Entry deadline extended for Talent Trailblazer Award

Marketing Week has partnered with the Advertising Association to launch a new award that will celebrate the organisations and individuals that are opening up the industry to new talent.

The free-to-enter Talent Trailblazer Award will spotlight the companies whose initiatives and projects have helped attract talent into the industry who might not have otherwise seen it as an option.

Examples might include, but are not limited to, apprenticeship schemes, school outreach programmes, partnership initiatives, and social enterprise schemes.

Marketing Week has been calling on the industry to act on democratising marketing careers, opening them up to more people, from more diverse backgrounds in its long-running Opening Up series.

The Advertising Association launched its Talent Plan in January highlighting the industry’s need to attract new talent, maximise the opportunities presented by the apprenticeship scheme, and address how it retains and develops talent to truly compete with other industries. This followed its report that revealed the number of people working in marketing and advertising fell by 14% between 2019 and 2022.

Russell Parsons, editor-in-chief of Marketing Week, says: “It’s incumbent on everyone to think differently about recruitment. Training in marketing is essential but opening up the industry to more people from more places at different stages will increase the potential talent pool. This award will hopefully inspire others to act.”

Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association adds: “We’re delighted to be launching the Talent Trailblazer Award in partnership with Marketing Week. Since the launch of the AA’s Talent Report earlier this year, we know the industry is determined to find more ways to attract and retain talent as well as maximise the opportunities of apprenticeships and outreach schemes.

“This award will help us spotlight best practice and inspire our colleagues to act in opening up our industry to new and diverse talent.”

The award, the winner of which will be unveiled at the Marketing Week Awards ceremony on 1 November, is open to any business operating in the UK’s advertising, media, marketing services and marketing industry, from marketing departments in brands to commercial media owners, through to agencies of all kinds and martech companies.

The deadline for entering has been extended until Tuesday, 29 August. A shortlist will be announced in September.

For more information and to enter, click here.