The world of advertising invites schools and colleges across the UK to participate in the largest industry-wide “Open Day”.
Advertising Unlocked introduces new, potentially unconsidered career options to school and college students, and provides agencies with an audience of diverse talent.
On 15 November 2023, top UK advertising and media agencies are opening their doors to the next generation of talent, revealing how campaigns are made, what it's like to work in advertising and giving students the opportunity to work on a brief.
Our suggested age range for students is KS4/5, but schools are still welcome to participate with students outside of this range. Nearer to the date of the open day, your agency will be matched with a registered school based on location and specific requirements. The Advertising Unlocked team will provide you with resources and material to get you started with planning, however, once we introduce you to each other, you’ll take over communication to finalise the details for the day, such as agenda and timings.
On the day, agencies typically run a range of practical experiences - from workshops, interactive discussions and demonstrations to tours and creative challenges. Please see an example itinerary of the day, which is a steer and agencies are free to develop their own. As an agency, it's an unmissable opportunity to get yourself in front of the next generation of talent. For schools, it's a fantastic way for students to explore an industry and career they might not have thought about pursuing.
There are a lot of ways into advertising, almost everyone had a different route into this company/industry. [Advertising Unlocked] allowed me to see my pathway into advertising/marketing and understand the industry itself better, as well as figure out what job role would fit me most so I can be aware of it!
Activities at agencies around the country include:
- Working on real creative briefs and pitching their ideas to agency staff
- Developing social and experiential ideas into a fully-fledged ad
- Hearing from current employees in the ad industry and their career journeys
- Learning practical advice about getting into the industry through CV-building workshops and talks about agency internship programmes
Watch the highlights from Advertising Unlocked 2022 below
Advertising Unlocked 2022 was a great success, with advertising and media agencies hosting 2,000 school children across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Hear about the experiences from some of the agencies and schools/colleges involved below.
If you have any questions relating to Advertising Unlocked, please email adunlocked@ipa.co.uk.
Last updated 25 October 2023