November 20, 2013

Advertising's Most Destructive Force


One of the great afflictions suffered by people in the advertising industry is status anxiety – worrying about what people think of you.

I’m not really sure what role status anxiety plays in the lives of media people, account people, planners or administrative types. But having grown up in creative departments, I know that it plays a powerful and seriously unhealthy role among creative people.

One of the most obvious manifestations of status anxiety is job-hopping. It has been my experience that creatives who jump from job to job are usually among the most status conscious and least happy people in our industry.

At one time, in one of my agencies, we had a talented creative guy who was about to be promoted to creative director of the agency. He had just completed a wonderful campaign for one of our clients that was winning all kinds of awards and he was gaining recognition. He was a very good creative but had bounced around a lot and had never settled into a situation in which his talent could be fully cultivated and harnessed.

Because of his much-awarded campaign he was suddenly on the radar of some of the most high status agencies in the country. He did not accept our offer to run our creative department and become a partner. He accepted a second-tier job at Goodby. Obviously, working at Goodby conferred more status on him than staying at our agency.

Instead of choosing the opportunity to be the chief architect of his own agency, he chose the reflected glory of someone else’s. I have nothing but respect for GS&P but, in my opinion, he punted.

The problem with a decision like this is that it confuses reflected glory with true accomplishment. It may feel nice to tell people at cocktail parties that you work at a famous agency, but as the person in question soon found out, reflected glory has a limited shelf life.

It’s important to remember that the truly high-status people in our business – the Goodbys, the Wiedens – eschewed status themselves to start their own things. They did not take a job at a prestige agency. They built their careers on a bet against the reflected glory of someone else’s agency, and put their money on their own ability to outclass the high-status agencies of the time.

There are plenty of people who find solace -- and, in fact, satisfaction -- basking in the reflected glory of their employers and colleagues.  While I always enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to work with top quality people, the only status I could ever convince myself was worth anything was that which came from having accomplished something myself. Being near success may feel nice, but creating something on my own was my only true gratification.

Status anxiety is a destructive and debilitating force. Worrying about what others think is a monumental waste of time and energy. Making career decisions based on what you think others will think of you is not just pitiable, it can damage your life.

Do what you think is right, not what you think will impress others. If others don’t like it, fuck ‘em.

11 comments:

davetrott said...

IMHO 'other people's opinions' is another way of saying brand.
He thought Goodby was a better brand.

So he chose Goodby (the brand) over building his own place (a better product).

Maybe that's why everything in advertising is 'brand' these days.
The people working in it base their decisions solely on brand (other people's opinions) so they think everyone else will.

DenTarthurdent said...

This comes back to Richard Feynman (your last post) - "What do YOU care what other people think?" That attitude got him a nobel prize - no-one wanted to listen to his theories on quantum electrodynamics. Now no-one thinks they are just theories anymore.

Edward Flynn said...

I could agree more. While I could be some schlub still toiling away at an agency back in New York, I chose to strike out on my own. It may be ass bustin', long hours, scary as hell and a constant client chase, but it's still ultimately more satisfying.

Stephen Eichenbaum said...

100% on the money, as usual.

Cecil B. DeMille said...

Well-said. Reflected glory, and the "brand" choice, is all around us and becoming pervasive. Think about sports. You have your fair weather fans and your poseurs. Both are really only doing it because of the opinions of others. I wonder if it's human nature or if some sort of social manipulation is at work?


Your analogy is spot on, as always.

Tore said...

Very well put. Something that is worth thinking hard about. I do think, however, that there might be another reason for joining a recognized to shop when offered the opportunity. And that is the notion that you can also learn something you didn't know. Maybe get to do even better work. It's like someone said "The best way be great is to work with great people". Or something like that. T.

Tore said...

Very well put. Something that is worth thinking hard about. I do think,
however, that there might be another reason for joining a recognized shop when offered the opportunity. And that is the notion that you can
also learn something you didn't know. Maybe get to do even better work.
It's like someone said "The best way to do great work is to work with great
people". Or something like that. T

timorr said...

Rumor has it that large numbers of students in Miami have been willing to work their butts off for next to nothing in order to be able to list CPB on their résumés (I hope I did those accents correctly!).

Charlotte said...

I see that too often. Getting a certain-special shop on a
resume seems to be the end-all.

I recently visited with a twenty-something who was 22 months
into her ad career – a real veteran. She told me that if you stay at a shop less
than three months, or more than 18 months, your ad career is over. She’s
frantically looking for the next big thing.

So glad she taught me a thing or two about advertising.

thelowerdepths said...

spot on reasoning and walk through but sadly, most shops cultivate the "what have you done for me lately" culture by shining an overly bright spotlight on the flavor du jour … not saying that good work and effort should not be recognized, quite the opposite, just that it shouldn't be overly praised or inflated … sure, it's our stock in trade (to a point), but at some point we should place more value in a stable working environment than we do that notch on our gun …


an old friend and mentor once answered, when i asked him why he never moved around to other shops (given that he had a great portfolio and track record, awards, etc) … "you think it'll be any different someplace else? really the same problems i'm quite happy solving here … "

Lysle Wickersham said...

It's also a question of timing. A young creative may benefit from working at a marquis agency, and leveraging that experience to be able to control their own destiny. It appears this guy already had that opportunity and went backwards. At that stage, it is a punt.