This year, our EMEA office introduced a new initiative that celebrates excellent work by junior team members with an internal award – The Performies. The award looks to praise individuals who go above and beyond their role as well as drive projects that have shown innovation and strategic thinking. The winner receives £1000 to spend on learning and development, professional or otherwise.
We’re very proud to announce that this year’s winner is Laurie Fletcher! Laurie joined us 18 months ago as an intern and now sits on the buying team as an Executive. Laurie has worked across several accounts and has been essential to delivering growth for our clients. We spoke to Laurie about what brought him to M&C Saatchi Performance and inspired his career in digital marketing:
When did you join M&C Saatchi Performance?
I moved down from Leeds, Yorkshire, when I joined as an intern on the media team about a year and a half ago. If I’m honest, I didn’t have a total understanding of digital marketing when I started, but the role seemed open with room to learn new things, so I thought it would be an exciting opportunity. After visiting the office and getting a feel of the positive atmosphere and fun people who work here, I was set on joining.
What brought you to digital advertising?
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this role, but there’s been a lot of opportunities and I’ve felt like I’ve had the chance to succeed. Coming in as an intern, the role demands a lot of you. Your job spans so many disciplines – client management, data analysis, communications, social media channels, project management – but it was learning all these areas that drove me on in those early months. I was never bored and there was always room to develop. And, 18 months later, I’m still finding ways to stretch my skill set and learn new things.
What do you like about working at the agency?
You have so much ownership over what you do, and innovation is both encouraged and rewarded. Despite being at executive level, I can make changes on client accounts which can be rolled out across the agency. If you spot something that you can improve, you are given the autonomy to implement it, and get to watch it grow. The agency is a great place to start a career. You’re working alongside other young people who are starting out as well so it’s easy to get along. There’s a very open, positive atmosphere, that gives you the space to enjoy yourself.
What made you enter the Performies?
I was encouraged by my team to enter. It’s a great way to get exposure to our leadership team, particularly for them to hear what I’d been working on. It was an insightful experience which has opened doors. I’m looking forward to spending the prize money on some ballroom dancing classes and drum lessons. Strictly come dancing may or not be the inspiration for the dancing lessons!
What advice would you give to someone joining the media industry?
Find someone you trust, respect, and appreciate the talent of, then make sure to learn and absorb from them.
If you can, network. It will catapult your career forward.
Understand what you’re doing and where it’s going. When you understand how your output fits into the wider advertising industry it makes you more invested in your career. For digital advertising specifically, position yourself as the end user, you can understand what the numbers your working with mean in the real world.
M&C Saatchi Performance is part of a new generation of performance marketing agency that’s both technical and creative. Let’s discuss about your new project. If you’d like to hear about career options at our agency, visit our jobs page here
