Lose your job in advertising recently? High five! Fist bump!
Let’s face it, it’s not like you were pioneering any new ground in your old job. Everyone from Joseph Jaffe to the New York Times have been pontificating the demise of the seven-figure broadcast production for years now. As the vultures and coyotes fight over the industry’s scraps, those of us no longer shackled to the carcass should be popping champagne instead of sulking.
Opportunities abound in the gold rush of advertising’s modern age. Instead of shedding jobs, agencies that make social media central to their business model are hiring. How much time did you spend exploring new media channels on your former clients’ behalf? Or yours for that matter?
That’s what I thought.
The point is that your agency did you a favor by letting you go. They may have thrown you overboard, but at least you aren’t cleaning the deck on the way down.
Rare is the agency with deeply embedded traditional roots who are willing to forge ahead, full force in social media’s embrace. If you’re employed by one of them, go all out in your efforts to attach yourself to those projects.
But if you were a student of the old school, try not to feel too victimized. Feel liberated instead. This is your opportunity to use this free time as a blogger, a Twit, and a student of what’s to come.
Kudos.
9 Comments
Great message, Erik. And one I am heeding. I have just signed up for a social media marketing webinar, and I would advise everyone out there to do the same. Learn all you can because social media is the new spearhead of marketing.
The economy can’;t be too bad. I see all sorts of fellow creatives in town starting their own ad agencies and placing themselves as the President and CEO. For example, a co-worker named Joe Blow will get laid off, next thing I notice, he’s on Linked in as President of Joe Blow Concepts, Inc. I see a lot of copywriters and art directors starting their own ad agencies this way. Soon, there’ll be hundreds of new agencies around town.
brill baby! sometimes we all need a little shakin’ up to see what we are made of. Out of desperation comes innovation.
to Gareth….
what’s the link to the webinar??? I’d love to check it out!
The Brave New World.
Lots of agencies are talking it.
Precious few are walking it.
I’m working at a relatively progressive agency right now, but i’ve been spending alot of my downtime lately trying to evolve my perspective on this business.
It’s a valuable exercise, but when i’m trying out new approaches, big ideas don’t come quite as quickly as usual.
I’ve seen agency leaders recently scrambling to try and understand it all, and sound savvy about the new tech, social media, etc. And then, there’s those who were on it all along. Creative awards, trinkets and giant egos aside, Anyone notice one place not weeping and crying and axing all their staff lately is Digitas??
Digitas has done it’s share of axing this year as well. Quite a few of my friends were let go, and they’ve still got a rep for quarterly dismissals. Fact is, no agency is getting everything right. And I’m generally the first one to jump on the traditional agencies for lack of progress. I do find it a bit amusing, however, that you skewer the big companies in one breath, then cite blog posts from large agency bigwigs as evidence of positive change. Maybe if large agencies aren’t progressive we only have ourselves to blame. It is quite easy to take the cash and not rock the boat…but when the cash dries up we blame lack of rocking for the issues.
Actually, now is the perfect time to start an agency. There are thousands of small companies who need help, but can’t afford full agency rates. And since we all know that advertising during a recession works wonders, even a small uptick means a ton to a mom and pop store.
I started my first agency in 2001 during the dot.com bust. Small clients with budgets between a few thousand and a couple hundred thousand are thrilled to have access to good talent.
Post a Comment