Every week, we talk to a member of Team Nation to find how they are bringing the “All in, all together” campaign to life. This week 10 questions with…meets ESI Media’s Head of Project Management Ben Bibbings.
1. To me, the rainbow symbolises
Spirit. That we’ve all been under the same black cloud and when it breaks, that’s the colour coming back again.
2. What is your role at Team Nation?
I volunteered to be one of the two core team project managers. I joined up and got briefed on 22nd April, not quite a month ago – and I’ve never had the chance to look back! Alongside the indefatigable Lucy Fleming, we have developed a network of the industry’s top project managers and given them the tools and ways of working to jointly fulfil briefs – produced inspiring branded content at lightning speed. All of this made possible collaborating with our excellent core team colleagues to unpick some seriously strategic knots – and basically just learnt to tell the chicken or the egg, which came first.
3. Have you ever worked on an advertising campaign of this scale before?
For the number of titles collaborating and what’s at stake, nothing comes close. There are very rare moments you could describe being in your comfort zone. But our project management training, week-in, week-out at our own titles has allowed us to boil down our combined decades of experience into a rocket fuel for these few busy weeks.
4. What is it like working on a cross-industry team?
Being able to work with some of the best content creators you could imagine and best practitioners across traditional industry divides is inspiring. All working to shared goals, with a refreshing lack of politics. I hope the future looks a little bit like this. A little less intense, mind.
5. What has been the highlight so far?
Reaching the end of our first production cycle having at short notice doubled content production from one to two pieces in the first publishing week, was very satisfying. But it’s also the satisfaction of the small things like having managed to carve out the time to fix a bit of process, or make something work better for the next time, that can be equally rewarding.
6 .And any challenges you can share?
Time.
7. Think of three words that come to mind when you think of the campaign?
Oh. My. God. [insert emojis – all types welcome]
8. What have you learnt?
It’s astonishing to remember how much can be achieved with a common goal.
9. What can we expect to see next?
Eight more weeks of great sponsored content [as of 15/5/20]; beard growth; the prospect of a happy client and the hope that this was a life moment to look back on with pride.
10. Finish this sentence…
All in, all together for the gin at the end of the rainbow
