The Creative Shootout is the UK’s leading done in a day creative-for-good awards, that tests the mettle of the UK’s best creative talent, all in support of one different charity each year. MullenLowe was crowned this year’s winners, securing a new client in Charity of the Year, Carers UK. Their Senior Strategist, Cags Gaunt, who was one of the four winning team members, tells us why it’s been such a standout career highlight.
The Creative Shootout is a baptism of fire in the best possible way. Think of it like a re-introduction to the advertising world that reminds you of why you got into this job in the first place, and why it’s all worth it.
Taking part was such a breath of fresh air, and once you’ve put yourself on the line like that, your day-to-day work feels like a cakewalk. All the superfluous stuff is cut out and the real beauty of what advertising is, what it can do, and what it should do really comes to life.
When I first heard that I was going to be part of the team I was pretty intimidated. As someone who isn’t exactly a fan of public speaking and who hadn’t worked with a charity before, the thought of presenting in front of hundreds of people and crafting a campaign in just four hours was daunting. But taking part and getting to work with Carers UK has turned out to be a unique experience and also a fantastic development opportunity.
The agency wanted to give more junior talent a chance to take part and learn from the experience. At the time I was a junior strategist, but also had experience working on an adult social care recruitment campaign for the Government, so despite a bit of trepidation, I jumped at the chance.
The day itself was a whirlwind. Eight agencies met at lunchtime and were given the same brief by Carers UK. We then spent four hours holed up in a room knowing we had to present back to the charity, an audience of hundreds and a panel of industry judges at BAFTA that evening.
In the run up to the live show, I did some insight mining looking for what could be interesting avenues to go down. I really wanted to give my team as much time as possible to creatively ideate on the day but once we were there, it all went out the window. At first, we were breezy, throwing ideas around, getting things up on walls, and then we blinked and had an hour left. Crunch time! This was when the real creativity kicked in; where you realise how focused and innovative you can be under pressure.
Performing on stage at BAFTA, and it really did feel like performing, was the hardest, most terrifying but also most exhilarating part of the day. At least we didn’t have long to wait for the result with the winner chosen that evening. When our names were called, we couldn’t believe it – it’s a bit of a cliché but genuinely we were so surprised.
From beginning to end, the energy on the day was electric. Being surrounded by people who were all invested in creating something impactful was so exciting. It felt like an experience that’s more true to why people get into advertising in the first place, which is ultimately to make a difference to people’s lives and to make beautiful work with real impact.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the day was realising that when you trust your instincts, the collective expertise of your team and stick to your creative guns, then you can come up with something really special. This was empowering and eye-opening.
Plus, getting to see other teams pitch lifted the veil on a process you don’t often get to see. You’re learning from other agencies in real time and are able to look at things in a way you might not have before. It’s a unique experience that helped us gain so much insight to take forward into future experiences.
After the excitement of the live final and picking up the top prize eventually died down, we were straight into bringing the real work to life for Carers UK. Over the next six months, we worked closely with the Carers UK team and enjoyed every minute. In September our campaign, 'This Counts as Care’ (the essence of which we created that night) was launched across media partners that are all on board as part of the Creative Shootout package. It was really refreshing to work on something that directly impacts so many people and to feel such a personal link to it too. I felt very emotional seeing the work go live.
Taking part was such a breath of fresh air, and once you’ve put yourself on the line like that, your day-to-day work feels like a cakewalk. All the superfluous stuff is cut out and the real beauty of what advertising is, what it can do, and what it should do really comes to life. So, if you’re thinking about entering, then do it. It’s the most terrifying, rewarding, learning experience out there.
The next 2025 Creative Shootout Live Final will take place on Thursday 30 January at BAFTA London, in support of Charity of the Year, Epilepsy Action. Agency entries for 2025 are open now until 23:59 on 29th November 2024.
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