EMPLOYEE PROFILES
STUDENT RESOURCE
Gatsby Benchmarks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
FROM
ENGLISH LITERATURE TO ... PLANNING INTERN AT AN ADVERTISING AGENCY
Ewan Patel ’ s love of English Literature led him to a role at multinational advertising and creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi .
So , what do you do all day ?
A planner ’ s job is to come up with ideas and strategies for adverts that we think will work for our clients . So day to day , we might be researching and working with our data teams to understand more about a business , their industry and their customers . Or we might be finalising an idea by talking to our creative teams so they can produce the advert itself . All the time , we ’ re keeping a few questions in the back of our minds ; for example , who do we want to advertise to ? What do we want to say to them ? And how can we best get our message across to them ?
What key skills are invaluable to your role ?
Communication is a really important skill in advertising . For example , as planners , we need to be able to turn our ideas into ‘ briefs ’ for our creative teams : these are documents where we need to be precise and clear in as few words as possible , so that they can use the briefs to create some amazing adverts .
For me , communicating with others around me in the planning department has been so important as well . Often , someone will have had the same problem I ’ m facing , and a quick chat with someone experienced is 10 times more useful than an hour spent researching in front of my laptop !
Why did you choose to study English ?
I studied English because I love reading ! It ’ s a subject where you really get to choose what interests you ( even with a prescribed reading list ); personally , I always enjoyed getting down into the detail , finding clues in the language and the style to help me unpick characters ’ motivations and emotions .
I loved writing creatively , so English gave me a great chance to practise that skill as well as put it to use in essays . It took me a while to realise it ’ s always possible both to align to an exam mark scheme and to bring some of your own flair and finesse to your writing .
“ Being able to read and write quickly and fluently is always useful , whether I ’ m writing a brief , building a set of slides , or simply sending an email to a colleague ”
How is English A level useful in your work ?
Being able to read and write quickly and fluently is always useful , whether I ’ m writing a brief , building a set of slides , or simply sending an email to a colleague . In particular , studying English helped me learn how to articulate my opinions clearly and quickly under pressure . Turning an idea that lives only in your head into words is such a useful but difficult skill , and English A level really helped me improve .
What further qualifications would you need for your role ?
There are no exact requirements to work as a planner in advertising . You don ’ t need a degree in marketing , though it can help . But I would say going to university and studying something that helps you improve and hone your written communication and idea-generation skills would be a good start .
I studied English at university , but anything like politics , history , philosophy , maybe even economics , would be useful . And though it ’ s not a qualification , you need to be interested in the people and things around you – join clubs , meet as many new people as you can . The knowledge you can gain from them doesn ’ t tend to come from a degree , but is just as useful .
What qualities help you thrive in your current role ?
Stay curious , be interested in what ’ s around you , and always be observant . The ‘ right answer ’ will never just fall into your lap ; you have to go hunting for it , and be willing to understand that a good insight can come from anywhere .