IPA jumps into bed with TikTok to woo diverse talent

Advertising and marketing agency body the IPA has joined forces with TikTok for Business for a new ad campaign featuring popular TikTok creators, as it steps up its drive to boost the diversity of the industry and finally rid adland of the “male, pale and stale” brigade.

The campaign features four successful content creators Benjy, Walid, Hannah Beau and Abbie Blyth and five top agencies Havas (London), VCCP (London), VMLY&R (London), Wavemaker North (Manchester) and Leith (Edinburgh).

Designed to showcase the opportunity that a job in the advertising and marketing industry has to offer, the activity aims to engage and inspire young people from all backgrounds.

Following their visits to the agencies, the content creators developed a series of videos to bring to life the types of agencies that exist, the cultures of the agencies and the variety of job roles available.

Crucially, it also signposts those watching to join “Step into Adland”, an open day on November 1, where any individual (aged 18+) can apply to experience agency life in one of the profiled agencies, to see if it appeals as a career option.

The initiative comes despite the social media giant’s appalling data protection record; earlier this week it was fined €345m (£269m) over the illegal processing of youngsters’ personal data, while the UK Information Commissioner’s Office whacked it with a £17m penalty in April this year for similar misdemeanors and it has also faced and historic fines in the US.

Even so, this new campaign draws on the success of the IPA Advertising Unlocked programme, the annual cross-industry open day, where hundreds of agencies welcome in around a thousand school children to give them an in-depth understanding of agency life.

The ad campaign and accompanying organic content will roll-out on TikTok from this week onwards, on TikTok for Business @tiktokforbusiness, with the organic content on the IPA’s TikTok channel @the__ipa

The longer-term ambition for the initiative is to increase the number of agencies participating over the years and to be able to chart the careers of those who pursue careers in the agency business as a result of taking part.

The Step into Adland partnership with TikTok was initiated by former IPA president and VCCP’s international CEO and vice-chairman Julian Douglas.

Current IPA president Josh Krichefski, who is GroupM chief executive for EMEA and the UK, has taken over the baton to address a core thrust of his presidential agenda to open people’s eyes up to the wealth and breadth of job roles on offer in the industry and in doing so attract the best talent.

Krichefski said: “To showcase the opportunities our exciting industry has to offer and to attract the best and most diverse talent of the future, we have to actively go where these individuals are.

“And, as the latest IPA TouchPoints data shows, with over half of 16 to 24s using TikTok – and for the best part of two hours a day – I believe there is no better way to reach an audience that wouldn’t necessarily come across our industry let alone consider a career with us than by teaming up with them and their influential content creators.

“In doing so, we hope to build a more diverse workforce that will expand horizons, offer new perspectives and grow our businesses.”

TikTok UK general manager Kris Boger insists the company has been “honoured” to support the IPA initiative.

He added: “The IPA Advertising Unlocked programme has been incredibly effective in supporting young people taking their first step into the world of advertising, and we’re incredibly happy to be able to play a part in expanding this programme through Step Into Adland.

“Creators are the lifeblood of TikTok, so being able to work with them, the incredible agencies – who volunteered their time, office spaces and people, and the IPA all for such a positive cause has been a thoroughly rewarding experience and one we hope we can replicate in the future to continue to address a challenge that affects us all.”