By Anthony Mendicino
Point Park students visited the colorful, and brand new, office of BMB Advertising in London.
“Well, you take the prize for farthest University we’ve ever had visit,” said David Corfield, BMB’s head of creative services, who led the session.
Founded on May 5, 2005, BMB has become a leader of advertising in London. On top of multiple industry awards, the firm works with brands like New Balance, Samsung, and LinkedIn among others.
Corfield introduced students to some of BMB’s top creative talent. Including their Head Art Director Louise Sloper and CEO/Entrepreneur/Spaceman Trevor Beattie.
As promised students met and heard presentations from a group of talented “BMBer’s” as they’re commonly known around the office.
Among the highlights of the presentations were BMB’s core ideas of creation; populism, generosity, and candor.
“Our goal is to find classic British brands and reintroduce them to the public,” said Jake.
Covering each of the three core ideas, Jake continued, “Ideas need to work harder. They need to give and give and give.”
This is where candor comes in, he added, “There’s nothing worse than a long, slow ad.”
Students were also introduced to some of BMB’s creative teams. Working in pairs, these creative couples usually begin working together in college and are never separated allowing them to create a cohesive working relationship. Including successful ad campaigns for companies like Thompson not the correct spelling and Adidas.
Next up was Louise Sloper, who is new to the agency but extremely experienced in advertising.
Sloper talked students through every aspect of design for advertising? . “It’s really important that you have your own style,” she said.
“Look at loads of different things,” Sloper said telling students how to develop their own style.
Sloper was also asked for her advice on women in the corporate world. An apt question considering almost all of the students in the room were women and Sloper said she is the only women art director in London. (I always worry about claims like this. So let’s qualify this a bit.)
“You won’t always get your way,” Sloper said, “Get used to hearing no. But do not let that stop you.”
Sloper also noted that there is shift happening in the advertising world as more women entered the workforce. But she also said that the changes aren’t happening fast enough.
After Sloper, the next presenter was the man who hired her, founder and chairman Trevor Beattie.
Beattie is a well-known figure in London. As well as running BMB, and producing feature films, he has signed on to go to space with Richard Branson aboard the Virgin Galactic. Beattie paid in the millions for his shot to go to space.
Luckily for the students Beattie’s trip doesn’t take place until next year.
“I’ve had a goal in life and that’s to go to space, and God willing and Richard Branson willing I’ll go there,” Beattie said.
Beattie began his presentation by telling students that advertising became the door through which he could access everything he always wanted to accomplish throughout his life, including his ultimate goal of space travel.
“I’ve realized advertising is the best place to start whatever you want to do in life.”
That hasn’t changed over the course of Beattie’s career, but today students need to be much more versatile and multi-talented when it comes to job skills.
“We should all be a lot of things now,” Beattie said.
He took special care to note that all those “things” we do now shouldn’t feel like work.
“I never understood the notion of this work/life balance. My work is my life,” he said.
“We don’t have spare time. It’s just life.”