8 Takeaways from the Adland Panel to Help You Navigate a Changing Industry
Caitlin Nelson / Event Producer at Working Not Working
It started with a declaration in Forbes that “advertising as we know it is dead.” Then, a pandemic swept the globe, turning work (and life) on its head.
In the summer of 2021, Working Not Working surveyed more than 800 advertising creatives to find out just how much these changes to the industry were affecting everything from their creativity to their desire to work. The results were pretty interesting.
So we organized a discussion to explore just what is going on in Advertising.
Frannie Rhodes (SVP, Executive Director of Creative Talent at MullenLowe), Hana Sato Thomas (Executive Director, Talent at Fig), and Jerry Hoak (Managing Director, Executive Creative Director at Martin Agency) joined Working Not Working Co-Founder + CEO Justin Gignac to talk about the current state of the industry, and how some agencies are working to change things from the inside and support the creatives they hire.
Here are eight takeaways from the conversation.
Intentionality is everything.
“We have a really clear mission as an agency and…it was so easy during the pandemic to kind of forget the culture part. We had to work extra hard as a leadership team to make sure it still felt like you were part of a community and a part of the team.” (Jerry H.)
It’s time to set boundaries.
“I'm seeing... people galvanizing to really protect [weekends], because we know how valuable it is for people, especially creatives. I'm trying to make [these] changes in how I lead and I can see that other people are starting to sort of embrace some of these new boundaries.” (Frannie R.)
If we’re going to pitch, we need to pitch mindfully.
“We share [pitch assessments] with the staff, so it's not just a leadership decision, it's a decision on behalf of everyone who works here. Are we going to get some great work? Will it help us financially? Is this a partnership that we see as long-term? Is it going to evolve into something bigger? It shouldn't just be a money choice.” (Hana T.)
Diverse leadership is crucial.
“[It’s] critical to have a diverse leadership group of partners. Truly diverse. Gender and race, but also like, disability. Non-disability. I just think that there's still not enough of that anywhere. I wouldn't start an agency unless I had diverse partners who were all in and share the same mission.” (Jerry H.)
Mentoring should happen at all levels.
“Having access to coaching as part of the table-stakes of my employment has been really awesome. And I've found a lot of candidates really respond to that.
You get coaching when you're junior, but when you're senior or an executive, [you get coaching because] you're in trouble. There really should be coaching for everybody at every stage of their career.” (Hana T.)
Your network is still the best way in.
“I tell this to… people who are entering the business all the time. You'd be surprised how generous an ECD might be with their time, because they remember that it was so difficult to get into this business.
Whether you're looking for your first freelance job or full-time job, just say, ‘Hey, could you give me 10 minutes of advice? Can you look at my portfolio? Do you know of anyone who's looking for something?’” (Frannie R.)
There’s opportunity at agencies.
“We have great leaders from great agencies. I think the days of [being] on an island alone, trying to figure out a problem are gone.
We don't approach things like that [at Martin]. We’re a group of people who figure out ideas, have a blast making them and do our best to sell them. You just feel like you're part of something when you're here.
You can go to the client side and, and be a part of something, but you're working on the same thing day in and day out.” (Jerry H.)
Must have fun. Must love dogs.
“Everyone is just so serious and [everyone] is playing it safe. If I were starting my own agency right now, I'd be like let's have some more fun and no more weekend work.” (Frannie R.)