The premise is simple... we sit down with someone that we find inspirational – be it from our industry or elsewhere – and have a conversation about the world of brand experience, events and much more. We're constantly looking for advice, expertise, inspiration and opinions, and 'Brews & Qs' felt like a great way to approach that and share all of that gorgeous insight with everyone else too! We know that everyone is pushed for time and so these chats are short and sweet; no longer than it would take to drink a brew.

We're launching with a bang! We were lucky enough to bag some time with this big hitting industry name and all round lovely guy. Having worked with him in the past on some really exciting projects, we knew we wanted to get the series off the ground with him...

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NAME:

Jay Young

JOB TITLE:

Head of Creative Solutions

COMPANY:

Talon Outdoor

BIO:

Jay is Head of Creative Solutions at Talon, leading a team of creative planners and production specialists who drive client campaigns to maximise the visual impact of their media and leverage the countless creative opportunities across the outdoor landscape. The team connects the dots between media owners, specialist partners, brands and creative to elevate OOH campaigns and make sure they are noticed, shared and awarded. Responsible for winning a cabinet full of awards, the team drives innovation across the industry.

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FIRST THINGS FIRST…HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR TEA (OR COFFEE)?!

Strong, black but decaf. Caffeine free for 6 months now. Can’t take the heart palpitations!

WHICH EXPERIENTIAL/CREATIVE OUTDOOR CAMPAIGN HAVE YOU MOST ENJOYED WORKING ON? (PLEASE ADD LINKS WHERE FEASIBLE)

I worked on a huge projection campaign for YouTube Music back in 2019. They wanted to dominate London for the Brit Awards but most of the standard media had already been booked. We ended up projection mapping County Hall and Old Billingsgate, syncing that with a bespoke lighting show on the London Eye and blasting a Sam Fender track down the Thames through some serious speakers.

We played a hero show at regular intervals in the lead up to the awards and then throughout the night we displayed well done messages to the likes of George Ezra and Little Mix. We sent their management the image of our projection and most of the artists used our asset to announce their win.

The social amplification was of course hugely valuable but I just loved being down on the ground watching something we created take over such huge and iconic canvases. Absolute goosebump vibes!  

CHOOSE THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHAT REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES OFFER CONSUMERS THAT OTHER FORMS OF ADVERTISING DO NOT?

We try to ensure all our experiences make you FEEL, SHARE and REMEMBER. No other medium can make you do all 3 with such force.

A CAMPAIGN GOING ‘VIRAL’ IS GOALS FOR MOST CLIENTS…DO YOU THINK THERE IS A FORMULA TO THIS OR DO YOU THINK IT’S LUCK OF THE DRAW?

We’ve had a fair few campaigns go ‘viral’ and most of the time you can tell it’s got the potential when you’re working on it but you still never know for sure. Even a very small change in the context could affect how a campaign performs on the day.

There’s no algorithm (I’d be a rich man if there was) but I believe in following your gut. When something excites me, I may not be able to articulate exactly why but I always try to trust it.

A LOT OF CLIENTS ARE SCARED OF COMMITTING SPENDS TO EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVATIONS AS IT’S MORE DIFFICULT TO TRACK ROI IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE. HOW DO YOU COMBAT THIS WHEN SELLING EXPERIENTIAL IDEAS IN TO A CLIENT?

As an OOH specialist, we have first class audience data at fingertips. We find the audience first and then create the experience to turn the potential eyeballs into engagement.

YOU ARE EXPERIENTIAL ADVERTISING AND YOU’RE WRITING YOUR DATING APP BIO TO TRY AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU’RE SO GREAT IN JUST A FEW WORDS. GO…

I can’t. I’ve had to delete everything I’ve written. Maybe I’ve been on the apps so long I’ve lost all my game!