To my creative friends in the ad biz: it’s time to get selfish about your future.
How are you doing these days? Hopefully well, but likely not. I don’t have to tell you what’s happening out there. You know the dirty details. You’re surrounded by them.
As the bad news begins to rise a little higher than you’re used to, think about this: leaving the agency setting and moving in-house.
(Wait wait! Before you click off. Hear me out. I’ll be brief, because I understand your attention span, like mine, is in a state of perpetual truncation.)
1. Why work with some clients you like and some you don’t? Why not work at one company you love?
2. Creativity can happen in so many places these days, with so many intricacies and layers, your options are limited only by your creativity.
3. To think that one copywriter and one art director can successfully handle more than one client’s branding needs throughout a myriad channels is simply foolish.
4. To think that one copywriter and one art director can successfully explore the myriad tools available to reach multiple audiences is, again, foolish.
5. (See reason #1) Why work with some clients you like and some you don’t? Why not work at one company you love?
Sure, a lot of the companies we creative people would deem “worthy of working at (or for)” don’t have an in-house creative department. So what? Build it yourself. You’ve spent your career selling smart campaigns to some of the biggest and baddest companies in the world. Selling a mid-size company with a portfolio full of promise on a way to save money and create better more insightful work should be a no-brainer for you.
So, should you take on the assignment, here’s a rough strategy statement:
Convince any one company I truly love and believe in that I can create more effective and insightful work than their advertising agency of record because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darnit, who’s got the money to keep paying for a big damn agency these days?
Thoughts? Ideas? I know you have ‘em. Leave ‘em here.
Have a good one.
Photo Credit Jim Frazier
Points No. 1 and No. 5 are the same–just so you know. Also, I believe one copywriter and one art director can handle the branding of up to 3 clients without suffering brain damage. Even also-er, most companies consist of different ‘groups’ which will act like clients (in that you will love some and hate others).
hey there. thanks for commenting. yes, i meant for 1 and 5 to be the same. i will address so it’s obvious. i don’t think there are enough hours in the day to tackle branding how it’s beginning to happen today. there are too many channels and too many places where good customers can be and “live” that addressing them appropriately in those places will require an increasing amount of attention. at least if you’re working in house, you SHOULD be headed toward the same goal. every niche will be different, but the ultimate goal should be the same.
Right on MC. I made the switch 4 months ago and haven’t looked back. I love the people in advertising, and I miss them. But I wanted to work on one brand from the inside out, instead of painting the outside of 5 brands at a time. I wanted one brand that I truly cared about, and that I could invest in. It’s been nice.
I think that at an in-house agency you would have 1) the chance for bigger thinking 2) the opportunity to learn first-hand how creative work actually impacts the business 3) more control over the work 4) a cool opportunity to build something. Whatever you do, now is more than ever is your chance to be courageous, be passionate, be wow!
Mr. Calienes,
Couldn’t have said it better myself. As a matter of fact, a bunch of us out here on the opposite coast are in the throws of starting something new.
And it isn’t an agency.
great to hear from you ian. i myself have started something new — and to quote you: “it isn’t an agency”. i look forward to chatting. thanks for comin’ on and commenting.