Finding future talent stars

The key factor of advertising as one of the industries selling intellectual skills is people. People who can ask the right questions, listen and find the right words, reflect much in little, who can go deeper, have a general view of a given situation, get their priorities right, assign tasks to themselves and to others. The Russian advertising business is still very young and cannot provide the market with fortunate possessors of all these qualities. Though it’s exactly the qualities in the greatest demand and best paid for.

The HR problem in this industry has become proverbial; however, there is no systematical resolution concerning the lack of experts. That is why BBDO Group decided to launch its own corporate school – a big project dedicated to promising employees who are to become future talent stars.

The project consists of four levels rated for experts of different knowledge and specialties. The majority of courses is created for employees who already work at BBDO, except the first introduction course. At BBDO School our interns, executives and promising graduates seed through competitive selection study. Thus BBDO School is an option for future managers, strategy directors and analysts to enter the market.

The internal education comprises three disciplines: business management, client services and creative. The client service program is divided into two levels: basic and advanced. The main purpose of the advanced level is to prepare a new much needed generation of experts able to manage projects including those involving several agencies with different expertise.

Studying in corporate school also means working. It is a serious job that requires effort. So the natural question is brought up: “Why do I need it?” Here are four reasons:

First of all, sounds trivial, it is a chance to improve professionally. The knowledge of managing multidisciplinary projects will soon become obligatory for every client account manager; likewise, the fast creation of effective ideas becomes a must for every creator. It is an obvious market trend.

Second, it's personal enrichment. Today the majority of managers servicing large clients come from Western companies. Many of them have foreign business education. They have a good understanding of marketing and they are fast progressing. A successful communication specialist should at least keep up with progress, but it is preferable for him to be ahead. Studying is a way to quit the routine, expand the boundaries of the familiar world and an opportunity to get profound knowledge of communication business in general.

The third reason is career. The main goal of all programs is to give talented aspiring people who have already proven their worth an opportunity to break through their everyday duties. Business is quickly developing, that is why BBDO Group is still interested in future talent stars.

And finally, it's networking. The idea of a "melting pot" is very popular abroad. That is when different cultures and knowledge gathered together in one place create something truly unique and outstanding. New connections have never been excessive even if they are not related to brilliant ideas.