Our friend Todd Motto has posted an interesting article that’ll help budding Designers learn the tricks of the trade and get their careers moving in the right direction. And for the more experienced creatives out there struggling to see past the day’s workload it could be just the inspiration you need to get the creative juices flowing.

From pushing outside of your comfort zone, widening your creative offering, explaining the benefits of colour palettes and getting back to basics (amongst much more) there’s sure to be something that’ll help focus the mind.

Check out Todd’s blog article at the following link – http://tinyurl.com/7vce2lf

It’s always nice to receive positive feedback but we’re a bashful bunch and take it in our stride…‘all in a day’s work’. But today an overwhelming sense of pride has taken hold and we’d like to share a few of the kind messages we’ve had sent to us recently…

•    “Can I say it has been a pleasure dealing with you. It isn’t always the case with agencies!”

•    “That was a quick turnaround – thank you sooooo much for your work on this one. I don’t think we’ve ever found that many candidates that quickly”

•    “Thanks for all your help; it’s been very useful to have your objective view and experience”

•    “You’ve been really helpful – and kind, which helps brighten the job search no end. So thank you again”

•    “It’s going to be a really tough call between the two of them to be honest, as both candidates performed brilliantly. Thanks for all your work on this one – they are both great!”

•    “It’s been an arduous process getting both these guys but a worthwhile one as we believe we’ve found two ‘gems,’ so thank you for your patience and efforts”

•    “I wanted to say a big thank you to you for your prompt response to all queries and requests over the recruitment period”

•    “The whole experience has been absolutely fantastic and I believe the work of Carolyn Thompson in particular should be commended. In fact, I would go so far as to say that without her help, advice and endeavour, I may never have acquired the job at all”

•    “Thank you so much for everything! I am so happy about this role and I really mean it when I say you have been fab to deal with. I have dealt with lots of agents before and on all sides of the tracks but you have been fab throughout the process, introducing me to roles that I have been 100% interested in and finally finding me a role which ticks all the boxes. I will be sure to recommend you to potential clients and candidates alike”

Thank you team, you really are the best…

Another quarter flashes before our eyes. Often frantic (the way we like it) and with a stunning Q2 already in the bag its good times for Ad Lib.

The big news of the quarter is the addition of Julia Rees to the team. Julia Rees brings several years marketing recruitment experience and an excellent reputation for providing an honest, ethical and a truly consultative service. Perfect for Ad Lib!

You can check out Julia’s new Linkedin profile at the following link – http://tinyurl.com/bsb4y7s

The job markets are showing good signs of confidence with the team busy across all sectors – agency, client side, digital, integrated, you name it, all busy, busy. We’re also experiencing a noticeable increase in the level of people looking to relocate and enjoy life West of London or along the South Coast, another sign of increased confidence.

Evidence of this trend couldn’t be closer to home with the arrival of another addition to the Ad Lib team due for May. Heading from London to Bristol, Peter New is set to join the team, bringing with him specialist knowledge of creative and technical recruitment to the digital and media sectors. We’ll introduce you to Pete nearer to the time.

Good times, long may they roll…

A brilliant piece of research has been carried out by New Media Age and research agency Discovery to understand how the kids of today are using media. The study discovers how kids’ consumptions and attitudes towards media are changing, across ages including 9-11, 12-13 and 14-15.

Check out some of the brilliant quotes from the research. It’s clear that the days of sitting tight so you didn’t miss those immortal words…’it’s 5 to 5, it’s Friday, it’s Crackerjack’ are well and truly behind us. Today you’d be more likely to pause it via live TV whilst you nipped out to get a biscuit, watch it on iplayer over the weekend or check out the best bits on YouTube – http://tinyurl.com/8yxc67g

Check out some of the comments from the kids below -

“When I do buy music on ITunes I have to pay 59p… I think that is too much for music. Cause you can just downloaded it for free” (Zak 12 yrs)

“I have a YouTube account. I use it to upload videos and watch lots of different types of clips. But when I was getting my YouTube account, I said I was 37 years old, ‘cause you have to be much older than 11 to have an account” (Zak 12 yrs)

“I get bored on Facebook these days. There is not anything really to do on it after you check the news feed” (Dougal, 12yrs)

“I get really annoyed when I cannot pause or fast forward shows on TV” (Evie, 9yrs)

“My Dad always gets really annoyed at me when we watch TV together as he says that I should only do one thing at a time, rather than 100 things at a time. It is not that bad, yes I am on Facebook, texting my friends, chatting to people, gaming, browsing the internet, looking at YouTube clips, but I am still watching the show” (Sebastian, 14yrs)

“OMG if you took the internet away from me, my life would be, like, so over……how would I talk to my friends? How would I find out what is happening with everyone? The internet is the place I go for everything” (Kate, 14yrs)

“If I had £1,000 I’d spend it on a 42” Panasonic TV. Panasonic is the best for the Wii” (Matt, 9yrs)

Check out the full article and more quotes out at the NMA article – http://tinyurl.com/7thvomg

Telefónica have unveiled an academy to aid the success of emerging digital talent within the UK through the implementation of a youth and talent outreach programme named Wayra.

Wayra will offer professional mentoring services to young technology start-ups, including those still in education, as the operator group aims to bolster its appeal to entrepreneurs via its Telefónica Digital arm.

Telefónica will invite start-ups to pitch ideas to an independent jury of industry experts for a place on its six-month acceleration programme. Successful applicants will receive around £50,000 investment from Telefónica Digital, as well as accounting, legal and marketing assistance. In return the organisation which will ask for a 10% stake in return in their future success.

