Next Intake: 2nd December 2014

Idea Rawkstarrs is a 3-month training for Copywriters, Graphic Designers, Account Executives and Marketing Executives who aspire to be outstanding.

If you have no background in advertising and you just want to be more creative, this will improve the quality of your ideas.

AWAKEN YOUR CREATIVITY

Everyone is born creative, but many people stop being creative when they grow up. Some are ok with this, but most are not. Have you ever met someone who is always talking and talking about ideas but not doing anything about them? Maybe that someone is you?

That's a sign of your innate talent wanting to be heard. Your creativity is begging to be set free!

Whether you're already nurturing your creativity or still questioning it, the seed is already there. It may be latent but it is there.

For this seed to germinate, you need a catalyst. An alarm clock of sorts, to shock it out of inertia. Then it can start to grow and bloom.

IDEA RAWKSTARRS IS YOUR CATALYST

In this training, there are no textbooks, no long lectures. You'll learn by questioning, experimenting and discussing to arrive at your own conclusions. This develops independence, confidence and originality.

Many have described the training as a roller coaster : you'll sink deeper and fly higher than ever before, and the ride will leave you breathless and exhilarated.

Some have called it a pressure cooker : it is designed to challenge you so that you will develop strength, resilience and the bull-headed determination to blast your way through obstacles.

Some say this training provided them with a space to find themselves. Here, they have permission to experiment and make mistakes. They are free to express, explore and discover what's important to them. Dreams come to life. Goals become clear. Daily activities become energised with a sense of purpose.

The common denominator is that this is a 3-month experience like no other. It is like stepping out of your life and taking a journey into another realm. One from which you will emerge refreshed, recharged and renewed.


A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE YOURSELF AS SOMEONE AWESOME
Next Intake starts 2nd December 2014

Get details on Idea Rawkstarrs : http://bit.ly/4AJv5C

To get more info, email janetlee@95percent.com.my

International Ad Agencies are looking for Copywriters.

In the past two weeks, I've been spending time with Jeff Orr of TBWA, Szu Lee of McCanns and Yew Leong of Leo Burnett. Everytime we meet, they ask if I have any more copywriters to recommend. They need to hire copywriters, but can't find good ones.

Unfortunately, 95% does not have enough graduates to satisfy them all. Our Idea Rawkstarrs are all snapped up far too quickly.

I tried recommending a few freshies to Jeff, but he is currently pursuing an Idea Rawkstarrs graduate - an Economics grad whose previous job was in a bank. Jeff says this guy's ideas are as good as what he would like to see in a medium-weight copywriter's portfolio! Wow, that says a lot for this guy.

I'm writing this because I have met many young hopefuls who want to be copywriters. Some have even managed to get a job in a small agency. A few are happy, but many feel stuck and are wondering if copywriting is what they really want to do.

Don't give up yet, guys. You just need the right training to put you on the right track. Your idea generation needs to be guided and disciplined. If you want the international Ad Agencies to pursue you, get yourself trained : Idea Rawkstarrs starts on 2nd December 2014.

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Didi Pirinyuang
Joined McCann-Erickson as a copywriter soon after graduating from 95%

"Joining 95% set the wheels of my career in motion. Things, career-wise, were pretty much stuck in a rut prior to my enrollment. I was in a mediocre ad agency doing mediocre work, getting nowhere. But now, I've just gone for three interviews at three different international agencies on three consecutive days. Not bad, I think. What's even better is that out of these three agencies, two have given me an on-the-spot job offer."


Mei Shum
A copywriter at a small local agency, she's been trying to learn on the job, on her own for 6 years.

"Before the training, I was stuck in a rut and was pretty lost at sea without direction. I wasn't even sure I should be a copywriter. But now i know for sure who I am and what I'm capable of. I'm now armed with the skills, the knowledge and the confidence to move up and onwards. I've learned how to harness my full potential. What I've learned and taken away from 95% has really given a new lease on life."

I can be a good copywriter without going through Idea Rawkstarrs, right? So it’s a ‘nice to have’ instead of a ‘must have’, right?

