The following SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity. More about the SMART 100.
This innovation initially came to life when…
My business partner, Matt, and I work at MTV, Matt in Digital and me in Marketing. The idea for The Loop was born out of my frustration in finding fresh creative talent – we were overly dependent on word of mouth and incredible people were slipping through the net. On the flip side, Matt, being the digital guy, was constantly being asked by other creatives for advice on the best way to build their own websites to showcase their work online and promote themselves to potential employers. We brought these two frustrations together and The Loop was born.
WHAT & HOW
The purpose of this innovation is to…
…is to connect creative people with each other and with industry, with the eventual aim of securing them that dream collaborator, job or client.
It does this by…
…allowing individuals to create FREE multimedia profiles to showcase their work online and connect with like-minded professionals and industry. Profile pages take the form of a professional website showcasing an individual’s achievements, experience and current projects. There is currently no professional platform available for people in Australia to self-maintain and promote themselves directly to creative employers.
PURPOSE & BENEFITS
This innovation improves on what came before because…
…existing professional networking and job sites have their various limitations for creative professionals. Seek is frustrating for employers because they are inundated with irrelevant applications. LinkedIn is genius at connecting, but very corporate, and doesn’t include multimedia profiles. The need to keep one’s personal and professional life separate means self-promotion on Facebook – not the best career move.
Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…
…providing individuals with a free platform for self-promotion and connectivity to like-minded professionals, companies and jobs. For employers The Loop is an accountable, cost-effective and time-efficient platform for securing quality candidates.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In the past, this problem was solved by…
…employers’ using recruitment agents, advertising positions on job boards or relying on ‘Word of Mouth’ to secure creative candidates. By giving companies access to a DB of talent and allowing them to cherry-pick candidates and attract the passive job seeker, The Loop disrupts the traditional jobs board market.
Its predecessors/competitors include…
…can be categorised into four areas: Jobs Boards (Seek, MyCareer, CareerOne etc.), Career Networking Sites (LinkedIn & Linkme), Niche Job Sites (ArtsHub & Gurus etc.), and Portfolio Sites (Behance (US) & Production Base (UK)).
TARGET MARKET
It is made for…
…individuals and companies in creative industries, specifically advertising, design, film, TV, photography, fashion, publishing, music, digital media, marketing, sales and entertainment. But you don’t have to be creating ten short films a week to sign up. The registration system is designed to promote all positions across the creative industries. After only five months online there are over 4,000 professionals profiled on the site, 300 incredible brands including Frost*, BBC, Moon, Network Ten, XYZ Networks, Discovery Networks, MTV Networks, FBI Radio, Collider, Animal Logic, Fuel VFX, Dr D Studios, The White Agency, and Deepend advertising jobs and revenue hitting targets.
DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY
It is available for sale through…
www.theloop.com.au. Initially the website is a local site hosted in Australia. However, creatives can register with the site from anywhere in the world. As the business grows there are plans to roll out internationally.
Our marketing strategy is to…
…grow the site organically through viral marketing and PR. Amazingly our marketing budget currently sits at $0. Core to our business is looking after the existing community, developing the site in line with their feedback and trying to get companies they love to advertise on the site. This has inspired our community to spread the word for us.
SUPPORTING IMAGES AND/OR VIDEO
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS INNOVATION
While the judging is now officially over, you can still show your support for this innovation in one of the following three ways:
- Hit the VOTE UP button: Top left of each page (Not available for IE users)
- Trigger a Reaction: Re-Tweet, Like on Facebook, etc.
- Leave a Comment: Share the love!
To check out the Anthill SMART 100 Readers’ Choice winner for 2010, click here.
