questions to ask yourself in your job: Am I making an impact? Am I having fun? And am I learning?
“If something’s not sitting right, then it’s time to make a change. So I think these are three questions people should ask themselves and revisit throughout their career to ensure they’re on the right path.”
For Tunbridge, a learning she will implement in her work is taking ownership and following up, a concept Buckman has given the acronym TOFU.
“I want to create a safe environment for my team where there’s no umming and erring about bringing issues to me. I want to create a safe space where we can own mistakes, address them, and develop solutions as a team.
Coucouvinis called the session “eye-opening” and said: “It’s good to hear honest feedback in the industry that we’re all involved in, especially because everyone goes through their own internal challenges around trust and relationships.”
“Just having Mark and Duncan up here give their honest feedback on how to approach their day-to-day and tough clients, it’s inspiring. It’s always good to know that there’s more you can always do and grow from.”
Coucouvinis noted that for him, the session cemented the importance of relationships with clients.
“The way that’s done is not only through trust, but it’s through that extra seasoning, that extra spark that you can give that catches them off guard. Whether it’s that extra value or something unexpected, it goes tenfold.”
Coucouvinis highlighted Sparrow’s top 10 trust tips as something he would have in front of his mind when cultivating and strengthening relationships with clients.
“Taking that personal time out in the market is important, you can do so much behind a computer or so many emails or calls, but spending that extra time with a client, whether it’s a longer lunch or going out of your own way to spend extra time, is going to go a mile when they want to consider you for a certain brief,” he added.
Sparrow was once again pleased with the connection between the Superstar and the Legend and the value they brought to attendees.
“They had never met before but were very aligned in thinking.
They talked about being a good human and honest to your values and to bring those to business because they should be aligned.”
With two sessions down and eight to go, Sparrow urged those who missed out to attend the next ones.
“There is such great variety. The quality of the Legends and the Superstars is really credible, and the line-up is just super impressive.
“Either come along to one or jump in and sign up for the next eight sessions or even five. Don’t miss out.”
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Top image: Sparrow with Mark Buckman and Duncan McGrath