Junior Creative

Also known as...

Junior copywriter, Junior art director, Junior brand creator, Junior creative writer, Creative technologist

The role in brief... 

To come up with creative ideas which help bring forward fresh thinking and transform businesses and behaviour. This is achieved by creating standout advertising.  They start with a blank piece of paper and come up with a big idea that can be executed across multiple media touchpoints.

Junior Advertising Creatives work on briefs for advertising that provide people with information most effective to the target audience to help them make better informed decisions. They create adverts  to encourage people to buy products, change their behaviour (for example to wear seatbelts or stop smoking), give to charitable causes or even effect social change (for example, reducing the use of single use plastic). They aim to delight, move and solidify the consumer’s understanding of that product or brand, service, issue or cause. They dramatise the product or services' benefit.

Junior Advertising Creatives think up, develop and produce inspiring and effective advertising campaigns for clients, can be delivered through appropriate and exciting media channels and platforms. This includes television, radio, newspapers, cinema, direct mail, social media, and other digital platforms, but the world is changing, so Junior Advertising Creatives are also always on the lookout for new ways to present their ideas. 

Whilst this is an office-based occupation, good ideas can happen anywhere so Junior Advertising Creatives are not exclusively office based. As part of delivering a campaign, they may visit locations such as recording studios, film sets, sound stages, colour grading studios and even overseas locations, so they need to work flexibly, particularly if on a TV commercial shoot or helping towards a big presentation.

They are typically are a member of a partnership of Copywriter and Art Director, depending on their skillset. They work alongside the wider creative team in conceiving and developing ideas The Junior Advertising Creative originates the idea and will work closely with Advertising Executives who act as the link between them and the client.

Working with...

• Internal: A wide range of people across the agency. Account Management team; Account Planning; Creative teams and directors; Creative Services.
• External: They also work with other specialists including film directors, photographers, artists, illustrators, musicians and designers; post production houses. They may be asked to present their ideas to the client, but this varies from company to company.
• The Junior Creative reports into and is supported by more Senior Advertising Creatives.

Responsible for...

• Understanding basic client marketing problems and developing relevant creative ideas and concepts to solve the problem and to meet the brief.
• Taking the creative brief from the account planner and asking intelligent questions to better understand the client’s requirements (for example, about the target’s motivations or journey to purchase).
• Articulating and presenting their creative ideas to Creative Directors and/or senior creatives
• Presenting creative ideas to the account teams and clients as required.
• Developing creative presentations and mood boards to help bring their ideas to life and tell stories.
• Assisting senior creative on new business pitches.
• Amending and redeveloping ideas after feedback.
• Working with specialist producers.
• Collaborating with wider team, suppliers and other agencies such as the media agency.
• Attending external locations in order to assist with the creative aspects of production.
• Attending edits and post-production sessions in order to oversee completion of the production.
• Maintaining awareness of creative work done by competitors, and market/tech developments and cultural trends in relation to the accounts being worked on to ensure campaigns are unique.
• Writing text/stories, creating designs and layouts all of which combined bring an idea to life in different mediums, understanding the basics of different mediums
• Managing the pressure of tight deadlines and busy schedules, working on multiple projects simultaneously as required.

Those who succeed are...

• Tenacious and resilient – consider feedback objectively, bounce back from criticism of their ideas, and continue working on the brief with enthusiasm to find new solutions.
• Working well under the pressure of tight budgets and deadlines on multiple projects, while still maintaining rapport with the team and the client.
• Good at coming up with ideas to solve problems (and it does not matter if they are introverted or extroverted) under time pressure.
• Creatively curious, for example in questions around the brief, new mediums, assessing the competition and bold in their thinking and ideation.
• Courageous in putting forward their ideas and challenging others.
• Endlessly curious about culture and what makes people tick.

Where they come from, and where they go…

Junior Creatives have generally come from doing a post graduate in copywriting, art direction or design which leads to a placement at a creative agency.  As a result they have tended to be white, southern, university educated men.

The industry needs a more diverse group of creative minded people to join its ranks – without diversity how can we understand consumers and achieve diversity of thought.

Some agencies have creative internships open to anyone but these are not paid and do not always lead to a job. Now Junior Creatives can also be taken on via an apprenticeship scheme where there is no requirement for a degree, although A-Levels, or equivalent are still expected.

At all times creatives build a work portfolio which showcases their ideas, passion and work. The portfolio is the key way to demonstrate their abilities and style and is used as part of the recruitment process as they move upwards.

As content and ideas of how to reach people are becoming increasingly important many media agencies now have creative departments.

They may progress working on bigger and more important briefs within the agency, they are often referred to as ‘Middleweight’ or ‘Heavyweight’ Creatives, with some then becoming Group Heads or Creative Directors in their own right. The ultimate posting is to be an Executive Creative Director for a group of companies. Others may choose to ply their skills independently as freelancers, working across a number of agencies and clients.