10 Questions on Advertising… with Craft Media co-founder Jenny Jones

I really like that Jenny Jones, co-founder of Craft Media, decided on Pooh Bear for her solution to who gave her the piece of recommendation she nonetheless lives via. But as any individual who’s at all times regarded past the norm to search out sensible answers to large questions, it’s most certainly now not that sudden.

Believing there’s a special manner for shoppers is what motivated Jones, who’d spent virtually 9 years at PHD as media director and technique director, and virtually 5 years at Maxus, to begin with as head of making plans and latterly world inventive director, to start out Craft Media along Sally Weavers in 2018. And it’s truthful to mention that, seven years later, the company displays the dedication, steadiness and pressure that has made her probably the most media trade’s Most worthy leaders.

She’s additionally one of the vital supportive figures, too, the usage of her affect to release the 5-7 Club, a networking and friend-making match for girls (and supportive males) that paintings in advertising and promoting.

And so, as we embark on Cannes week – a duration the place many shall be thrown into the fiercest networking shark tank going – we idea it the easiest time to invite Jenny her personal secrets and techniques for networking. We additionally requested her for recommendation on pitching, working businesses and getting others to play great. Her solutions are suitably refreshing – Winnie the Pooh could be proud.

1. If you must return and relive sooner or later on your occupation, which wouldn’t it be?

So many excellent days, however most certainly the most productive one used to be the primary assembly we had as Craft. We in truth didn’t know if any person would in reality pay for comms technique, whether or not they would suppose it used to be a ‘double cost’, whether or not they idea we’d in reality ship one thing that used to be ‘different’ to the standard reaction to transient… however having a consumer sit down again and push their glasses up on their nostril and say ‘I’ve by no means had a reaction like this’ – and may just we instantly transfer to the following transient – we checked out every different and dared to suppose this would possibly in reality paintings.

2. …Now let us know concerning the day that also provides you with nightmares.

So many dangerous days, and so dangerous they develop into legends; from shoppers falling asleep in a pitch, taking part in Pokémon all over your presentation, a Queen look-a-like lacking the mark, via to the Lions rugby workforce getting me extra inebriated than I’ve ever been in my existence, the dangerous days could make excellent tales.

3. Who gave you the piece of recommendation you continue to reside via – and what used to be it?

You are braver than you imagine, more potent than you appear, and smarter than you suppose – Pooh Bear.

4. What piece of labor performed via any individual else are you in reality jealous of?

I really like giant, juicy concepts that may be stretched throughout an entire ecosystem: I cherished running on Cadbury with Fallon, and I believe the paintings via VCCP is still scrumptious.

5. What’s your elevator pitch to other people interested by entering the promoting trade for the primary time?

Love what we do, develop into the trade’s largest fan. Having concepts is simple, having concepts that reside in the true global is tricky – the rest that makes it in the market will have to be celebrated or discovered from by some means.

6. You’ve now run your personal industry for greater than seven years. If you must return to January 2018 and inform your former self something previous to launching Craft Media, what wouldn’t it be?

Nothing. I believe naivety has been our largest weapon. Naivety and a hearty dose of pissed-off, middle-aged girl power.

7. Having been a method director and an artistic director your self, what do then you search for when hiring other people to take regulate of your personal company’s departments? Is it onerous to not examine what they’re doing in function as opposed to what you possibly can have performed?

They are doing roles I did not even come with regards to doing, such is the enormous trade the trade has long past via over the past 7 years. When we made our first rent – Sam Fowler (now our CSO) – we sat down and did a comms plan for ourselves. Our values have stayed the similar. The craftiest and the nicest.

Crafty approach curious, , excited and incessant, nicest approach the individual other folks need within the room, you must convey one thing additional. These are nonetheless the issues we search for in any person we rent, from grad to senior management.

8. Craft Media regularly fulfills a fairly distinctive function on a consumer’s roster and also you’ve mentioned prior to that many inventive and media businesses declare ‘they can do comms planning’… so how do you be certain whilst you’re appointed via a brand new shopper that everybody’s ‘playing nice’?

It’s more straightforward than other people would have you ever imagine. No one is sitting there stroking a white cat plotting how you can motive mayhem every day, however everybody does have an time table to some extent. There is reduction when any individual can carve transparent paths for various events from a impartial viewpoint, rooted in information and strategic wisdom.

We are then nonetheless within the combine to lend a hand transfer it ahead and sign up for it up. We ban individuals who indicate the bleeding obtrusive after which piss off when the onerous paintings to ship begins. We get caught in, now we have a standpoint, and we attempt to convey the power you need in a workforce.

9. Your 5-7 Club is a genius concept. Give us a networking secret to any individual who would possibly now not believe themselves a ‘natural networker’?

I in truth suppose networking is simply jargon for being the craftiest and the nicest. It begins with being excited by other people, asking them questions and being authentic in dialog. Then be great; say sure to stuff, lend a hand out, introduce other people, and take a look at and feature some a laugh.