EP89: The Abstract Club - Jo Scholtz and Karen Dyke - Building a portal to Mzansi's top media talent
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It’s often been said that the emergence of independent media agencies was a wonderful development for advertising folks who harboured a secret desire to work in the bank. So becoming a freelancer in the 90s had a certain swashbuckling appeal for media strategists. Especially for those strategists who preferred a creative interface, with an eclectic mix of advertisers, to the endless implementation of global media formulas and repetitive global reporting.
But for many freelancers life on the outside came with a price. Isolation and lack of access to mainstream data and research was often a barrier to working on blue chip brands and clients. For over a decade now The Abstract Club has acted as an active forum for media freelancers to get together to exchange information, share insights and explore new business opportunities.
But as with so many industries the impact of Covid19 has severely curtailed these collaborative activities. Internationally Warc reports in their annual Future of Strategy 2020 Report that 21% of surveyed respondents did not make use of freelancers, and 48% reduced the use of freelancers during the pandemic. So for the average freelancer the past few years has increasingly been all tight-buckle and very little swash.
This week on The Doc and The Guru Podcast we chat with two pioneers of The Abstract Club Joanne Scholtz and Karen Dyke who have re-launched #AbstractClub on a new website which will give members fluid access to each other. And more importantly create a one-stop-shop for advertisers, marketers and media-owners to brief in projects online, and to source some of Mzansi’s top media talent.
What constitutes a media expert? Is there a difference between freelancing and consulting? What about trust; is there still a role for integrity in media?
Listen in #free to #TheDocAndTheGuru podcast as we talk about the future of freelance media strat
But for many freelancers life on the outside came with a price. Isolation and lack of access to mainstream data and research was often a barrier to working on blue chip brands and clients. For over a decade now The Abstract Club has acted as an active forum for media freelancers to get together to exchange information, share insights and explore new business opportunities.
But as with so many industries the impact of Covid19 has severely curtailed these collaborative activities. Internationally Warc reports in their annual Future of Strategy 2020 Report that 21% of surveyed respondents did not make use of freelancers, and 48% reduced the use of freelancers during the pandemic. So for the average freelancer the past few years has increasingly been all tight-buckle and very little swash.
This week on The Doc and The Guru Podcast we chat with two pioneers of The Abstract Club Joanne Scholtz and Karen Dyke who have re-launched #AbstractClub on a new website which will give members fluid access to each other. And more importantly create a one-stop-shop for advertisers, marketers and media-owners to brief in projects online, and to source some of Mzansi’s top media talent.
What constitutes a media expert? Is there a difference between freelancing and consulting? What about trust; is there still a role for integrity in media?
Listen in #free to #TheDocAndTheGuru podcast as we talk about the future of freelance media strat