It's true that there are copywriters who did not go through a training like Idea Rawkstarrs but turned out to be excellent copywriters. Yasmin Ahmad, for one did not go through a training like that. So did Neil French and David Ogilvy. But those are only the few who made it big in copywriting. What about the others?

Every year, agencies take in fresh copywriters, but often we get these common feedback :-

• I don't know what I'm doing.
• I don't know what I'm doing is right or wrong...
• Is this what a copywriter should be doing?
• I find it so difficult to come up with ideas! I have mental blocks!
• My ideas are always rejected! I'm always told to come up with more ideas because the ones that I've come up with are not good enough, or do not have enough oomph!
• My copy is always rejected, always not good enough!
• Clients always tell me things like "It's not there yet" or "Hmmm… I don't feel it" or "Not enough oomph la". What on earth does that mean?

Thing is, because of the rate work is going on in the agency, there may be no time at all for the seniors to mentor these fresh copywriters, let alone clients (else why would they be paying the agency, right?).

That's where Idea Rawkstarrs come in. This training is designed to provide you the foundation you need to advance in your copywriting career, and that includes :-

• Being able to produce good ideas under immense stress
• Strategic and creative thinking
• Solid understanding of marketing and advertising
• Street-smart Market Analysis
• And many more…

It's true that these skills can be learned as one goes through life. Some take years and years to learn, while some who are sensitive and who work instinctively like Yasmin Ahmad, David Ogilvy and Neil French are the ones who soar. While not everyone is innately as sensitive and instinctive as these great copywriters, but everyone can be.

That’s how this experiential intensive training called Idea Rawkstarrs is going to train you.


Note : Idea Rawkstarrs does not cover train you to write copy, but it provides you with the solid foundation that every copywriter needs, and that’s the skill of looking for insights, coming up with a creative strategy that will solve a marketing problem, and coming up with ideas that answer the brief and strategy, and that are creative.

Huh? Idea Rawkstarrs can help me in being an Art Director or Graphic Designer? Can ah?

We've talked about if Idea Rawkstarrs can help students or switchers be good Copywriters in our previous post, but can the training help them be Art Directors or Graphic Designers? Certainly yes! As you would already know, designing and art directing do not just revolve around pretty pictures, aesthetics and beautiful color combinations; but also ideas.

Remember those days when you were staring at the blank piece of drawing block or blank screen while stressing out and scratching your head? You hear that bugging voice in your head that keeps screaming, "Need… Ideas. Need. Good. Ideas!"

Desperate for inspiration, you begin browsing through websites by great designers or books with beautiful designs. You scan each image, hoping quietly that inspiration will just come and spark something fresh and inspiring in your mind. Yet, sometimes, it just doesn't come! Ah, the frustration!

In Idea Rawkstarrs, you will discover ways to unblock your mental blocks. You will also learn the skill to churn out ideas continually, with or without pressure – a skill immensely important to art directors and graphic designers.


But everybody can come up with ideas!

True. But oftentimes many come up with ideas not knowing why the ideas work or don't. Creative Directors who have interviewed ad freshies (those who are new to the advertising industry) expect the interviewees to be able to discuss their ideas in a meaningful way.

Jeff Orr, Executive Creative Director of TBWA/ISC Malaysia said, "I'd like to be able to hold an intelligent conversation with them about their portfolio. Why they've done what they've done. How they arrived at the strategy, what were their other ideas. It's their intelligence I’m buying."

What adds to the frustration of many ad freshies (especially graphic designers and art directors) is the common struggle to express their ideas clearly. Those who can express their ideas with clarity often bring joy to the interview sessions.

So how does Idea Rawkstarrs fit into the picture?

Idea Rawkstarrs is like a pressure cooker where you will be trained to be able to be able to come up with ideas that not only solves a problem, but also wow and impress people. In addition to that, you will be able to think strategically. The classes are designed in a way that allows you to express yourself and your ideas and hones that skill as you go along.

