28 reasons to apply to The Marketing Academy

Hello,

So I’ve noticed the other scholars are taking the “be inspiring” route when it comes to encouraging folk to apply for the Marketing Academy scholarship. Frankly, I’d hope that would be enough to convince you. But I worry there’s 10% of you who just might need pushing over the edge. So instead, I’m going to take the “bludgeoning” route. Accordingly, here are 28 reasons why YOU should get your application as soon as possible:

You’ll get to spend an hour and a half each with at least 12 idols of the marketing industry, like Andy Fennell (CMO at Diageo), Cilla Snowball (Group CEO and Chairman of AMV.BBDO) or Amanda MacKenzie (CMO at Aviva).
You get to attend multiple networking events associated with the Academy, often with free wine.
You get 12 monthly sessions with a coach through Wisdom8, who (if you’re lucky, like me) might have a membership to a private members club and be willing to have meetings with you there. They might also stop you from doing something daft with your career, like mine did.
If you’re a client, odds are there will be at least one scholar who’s a creative and you’ll be able to get to know them, then tell all your client mates about how you’re “breaking out from client-side norms” by being their friend. In our case, that creative was Angus George. He’s also sometimes mildly amusing.
If you’re a creative, you’ll get to speak directly to clients without being rugby-tackled by an account director.
If you’re an account man or woman, you get to talk to client-side people without having to buy them lunch. And you might come to the conclusion they’re not all a nightmare.
Sherilyn (the Founder) has a very, very nice house, and she might hold a party there for you.
You’ll get to go to lunch and learn sessions with important people like Moray MacLennan (CEO of M&C Saatchi Worldwide), and accordingly that means multiple free lunches.
Camilla (the Programme Director) was once in a George Michael video.
You’ll get to go to three “Boot Camps” in the year, full of inspiring speakers and workshops. They’ll be held at the Chartered Institute of Marketing‘s conference centre in Cookham, which has an excellent Indian restaurant nearby, and a rather picturesque canal for running next to.
You’ll get at least 15 more followers on Twitter from your fellow scholars alone.
You can legitimately put “Marketing Hall of Legends” on your LinkedIn profile.
You’ll get to attend multiple function-specific faculties, like Industry Approved’s Innovation faculty, Fallon’s Advertising one, or PHD’s one on Media.
If you work in or around London, you’ll get to meet some real life marketing talent from North of the M25.
If you work in the North, you’ll get to see the bright lights of London’s Adland. And then conclude they’re not that bright, but it does have a Starbucks on every corner.
Sherilyn seems to have every version of Singstar available. See point 7.
You’ll get excellent leadership training from Penny Ferguson and Programmes for Life, which unless you’re really lucky isn’t something you’d get from the place you work.
Although you do have to commit about 20 working days in the year, you’ll be so inspired and energised from every encounter you have with something Academy-related that you’ll be several thousand percent more effective during the time you spend in the office.
You’ll work out what to do with the rest of your life. Or conclude you don’t need to, but that’s fine, and stop worrying about it.
You’ll work with a small charity in an area you’re excited to work in, consulting on their marketing. If you ever feel unrecognised in work, go do some volunteering with a small charity, they’re beyond grateful.
You’ll invariably end up in Marketing Week once or twice, as Mark Choueke (the editor) is on the board, and he likes to promote young marketing talent.
At some point you’re highly likely to meet Phil Rumbol, the former Cadbury Marketing Director, and you can ask him all the questions you ever wanted answered about that Gorilla ad.
You’ll make 25+ new friends from your group of scholars. Accordingly, your social life will pick up dramatically. And if they’re from interesting workplaces, you might get a few freebies. I’m still waiting on my free Morphsuit from Fraser Smeaton.
Some of your mentors you’ll really end up clicking with, and you’ll naturally see them more outside of the Academy. In my case, like Beth Broughton. She bought me breakfast, and immediately became my hero.
Major General Arthur Denaro CBE will come and give you a talk about leadership. He commanded 44,000 troops in the Balkans. Puts your challenges with your boss/direct reports into perspective.
You’ll get better at writing from all the blogging you’ll be doing.
It’s free.
It’ll change your career trajectory, and might just change your life.

If that hasn’t persuaded you, then all that stuff good marketers say about being single-minded in your message has turned out to be true, and we should all learn from the failure that is this highly divergent blog post.

Nominations are open now – go here to find out more. And don’t leave it to the last minute, it’s not a simple thing to pull together!

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