D&AD New Blood Academy goes gaga for radio at Global

Aspiring creatives tell me they are often advised not to put radio ideas in their portfolios. Strange advice, given that the first jobs juniors are given in ad agencies are often radio briefs. On Thursday night, Radiocentre held an evening of radio inspiration for 35 young creatives who had won a coveted place on the D&AD New Blood Academy scheme. Hosted in Global’s enviable studios on Leicester Square, creative director Jo McCrostie and I took The Academy through the cream of the radio categories from the recent Cannes Lions and D&AD Awards.

The Academy gets a shout-out on Heart.

When played together, the calibre of radio creative is formidable. From brilliant writing – such Dove’s ‘Self-conscious’, KFC ‘Everyman Meal’ and Flight Centre ‘Student Flights’, to great performances such as Sky’s Game of Thrones spoof ‘Shame’, ‘K9FM’ – the radio station for dogs – through to innovative uses of audio such as Thalys ‘Sounds of the City and Libero’s ‘Football Memories’: it’s incredible that so many agencies and brands overlook the incredible potential of radio as a poewrful creative platform. And it’s a genuine pleasure when you play fantastic radio to a room of young people just starting on their careers, the future of the ad industry, who have barely considered the medium before. “I wasn’t expecting tonight to be all that good,” I heard someone say as we embarked on a tour of the studios, “but it’s basically the best thing we’ve been to all week!” (And this was before the beers…)

Through the glass: spying on Classic FM.

This week The Academy will present their answers to a brief set to them for TfL to a room of senior creatives at Sea Containers house. After last night, I’m hopeful that we’ll hear some radio scripts in their responses.

Clare Bowen is Head of Creative Development at Radiocentre. For creative tips, more on our partnerships and to learn about creative training head to the Creativity section of our website.