So, can Idea Rawkstarrs help you in being an Art Director or Graphic Designer? Based on the participants we’ve trained, we can say 'Yes' with all confidence. Note however that Idea Rawkstarrs doesn't train you in designing (the skill aspect) but in conceptualizing ideas.

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For more information about Idea Rawkstarrs, email Janet at janetlee@95percent.com.my or Jon at jon@95percent.com.my

Sparks, A 3-day Training That Guides You to Discover A Greater You

Click here to view larger image.

Sparks, a 3-day training for students who are passionate and work constantly to improve themselves to be the best that they can be. At this training, you will be led to break free from your limiting beliefs that hold you down to gain a clearer vision of what you aspire to be and from there, work towards it with all you've got. The result is a sense of liberation, energy and power to start achieving your goals and aspirations.

You will also have the chance to work with Creative Directors and Account Directors from the industry. This is where you will be guided to channel your creativity into ideas that solve problems, a skill that you can apply not only to your assignments and work, but also your life.

It will be a journey like no other. You will be led to discover more of yourself than you have ever known. And with that, you will find your inner strength to go the distance, to reach for your dreams and conquer them.

For more info, check out Sparks website. You can also contact us at 03-2287 7095 or write in to Janet Lee at janetlee@95percent.com.my or Jon at jon@95percent.com.my

You can also view what some of our graduates have to say about Sparks:
Grace Look | Norman Tang | Ong Sue Yin

Check Out Our Grad, Grace Look, Speak About Her Sparkalicious Experience

Grace Look
95% Graduate
Now working at Mind Valley

For more info about Sparks, click here: Sparks
To inquire, email Janet Lee at janetlee@95percent.com.my or Jonathan Chu at jon@95percent.com.my

To dream is easy, but the road to achievement is not.

a 3-day training that guides you to discover a greater you

We've all had them at some point in our lives: great dreams and aspirations, that tells us what we want in life, and who we want to be. But as we grow a little older, we begin to follow our head, instead of being true to our hearts. Limitations and setbacks make those dreams grow a little more distant with the passing of each day.

Sometimes, one would stop and wonder, “Is it still possible to reach my dreams?” While some who had attempted but failed, would ask, “Why am I not getting there?” And with all these doubts, some may even question, if they ever had a dream at all.

But then again, maybe you've already achieved some things and seen some results. Yet it still feels like you could do so much more.

Maybe all you need is a little boost to take your game to the next level. A starting point, a nudge from the back. This is what the Sparks training is designed to do.

It is a training that will guide you to see a clearer direction of what you want in life, and how you can get there. It focuses on your individual growth to bring out the inner strength in you. With that, it will re-ignite the passion in you.

There is this bubbling within you – the need to inspire, to live each day differently, to touch lives. Here’s how you can channel that feeling through copywriting.

Copywriters are people who write ads.

Ads like the heartwarming Petronas commercials, or slogans like “Just Do It”, or even campaigns like Earth Hour are all conceptualized by copywriters and art directors.

Those ads, slogans and campaigns were once nothing more than a bubbling within someone, somewhere. Today, they’re touching lives and sparking inspiration.

If you enjoy writing and being creative, a career as a copywriter might just be the channel you’ve been searching for.

To find out more, come to the Me? A Copywriter? workshop. You’ll gain a clear understanding of what copywriting is and what the job involves. You’ll also get to explore your potential and how you can get into the industry.

Date : 15th January 2010 (Sunday)
Time : 3pm – 6pm
Venue : 95% The Advertising Academy, 80A Wisma Dicklin, Jalan Bangsar, KL.
Fee : RM50

For more information, contact Janet Lee at janetlee@95percent.com.my

The Spunky Rawkstarr

We're on a roll... please meet one of our spunkiest Rawkstarr yet... Vince Lee!

1. Hi Vince, could you share with your background and how you entered the advertising industry?

Okay I’ll skip to the part when I’m already in The One Academy. Back then I still wasn’t sure what the advertising industry actually do. Then I realise the stuff that we were thought in college clearly wasn’t sufficient. I know a few friends from the industry so I get them to hook me up with some freelance. I started from there onwards into a Jakarta based company, and later on co-founded a small agency with a few friends. It was a really tough time, having to handle both company stuff and also college assignment. But still it’s very rewarding.

