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Dishing the dirt on Advertising

Well well. Hello! It’s been quite a while since I wrote anything here that didn’t have to do with contests or just sharing content.

I’ve been drowning submerged in work. Very much so.

Shit doesn’t seem to stop hitting the fan. No sire. Not in advertising. We are still the losers at nearly the bottom of the food chain.

What do people outside the advertising industry think of what’s really going on?

It’s not glamourous.
Well, not beyond the few moments after someone goes “oh wow you’re in advertising!”.

Is it rewarding?
That’s up for discussion. Do you expect your clients to thank you? They hardly ever do. In fact, its sucky but here’s what the shittest of the lot do. They make you do their work (i.e.: set marketing directions) and then they take your ideas and go present it to their bosses claiming it as their own. The shittier ones even make you do the presentation deck for them to use.

If their bosses like it, the agency gets the job but the client takes the credit. If their bosses don’t like it, guess who’s gonne get the blame for it?

Most of us who keep going at it for 5… 10… 15 years… are at it for the sickly passion that drives us everyday. Without the passion for the work we do, there’s no way one can survive.

Is it big money in advertising?
You ever been to chaktuchak in Bangkok? Yes. There’s bargaining. The worse of them all? They make you discount on things that are already damn cheap and then make you work doubly fast for it.

$50 discount also happy.

The late nights?
The only thing positive from this is, you become very good friends with your colleagues. And your clients – well, the okay ones. But otherwise? You’ll just have dark eye rings, oily face, smudged makeup, mussed hair, backaches, tired eyes, painful ass… where does glamourous come in?

And the fast food that we order in sometimes for dinner? Definitely a one way street to obesity.

The rumoured parties and drinking sessions?
Not everywhere. There are definitely a lot more humour and creative, fun weridos in a relatively relaxed working environment as compared to other more corporate industries. Is that what people define as glamourous/fun?

Dress code
I suppose this is one that most people from other industries are most envious about. We can wear jeans and bermudas to work. Pretty much anything as long as we’re not meeting clients on that day.

Bermudas could be glamourous I guess? Yea we could wear shades to work as well.

The blame game
If there is 0.000000000001% of fault that could possibly lie with the agency, then it’s all the agency’s fault. And if you’re the one who is managing the account (i.e.: the bridge between the client and the agency) – may I just politely say you’re fucked?

Hello, here’s the brief. Deadline is over
But but… but what? Well go start work on it! I need to see first draft by today. (Time check at time of brief? 5pm)

Hello, we have a new job coming up.
Can I just check how long is your turnaround time for such a job? 10 days? Oh ok, I need it in 2 days.

Thank you very much.

I told the client!
Did you email it to him/her and cc’ed their bosses in black and white? No? Then we’re in a very grey area. What does “very grey” mean? It means there is a 0.0000001% that it’s your fault so that means, you’re fucked.

Do your job well, and watch your back
We cannot forget the politics. Multi-task my friend. Watch your front AND back.

Ok, maybe the advertising industry is not all bleak, doom gloom, dead deadlines… but this is the dirt. There’s more but hey, its 1.30am on Friday morning and I am still in office. Gimme a break.

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  1. Anonymous
    October 23, 2009 / 3:55 pm

    Time to move on! Its not worth it to be forever in the shadows.

  2. Chris
    October 30, 2009 / 8:12 pm

    Very informative post. It really opened my eyes about the advertising world. Nice blog.

  3. renaye
    November 5, 2009 / 12:52 am

    oh. i think all jobs r not glamorous. each has its good and bad sides. but do u enjoy ur work afterall??

    i was involved in an ad conference called AdAsia 2009. i met many people from the ad line and they seem to have a pretty fun life. but i guess .. that is the 'only' day i saw them having fun… =)

    but don't be a panda ok?

  4. Liong
    November 5, 2009 / 2:52 am

    gambatek! ^^

  5. Anonymous
    November 5, 2009 / 4:11 am

    that's real dirt in advertising. Been through that myself a decade ago. You will really need to work smart there. First thing first – you can't stop the shit from hitting the fan. You just gotta put someone in front of it and makes the person believe what he/she is getting is chocolate …okok, I know I sounded evil but please do that…;o)

  6. Ju Ann
    November 5, 2009 / 7:26 am

    Hahaha Thanks for the advice "annoymous"!

    Chris: You're welcomed.

    Renaye: I do. See Annoymous below? My boss did a good job. I think what I do is chocolate. Not shit. hahahaha!!

    liong: thanks liong! :)