WPP Media has partnered with six Australian universities to launch IGNITION ’26, a new initiative aimed at disrupting traditional graduate recruitment and media education.
The six-week program replaces classroom assignments and CV-based hiring with a live agency sprint, where undergraduate teams compete to solve a national brief for Dolly’s Dream.
From CVs to real-world performance
Students from Deakin University, Macquarie University, Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Technology Sydney and Western Sydney University will work in a simulated agency environment, developing cross-channel media strategies backed by real data and budgets.
Winning teams will secure guaranteed roles in WPP Media’s 2027 graduate intake.
A shift in education and hiring
David Reid, IGNITION ’26 Steering Committee representative and Swinburne lecturer, said the program breaks down traditional barriers between institutions.
“Usually, universities compete for a handful of industry placements. With IGNITION ’26, we have broken down those silos,” he said. “We are putting the brightest minds from six different universities into the exact same high-pressure arena, giving them real data, a real budget, and a real social crisis to solve.”
Tackling a real social issue
The brief focuses on raising awareness of Dolly’s Dream’s anti-bullying and cyber safety initiatives.
Sally Sweeney, Head of Dolly’s Dream, said the program could drive real impact.
“The strategies these students develop won’t just sit on paper; they have the potential to enact real cultural change,” she said.
Simulating agency reality
Participants will also face a mid-program twist, requiring them to respond to a simulated crisis or budget shift before presenting to WPP Media leadership and Dolly’s Dream executives.
Scott Laird, Chief People Officer at WPP Media, said the initiative reflects a broader shift in hiring.
“The traditional graduate recruitment model is changing, and so is the workplace,” he said. “As the exclusive agency partner, IGNITION ’26 allows us to identify the potential of this talent by seeing them in action and how they perform in the room in a simulated environment.”
Laird added that the program offers a sneak peek into the pool of unlimited opportunities in the industry.
“The stakes are high, but so is the reward.”
The initiative is supported by the Media Federation of Australia, with registrations now open to eligible undergraduate teams.
Main image: (L-R) Scott Laird (WPP Media), Kaye Chan (UTS), Dan Andrew (UNSW), David Waller (UTS)