The announcement came from Jose Maria, Telefónica Europe CEO who described Wayra as a bid to rival Silicon Valley as an innovative tech hub.

Mentors on the programme will include former entrepreneurs, VC backers and Telefónica staff.

If you’re interested in applying to the Wayra programme can do so at wayra.org/en/wayraere.

We’re pretty excited to announce the arrival of Julia Rees to the Ad Lib team, and whilst her official start date isn’t until the 3rd of April we all agree it’s time to share the news whilst she enjoys a couple of weeks on the pistes readying herself for an exciting year ahead.

2011 was Ad Lib’s most successful year to date. With little sign of things slowing down and four cracking big brand accounts already won this year there couldn’t be a better time for Julia to come on board and help Ad Lib succeed in their next stage of growth.

Joining the team as Principal Consultant Julia brings with her several years of client side marketing recruitment experience and a fantastic reputation. Combine this with sound ethics and an extremely talented Ad Lib team it should create something of a formidable force and continue our quest to be the go to marketing, digital, creative and communications consultancy West of London.

Initially servicing the South West marketing and communications industries, Ad Lib have grown their operation along the M4 corridor over recent years. With an ever growing presence across Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey Ad Lib work with some of the world s and UKs leading brands and marketing agencies.

You can find out more about Julia at her new Linkedin profile – http://tinyurl.com/73u8spt

Roll on April, we’re all very excited!

An interesting article has emerged from the Drum regarding the attraction of talent within the marketing and communications industries. Only yesterday we introduced Ad Lib’s newest recruit Hannah Gooch, whose core remit is to address many of the challenges raised within the article. We’ve seen the candidate market change greatly in recent years, predominantly influenced by the economy and advancements within the digital sector.

To respond to this ever changing market we believe recruiters need to tackle the challenges head on through the adoption of new attraction methods that work within today’s world. Combined with a sound understanding of industry and a genuine customer care programme the result should be a true consultancy service that helps us reach those sometimes elusive skills in the short and long term.

The article features the views and recruitment experiences of agency heads and representatives of the DMA and CIPR and will be an interesting read to those experiencing the same challenges.

You can find the article in full at http://tinyurl.com/7m9c3u9

All say a big hello to Hannah Gooch, the latest addition to the Ad Lib team.  We think Hannah’s poised to become the greatest candidate attraction specialist that’s ever walked this earth.

It’s been a brilliant start to the year with four key big name contracts won, recruitment activity ramping up with existing clients and a general buzz that says it’s not going to slow down any time soon. All of which is great news and means we’re very busy, very busy indeed.

However, anybody worth their salt in the recruitment world knows it can be a tough candidate market out there when it comes to tracking down to specialist skills, and that’s where Hannah comes in…

Working closely with the recruitment team Hannah will be devising effective direct and long term passive strategies to reach the industries finest marketing, digital and communications people on behalf of agencies and businesses within the South West and South Coast regions from start-ups and SME’s to large corporates.

Hannah’s a candidate resourcing specialist, learning her trade within a global recruitment business where she was responsible for managing internal attraction programmes.

Connect with Hannah on Linkedin at http://tinyurl.com/847kk4t and follow her tweets at https://twitter.com/#!/hannahadlib

We’ll also be sharing some big news shortly on an additional key member of the Ad Lib team…watch this space.

Good news if you’re looking to shop while you errr shop….

It transpires the big four supermarkets are now trialling Wi-Fi for customers in their stores with Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s all looking to roll Wi-Fi out beyond the trial stage within the next 12 months.

To date Tesco has led the way in terms of Wi-Fi adoption by rolling it out at all its Tesco Extra superstores, where Clubcards get unlimited access and can use their Clubcard numbers as a password on the Wi-Fi network. Those without a Clubcard can get 15 minutes free access every 24-hours.

Nice technique to gain even further customer knowledge on your shopping habits and driving people in store. Also pretty handy for price checking and playing the odd game when the queue’s particularly lengthy!

It may have escaped your notice that the summer of 2012 is going to be a summer of sport and celebration. Not only do we have the perennial crowd pullers of Wimbledon and Royal Ascot, but we also have the delights of the Euro 2012, and of course the Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August. And there’s also the small matter of a Royal Diamond Jubilee for good measure. So you could be forgiven for thinking that certain employees, rather than rolling up their sleeves, might be contemplating a ‘sickie’ or two; or at least all wanting time off simultaneously.

So how can you cope with high demand for annual leave whilst giving everybody the chance of enjoying these events?

A good clear policy needs to be in place to determine the process for applying for annual leave and this process should be as fair as possible to avoid poor morale and disputes. Time off could be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis or based on length of service. Importantly, there should be a level playing field in terms of every employee knowing the process to be followed, but it is ultimately up to you whether to accept a request (or not).

By law, employers are under no obligation to accept a specific holiday request (though there is an entitlement to time off at some point). However, it could be beneficial to explore alternatives; allowing radio commentary or a TV in the office is one example. Flexi-working is a further option that may help to avoid increased levels of ‘sickness’ during important events and games. You could even make it a real team engagement opportunity, so be creative!

Some good prompting and planning now could save heartache and overload later – and watch out for that extra day for the Queen’s Jubilee. They’re moving the late May Bank Holiday to June 4th and adding the extra day after on June 5th to create a 4 day weekend. Who knows, the sun may even shine …