Your Questions Answered
Got a question about the The Scholarship Program? This might help…
Safety is our top priority and having already delivered multiple programs throughout the pandemic we are confident that whilst COVID-19 may mean changes to the program format, the impact of the Scholarship experience will not be affected.
Throughout the selection process and the program we commit to transparent & frequent communication if we believe COVID will impact the delivery of the program.
All attendees at in person Boot Camps must be fully vaccinated.
The safety of our applicants, judges and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ interviews are deemed unsafe during 2023 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
Yes. The Bootcamp events are mandatory, however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe or not achievable during 2023 due to COVID-19, they will be held in virtual format. You will need to attend in full and failure to do so may result in termination of your Scholarship place.
All attendees at Boot Camp must be fully vaccinated.
The Marketing Academy’s Scholarship Program is a development program of Mentoring, Coaching and Learning which runs from October 2023 to June 2024. The program is completely free of charge though highly selective and if you’re successful in securing a place you’ll also receive the following benefits;
- Opportunity to meet with 8 senior industry leaders (Brand and Agency) for face-to-face mentoring sessions
- An Executive Coach to work with throughout the entire program
- 3 x Residential Boot Camps (8 days in total) each year filled with leadership development, inspirational speakers, CEO’s and master classes
- Participation in a life changing Leadership Development Program
- Peer to Peer networking
- Exposure to high level marketing expertise across all industries
- Lifetime access to the Academy as Alumni
You can download and read the entire outline of the Scholarship Program here
To get the most out of the program all Scholars should expect to invest about 15 working days of time to attend 3 ‘boot camps’, virtual campus events (workshops, lectures and keynote sessions), up to 8 mentoring sessions and regular coaching sessions. In addition, there may be time outside of work where you prepare for mentoring or coaching sessions or to share your learning within your teams or externally.
To get the most out of the program all Scholars should expect to invest about 15 working days of time to attend 3 ‘boot camps’*, virtual campus events (workshops, lectures and keynote sessions), up to 8 mentoring sessions and regular coaching sessions. In addition there may be time outside of work where you prepare for mentoring or coaching sessions or to share your learning within your teams or externally.
*COVID-19 Update: Attendance to the Bootcamp events is mandatory however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe during 2022 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
The below shows a guide of how the 15 days of the Scholarship program are broken down:
8 days of residential Boot Camps. Attendance at the residential boot camps in the New York area is mandatory for all 2023 scholars so please ensure you are available on the following dates:
- Bootcamp 1 – Friday October 13th – Monday October 16th, 2023
- Bootcamp 2 – Thursday February 8th & Friday February 9th, 2024
- Bootcamp 3 – Monday June 10th & Tuesday June 11th, 2024
TMA Virtual campus events – an online curriculum of workshops, lectures and keynote sessions. The time for these will vary from Scholar to Scholar depending on how many they attend. Virtual Campus events will also be available on demand.
12 hours for your mentoring sessions. You will have up to 8 x 60-90 minute sessions and these are spread throughout the program.
9 hours for your coaching sessions. These are organized by the Scholars and their coaches and are spread throughout the program. Scholars usually have about 6 x 60-90 minute sessions.
We are a not for profit company and therefore we are unable to contribute to any expenses incurred by Scholars whilst travelling to mentoring meetings, coaching sessions, or events. This cost must be met by the Scholars or their employers. It should be noted that the Boot Camps will require 5 nights overnight accommodation which must also be paid by the Scholar or their employer. We will always try and keep costs to a minimum.
You can read testimonials from US / UK / Australian Scholars here.
Whilst employers must be in support of the Scholar’s application to the program, it is not compulsory for employers to give their Scholar fully paid leave. In our experience employers appreciate the level of development the Scholarship provides to their rising stars and tend to be extremely generous in giving our Scholars time to take part. However, it is expected for employers to allow Scholars to take some time as holiday or unpaid leave.
Please note that attendance to the boot camps is mandatory to be accepted onto the program.
The Scholarship year begins in October 2023 and is kicked off with a four day Boot Camp which will be in New York State. The Scholarship runs until the end of June 2024.
Yes, absolutely. We have Alumni all over the US. However you must be able to travel to NY for all 3 bootcamps.
You can find a list of all the mentors, coaches, partners, judges and companies who are involved in delivering the Scholarship on our website – https://themarketingacademy.org/us/ – click the Who’s Involved tab.