2. What are your career dreams and aspirations?

Instinctively, I’ll climb as high as possible on the advertising career ladder. And I guess I’ll figure something out along the way. I guess I aspire to be someone like Janet, to give and mentor fresh, young bright minds.

3. What is your view on advertising and what about the industry excites you?

In my opinion, advertising is the best job in the world. They practically pay you to be crazy and silly. The buzz of getting new challenges and solving new problems each day really appeals to me. Passion will always keep you through.

4. How did you come to know about 95% and why did you pursue to seek further knowledge outside college?

My copywriting lecturer. I asked her once where can I learn more about copywriting and ideas she told me straight the only place I can learn good stuff is 95%. Coincidently 2 of my classmates went through the training and came back a different person. What I felt was college only teach us the skills and put in a lot of rules on it. I needed something more that will bring my skills to a new level.

5. How has “Idea Rawkstarrs” played a part in your journey in advertising?

The training breaks all my deep-rooted assumptions about advertising and graphic design. With some guidance from Shahnaz, Peter, and Janet, I manage to combine both my skills and thinking into my work.

6. Which agency would you like to work with in the future and why?

Droga 5. That place is filled with genius.

7. What is your favourite ad / campaign and why?

Tap Project by Droga 5. The only creative material of the campaign is a piece of sticker that sticked on restaurants. It’s the idea that makes it so genius.

8. Which advertising persona/figure that your respect and would like to work with (regardless of whether the person is still alive or not)?

David Ogilvy

9. What would like to say to students who are about to enter the industry?

Advertising is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not just the glamour that you see from outside. It’s brutal. If you dread the long hours in office and days spent without going home, leave now before you realise you’re wasting you life. You gotta have real hardcore passion about it.

The next Rawkstarr in line is...

You've met one of our current Rawkstarrs, Lucky.

Now it's time to meet the next Rawkstarr who's just joined the industry. Meet Adlin Rosli!

1. Hi Adlin, what are you doing now and which agency are you with?
I'm currently serving my probation period with Proximity Malaysia.

2. What’s the best thing about your job right now?
Seeing working people wondering why I'm not dressed for work every morning when we share the elevator.

3. Is it true that ad agencies have booze parties all the time?
A total myth! But my colleagues party as hard as they work.

4. What were you doing before advertising and what got you interested in the industry?
I was working at a content company. They did websites and magazines. I was burnt out and really needed a change. I foolishly paid attention to my friends who are in advertising telling me things like "you'll love it, you get paid to Facebook."

5. What was your journey like transitioning to the ad industry?
Slow and painful. I spent 2 years procrastinating.

6. How has Idea Rawkstarrs played a part in your journey towards advertising?
Idea Rawkstarrs gave me the basic tools to figure out what to do in advertising. I picked up some good basic skills to understand and use strategy with creativity.

7. Now that you’re in the industry already, how is your experience so far?
I feel like screaming at Janet for not warning me enough this shit is hard. I'll do it now, "JANET!!!! ARRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" That said, it's also a lot of fun.

8. Share with us, the top 3 fun facts of being in an agency/the industry?

1. The people you will meet are either big assholes or the funniest people ever. Nothing in between.
2. You will feel inadequate with the T-shirts and shoes you own.
3. Leaving at 7pm will make people go "Wow! Half day?"

9. What is your favourite ad / campaign and why?
ADK Japan's Power Rangers-ish Nike Ad. I love it because it's so absurd, but it makes sense with what the brand is about and how it ties back to playing with your shoes. Also, anything with ninjas automatically gets points in my book. Be amazed here: http://bit.ly/5sosnt


10. What would be your advice to those who are thinking about joining the industry?

Make sure you have a decent collection of T-shirts and shoes. And be prepared to work as hard as you play

(95%: Well said Adlin!)