Lucky Generals offers £10k fund to boost young talent

Lucky Generals is ramping up its drive to bring in a new class of recruit with the launch of a scheme, dubbed Lucky10Grand, backed by a £10,000 fund aimed at supporting young “working class” talent.

In 2020, the agency launched an initiative called The Barracks, targeting people looking to begin an agency career by offering them a three-month placement spanning account management, research and insights, creative and production.

Recruits from outside of London are offered free accommodation in a purposely rented flat paid for by the agency, while anyone from within London can have their travel expenses paid. All recruits are paid their first month in advance to help them settle into their new role.

The new Lucky10Grand scheme is designed to mark both the agency’s 10th birthday and its recent winning of the UK effectiveness prize – the Grand Effie – for its long-running campaign for Yorkshire Tea.

The fund will be administered by the social enterprise Commercial Break, with whom Lucky Generals has its own long-running relationship.

Lucky Generals founder Andy Nairn said: “We’re so proud to have won the Grand Effie, with our friends at Yorkshire Tea, as it sums up everything we’ve tried to do over our first ten years. This gives us a chance to put something back, a desire that is also rooted in our DNA.”

Effie UK director Rachel Emms added: “Our industry is opening up to the fact that marketing isn’t marketing unless it’s effective. And if we can use our training programme to arm people wanting to break into the industry with an understanding of what makes truly great work, even better. We’re delighted to support this initiative and make our industry-leading effectiveness resources open to more people.”