13 questions I’d ask me.

In a few weeks I’m talking to a group of students who will be graduating next year. But what awaits the class of ’21? Are they at the beginning of an exciting career? Or am I akin to a 1914 army recruiting sergeant? If I was in the audience these are some of the questions I’d be asking.

Will I get a job in an agency?  

Advertising agencies are a great place to start your career, but they’re no longer the only place. There are also content agencies, social agencies, design agencies. On top of that, these days most brands of a certain size have internal agencies, I know people who’ve worked at Deliveroo, Barclaycard, Dyson, Lego – oh yes, and that nifty little outfit Apple. Then there are the media owners like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Sky -  to pick just four, all of whom employ creative people. Plus gaming companies, fashion portals – it’s a big world out there, ad agencies are just the tip of the iceberg.

Will I go into an office?

Yes. Although when is another matter. Over the last 6 months creative people have discovered that working in isolation gets the job done, but it doesn’t create the competitive, collaborative, deadline-driven, gossip-fuelled, ambitious, sexy, anarchic atmosphere from which the best ideas emerge. New models are emerging based on different kinds of home/office split. Ask potential employers about their individual approach and the logic behind it. The office won’t dominate in the future as it did in the past. But it won’t disappear, either.

Isn’t advertising dead, anyway?

Most of the people proclaiming the death of advertising are either angry that fings ain’t wot they used to be or messianically trying to sell their own brave new world. I read somewhere that algorithms were becoming so smart that advertising had become pointless, because data would enable every product automatically to find its own consumers. Capitalism and its angry kid consumerism are still the dominant ideologies in the world, which means people continue to need your help to sell stuff.  What’s died is the one size fits all approach of the last generation. Advertising is now an umbrella term for an industry that encompasses a massive variety of content, collateral, culture and brand communications, all of which need to be created.

Has the job changed?

Yes, dramatically. Roles have fragmented just like media. Less people are writing TV and posters, no-one is writing press ads. More and more people are working in derivations of the job. These are the roles I was served up yesterday on LinkedIn:  Copywriter/Content Producer, Creative Director, Creative Lead, Brand Principal, Head of Content, Creative Director Editorial (factual), Head of Social, Corporate Content Strategist (junior), Senior Conceptual Creative/Designer, Medical copywriter. Hybridisation is also happening, I’ve heard about Writer/Producer jobs, which sound great.

Will my course qualify me for all these roles?

Advertising is a bit like learning a language. Your course has taught you the grammar and given you practical assignments that show you how to speak it. But you need to keep learning because - to continue the language metaphor – the proliferation of channels means there are now thousands of different dialects. Find people whose work you respect, keep asking questions and keep working on your book. You know the principles, you just have to develop the applications.

What’s the best way to get hired?

Well, all the usual rules apply – the shows, the emails, the talent agencies. On top of that, get on social media, meet everyone, attend virtual events, pull a stunt. Graham Fink was told by CDP he was too young so came back the next day dressed as an old man and was hired on the spot. Peter Souter, worked out David Abbott’s route to work and hitched a lift, mimicking one of the great man’s own ads.  Kim Le Liboux re-art directed the work of whichever art director he was seeing. He told me: “They hated it, but they never forgot me”. The approach still works. The student team who started their own agency the other day got snapped up.

Will I only get hired in a team?

Two people usually have an idea faster than one, especially early on in their career. But when you do team up, try to build independence into your marriage. Develop your craft skills and they could give you another avenue to go down as (for example) a writer, designer, coder or technologist. You may be in band but can still do solo albums. 

Will I always work in advertising?

You might. Or you might find it’s just the start of your career. As agencies and clients find new ways of working it’s going to free you up to explore other outlets for your creativity. They used to say every copywriter had a novel in their bottom drawer. Then it was a screenplay. Then it was a game show. Then it was a game. Now it’s an app, or a side-hustle which could be anything from a café to homeware design. You might find you’re a better businessman or woman than you are a creative. Try thinking of yourself as a creative person rather than just an advertising creative person and who knows where you’ll end up.

Am I joining an industry that’s racist?

BLM has driven agencies to make bold commitments to improve their diversity and inclusivity and to actively promote the futures of black talent and start righting the wrongs of the past. To fulfil these promises will take time, energy and perseverance, but in the short term every effort is being made.

Am I joining an industry that’s sexist?

The number of males and females coming into the industry are fairly equal, but when you look further up the management chain it becomes far less balanced. The reasons for this have been well documented, not just for advertising but for many other service industries as well. The last two years have accelerated changes in attitude right across society which should start to be played out in the work place. 

How much can I expect to earn?

If you’re on placement expect the London Living Wage, £22K. First job, 25Kish. Second job £30kish. After that it will be like a badly made flight of stairs, pretty flat with irregular steps up when you do something great. 

Anything else I should know?

Remember this is about commercial creativity. Clients don’t want artistry or noble causes, they want DPD lorries grumbling through the night laden with product. We’re in the middle of an economic maelstrom, this job will keep evolving as brands look for new ways to keep people clicking on that little Add To Cart button.

Is it still fun?

Everyone looks back at the previous era and thinks it must have been better than the current one. Woody Allen even made a film about it. There is still a fantastic collection of people working in advertising with maverick talents and a fierce determination to leave their mark on the world. Yes, work has to get done faster than used to be the case. Yes, it is more corporate then it was. And no, three Martini lunches don’t happen anymore. But if you want to make a career out of your creativity, there’s no better place to start.