Nothing attracts the sanctimonious like social media. Especially Twitter. There have been several critics of the first challenge for applicants to this summer's grad scheme, condemning it as misunderstanding the nature of Twitter. Applicants are invited to create a Twitter account, and over a month or so have to build that in terms of followers, mentions and retweets. For sustained use, like the majority of people I enjoy Twitter to share interests and not to collect acolytes. However, it does surprise me that people would not consider the potential usefulness of Twitter to test applicants, in a fun and revealing way.
In a recent post I criticized the effects of ranking people by social influence determined by Twitter usage stats, and then what? Our summer scholarship launches by testing applicants by asking them to create a Twitter account and build an engaged audience.
It is important to remember that this is a test, and Saatchi & Saatchi receive thousands of applicants each year. They are not testing for the steady build of becoming a long term influencer, but are instead testing resourcefulness, understanding of what interests people, creativity and character. It is about targeting and constructing a conversation, the very sort that are important to the day to day work of a communications company.
The challenge is not about bandwagons. Anyone who describes Twitter as such might as well do the same for the steam engine. Twitter isn't new, but the ways in which people use it can be, and Saatchi & Saatchi are looking for those who can innovate within the obstructions they have laid out.
The misunderstanding here is seeing the task as a marker of how a communications company uses or understands Twitter, where in fact it is rather more about how those who apply can use it as a shop window to put themselves in.
I am confident that this approach will help Saatchi & Saatchi to find future leaders within the sector.
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4 comments:
All very valid points. I think part of the main argument against it is that it's not a very creative brief itself. Of course, grads have to be creative to get the most followers, the most interesting tweets etc.
But it doesn't inspire as a brief does it?
Of course, some ideas just work. have you bumped into @saatchi_grads yet?
I sure have.
I think it is a brief that will produce diverse and interesting responses. Also, it is the first of several, so Saatchi and Saatchi aren't hiring solely on the basis of this brief.
Keep up the good work!
I am doing it Justin Bieber style. Don't tell me the Bieber's fans aren't good - they in fact are the future. Some of them may even begin working for Saatchis at some point. You never know.
Of course the challenge is pretty creative even though the medium isn't new any more. But I am not going to get any creative on this one, instead I am going to have fun here, Bieber style. Yeah.
I think Saatchi should have a read of
@johannhari101 on twitter and the interview he had with Kenneth Tong.
Take a look.
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