Here are the key dates for the 2023 Scholarship Program:
SELECTION PROCESS:
- June 2nd, 2023 – Scholarship nomination portal closes
- June 16th, 2023 – Scholarship application deadline and application screening begins
- July 24th to August 4th, 2023 – Pitch interviews (via video/zoom)
- September 5th to September 15th, 2023 – Panel interviews (via video/zoom)
- w/c September 25th, 2023 – Successful Applications will be notified if they have a Scholarship place
BOOT CAMP DATES:
- Bootcamp 1 – Friday October 13th to Monday October 16th, 2023
- Bootcamp 2 – Thursday February 8th & Friday February 9th, 2024
- Bootcamp 3 – Monday June 10th & Tuesday June 11th, 2024
*COVID-19 Update: Attendance to the Bootcamp events is mandatory however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe during 2023 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
Nominations
We will inform successful Scholars employers if they are accepted onto the Scholarship Program. We are not able to share updates with Nominators who are not the Scholars employer. You are also welcome to join The Marketing Academy Community groups on LinkedIn and Facebook which we regularly update with what’s going on, or follow us on Twitter – we regularly update with what’s going on via these channels.
Occasionally people ask us who nominated them and by submitting your nomination you agreed to us telling the nominee who made their nomination. If you prefer your nomination to be anonymous then you can request this by emailing info.us@themarketingacademy.org
We actually recommend you give you ‘nominee’ some warning before you nominate them – you might consider sending them a copy of the Guide to the Scholarships which can be found here.
Yes. We have Scholarships available for individuals who do not have a ‘classic’ marketing background. Those who have demonstrated exceptional potential as natural marketers or who have shown outstanding entrepreneurial ability or exceptional achievement in the face of adversity will be considered
We support diversity, inclusion and equality in every context and firmly believe that everyone, irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender or religion, should have the same opportunity to fast track their careers and learning via our programs.
We rely on you, as a nominator, to help us identify a breadth of talent across the entire industry.
No. You can nominate whoever you chose, be it a member of staff, colleague, subordinate, boss, peer, supplier, client, friend or family. You can nominate someone at an agency or business that you’ve worked with and have been very impressed by, or any great marketer who you feel is a rising star.
But the bottom line is: your nominee must fit the selection criteria which can be found here.
The Scholarship criteria requires the nominees to be fully employed or own their business.
The learning provided throughout the Scholarship centres around leadership development. We have discovered that the Scholars with a wide and consistent span of direct leadership & influence within one company, are able to implement the learning immediately and can practice the tools and techniques in real time. This also enables the Scholars to get the most out of the Mentor sessions, allowing them to discuss & debate real situations which mirror the practical experience of the Mentors. Depending on the span of the freelance role this consistency can be significantly reduced, along with the ability to make wide reaching impact across a business where the Scholar is directly accountable for the long term results.
We can only take 30 Scholars on any program. With over 250 people involved in their development and learning its essential that we ensure the widest possible ‘ripple effect’ of the learning so that the benefit of the Scholarship can be felt more widely within the industry. Past experience has taught us that Scholars in significant leadership roles, directly employed by one company for the duration of the program, can have a greater lasting impact on their business than those in temporary, interim or short term roles.
The learning curve of the Scholarship does not mix well with the learning curve of a new role. In fact we have found that it can be so detrimental to the Scholar (and their new employer) that we withhold the right to remove Scholars from the program if they change roles during it (much as we hate to do so). We minimise this risk by ensuring that Scholars are employed, supported by their current employer and are crystal clear on their career goals – and timings – before embarking on the program. If the Scholar is in ‘transition’ or seeking the next role while on the program then we find that most of the learning and interactions with Mentors, Coaches and the other Scholars are experienced through that lens, which ultimately results in a reductive experience. The nature of freelance work is that the likelihood of embarking on and / or seeking new roles is higher
If you know someone in transition / freelancing / contracting they may be eligible to enrol on our Virtual Campus program – please send them this link https://themarketingacademy.org/us/the-marketing-academy-virtual-campus/
Yes but you may disadvantage your nominee. The nomination portal closes on June 2nd, 2023 and the closing date for applications is June 16th, 2023. So, the earlier you nominate the more time your nominee has, to design and submit their application.
No. To be eligible for an ‘Invitation to Apply’ for a Marketing Academy Scholarship you will need to be nominated by someone who considers you worthy of a place. We will not accept self nominations and the nomination portal is regularly cross checked and verified.
You can nominate as many people as you like.
