10 questions with... Becky McKinlay
As part of The Drum Network's mission to share our members' expertise with the wider world, we're happy to present the latest in a series of our '10 questions with...' series, this time featuring insights from Becky McKinlay, group managing director of creative content communications agency TVC:
What was your first ever job?
Working for an exam board, ensuring that the scores given by examiners for each question added up to the overall total/mark given. The biggest variance - a mark of 17% given when it should have been 71%!
Which industry buzzword annoys you most?
Hard to choose just one. Particular irritations include reach out (instead of contact), capability (instead of services or expertise), purpose (when the brand / company isn’t committed to it) and specifically, the overuse of the word insight, when often they’re not so much insights as opinions, observations or simple data points.
Who do you find most interesting to follow on social media?
Tom Goodwin on Twitter - @tomfgoodwin - for very well-observed critiques and strong opinions on things that are wrong (and occasionally right) with our industry.
Highlight of your career (so far?)
For those old enough to remember…
In my first client side role, I was the client (and unexpectedly, the press spokesperson) for the infamous Club 18-30 campaign for the Summer of 1995. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi on a shoestring of a budget, this campaign dominated consumer and marketing press for a couple of months, won multiple awards, increased sales by 30% and changed the face of travel advertising - before it was ultimately banned. And all before social media had been invented...
What piece of tech can you not live without?
Life 360 app, for keeping on top of my family’s movements. They, on the other hand, would absolutely prefer to live without it.
Who or what did you have posters of on your bedroom wall as a teenager?
Stefan Edberg - poetry in motion on and off the court. Oh, how my heart broke when he committed to Annette ...
In advertising, what needs to change soon?
Having the true courage of our convictions that creativity can and does solve even the most complicated business problems. It’s what sets agencies apart from clients in the first place and it’s what will continue to add value and drive growth.
What is (in your opinion) the greatest film/album/book of your life?
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley. From the opening quote ‘The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there’ onwards...
Which industry event can you not afford to miss each year and why?
The small, off radar ones. Round tables with Chatham House rules as opposed to the bigger, self-congratulatory platforms
What's the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
“Give people a good reputation to live up to” - a phrase coined by Dale Carnegie, but recommended to me by my erudite father as I started my first role with people management responsibilities.
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