The If Agency

Role focus #1

It's the start of a new year and we've decided to throw open our doors to share some key insights into how we work miracles for our clients, and generally stay sane in the fast-paced world of direct communications.

It takes a campaign-hardened bunch to deliver for clients time and time again and so – in this, the first of several Blogs focusing on particular roles within the agency, we hope you'll enjoy following us on a journey of late nights, parking tickets and broken pencils...

Karen James has been with The if agency since the very beginning and as such, understands the complexity and diversity of our clients needs more than most. Working across all disciplines (direct, promotions and digital) is a challenge some would shy away from but Karen is made of sterner stuff! Asked what she likes best about her role our resident senior copywriter said: "The variety. One minute I'm on the catwalk with Matalan, then I could be dropping a dress size with Special K and the next day I'm embracing the benefits of Internet Banking for first direct. It's the perfect job for a fickle person like me." Karen's client-side experience allows her to appreciate what's behind the brief, which she admits has come in handy on more than one occasion, providing a client/partisan perspective. As you can imagine, there are many pieces of work that have had Karen's unique involvement over the years, but one that shines through as a favourite is ‘a big incentive for a small ask', produced for first direct.

And for all you budding copywriters looking for your big-break in the agency scene, Karen has a few tips that may inspire; "Don't be shy of asking for a second opinion and make sure you brew up a lot!". She also commented "I prefer human contact (rather than email) so if you have a choice – I'd suggest you pick up the phone every time".

Make sure you check back soon for the next insider focus!