After you’ve nominated a rising marketing star on our website, you will receive an email confirming receipt of your nomination. Your nominee will be sent all the details they need in order to apply for a place.
Selection Process
The Scholarship Program is free but highly selective, so we ask senior business leaders to nominate the best of their emerging leaders via www.themarketingacademy.us.
All ‘nominees’ then receive an ‘Invitation to Apply’ which includes essential information about the 3-stage selection process.
Nominations for the US 2023 Scholarship Program close on June 2nd, 2023.
Application — Submission deadline June 16th, 2023
This 3-part application must include submission of a full Resume, Employers Endorsement’ and a 2 Minute digital ‘Showcase Me’.
Nominees will be informed of their progress no later than Friday July 21st, 2023.
The Pitch — July 24th to August 4th, 2023
Successful applicants will be invited to make a 10 minute ‘pitch’ followed by a 15 minute Q&A.
The Pitch will be via zoom.
Panel Interviews — September 5th to September 15th, 2023
Successful applicants will be invited to a video call interview with a selection panel of Marketing and HR Professionals.
Successful applicants will be notified if they have a Scholarship place by September 25th, 2023
To find out more about the program and selection process check out our Scholarship Program Guide here.
To continue through the selection process it’s essential we receive evidence of employer’s support of the nominees’ application in written form. An ‘Employer’s Endorsement Form’ is supplied with the ‘Invitation to Apply’. Employers are asked to outline why they feel their employees should receive a place on the program and to confirm that they will enable their employee to invest a minimum of 15 days to the program if awarded.
The ‘Showcase Me’ element of the Scholarship application is your chance to show your creative side and communicate exactly why you should be awarded a place on the program. It needs to be submitted electronically and we must be able to read / watch / listen / experience it in 2 minutes. All we’ll say is the more original the better! You can see a video about the Showcase Me on our You Tube here.
When submitting your digital Showcase Me please attach as an mp4 (if audio) or the link if uploaded, otherwise if a video then please upload this to Youtube and select ‘Unlisted’, this link will then only be viewable by us and the judges. Please do not send via dropbox / googledrive.
We cannot also accept .pages files as we are not MAC compatible, so please send any document to us in Word or PDF format.
Whether your experience is in a consumer or B2B brand, public or charity sector, media or creative agency, media owner or platform, entrepreneur or working for companies large or small, all applicants will be assessed equally against a strict criteria.
What we are looking for:
- Ideally between 8 and 18 years in a marketing or agency role*
- Currently in a leadership role
- Highly ambitious to further your career in marketing leadership; aspiring to C-Suite or board roles
- Demonstrates commitment to career with evidence of results and achievements
- Evidence of commitment to broadening horizons, such as an interest in charitable, social, cultural, creative, travel or sporting endeavours
- High emotional intelligence & natural drive to succeed
- Employed on a permanent (not freelance) basis in the US at a company for a minimum of 6 months
- No known risk of termination of resignation for the duration of the program
- Be a US citizen (or have permanent residency in the US)
*Please note: We have places available on the Scholarship Program for individuals who do not have a ‘classic’ marketing background. Those who have demonstrated exceptional potential as natural marketers or who have shown outstanding entrepreneurial ability or exceptional achievement in the face of adversity will be considered.
We support diversity, inclusion and equality in every context and firmly believe that everyone, irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender or religion, should have the same opportunity to fast track their careers and learning via our programs.
Additional Information
The learning curve of the Scholarship does not mix well with the learning curve of a new role. In fact we have found that it can be so detrimental to the Scholar (and their new employer) that we reserve the right to terminate the Scholarship place if they change roles during it.
We minimise this risk by ensuring that Scholars are employed, supported by their current employer, are under no known risk of resignation, are crystal clear on their career goals – and timings – before embarking on the program. If the Scholar is in ‘transition’ or seeking the next role while on the program then we find that most of the learning and interactions with Mentors, Coaches and the other Scholars are experienced through that lens, which ultimately results in a reductive experience.
Please email Victoria Sindermann, US Program Lead at victoria@themarketingacademy.org
We share free or discounted learning opportunities with the nominees who aren’t selected for a Scholarship. We also advise nominees re-apply in later years, as we have had many Scholars who were successful on their second, third or even fourth try.
Academy People
Featured Coach
Shari Donnenfield
Shari is an ICF-accredited Executive Coach who has the privilege of working with exceptional executives and teams around the world in many areas including media,…
