My First Year In Advertising

Believe it or not (I'm not sure I really do) the end of this month marks my first year in advertising. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to work in this industry. When I was younger I used to play a game with my best friend where you would choose an object for the other person and they'd have 30 seconds to come up with an advertisement and present it. Now that I'm in the place where this actually happens - it takes them longer than 30 seconds, obviously - it's pretty hard to believe it. Although I'm not creating show-stopping ads (yet) I'm definitely climbing the right ladder.

I've learnt a huge amount in the last year, more than I imagined I would. If I met myself from a year ago now, I'd be shocked by how little I knew - I don't think I'd even heard of Campaign magazine (advertisers' version of BBC News) and now I spend my day scouring it for new ads, hires, mergers and industry news.

The biggest lesson I've learnt this year is that advertising can do more than just sell. This was definitely some thing I was aware of (see my post from Blogtober last year on Why We Should NOT Ignore Advertisements) but I didn't know the extent to which advertising was moving towards this. The most successful campaigns from Cannes Lions (our version of the Oscars) this year were doing more than selling, they were impacting popular culture and creating change. People have started coining phrases such as 'solvertising' and 'goodvertising' but really it's just advertising at its best. Advertising of the future. Some people think advertising is slowly dying off but I think what these ideas show is that it's alive and making a difference.

I've also found out just how much time and effort (and how many people) go into creating these amazing, award winning ads. What I used to think happened was: a client told you what they wanted, a strategist turned this into a brief and gave it to the creative team (an art director/designer and a copy writer), they brought the ideas to reality and the account manager delivered them back to the client who then jumped for joy at your amazingly innovative yet refined ideas. Obviously I didn't think it was quite as simple as this but I never imagined how complicated the process was and how many different roles are involved. Collaboration is such a buzzword in the industry but it seems that to be truly successful you need to have a 360, fully integrated, cost effective solution. 

What surprised me was the unspoken hierarchy in advertising agencies other than CEO to Account Executive or Intern. The hierarchy of brands. The first question you'll get asked when you meet another advertiser is "what do you do?". In the normal sphere of employment this is taken literally but what ad people really mean is "who do you do?" and they're not being crude, they mean what account do you work on, who are your clients. Secretly (or sometimes not that secretly), they will judge you on who your client is - whether they're blue chip or a bigger (money-wise) account than their own. Working in the PR/Communications department I've been spared from this, sort of. My client is our own employer so no one has the nerves (or stupidity) to degrade part of what they represent - it's almost like I work in HR - and yet they're not particularly interested either. It's a really interesting place to be and has given the opportunity to be involved in a broad range of areas in the company.

Luckily, in advertising (an experience based career) 22 is considered young once again. My friends and I are always complaining about how old we're getting but here I'm considered youthful, fresh and Millennial. A key trait of Millennials is that we are 'digital natives'. Any technical issue and we're the first person to be asked (it's like living with your parents all over again..). But in fact it's actually quite a popular trait for employers. We don't need digital training, we just get it. Before I started working in my current role, and actually before I started working full-time, I didn't know how sought after this was. So instead of grumbling about my age (I'm definitely starting to get bags under my eyes, no grey hair yet though), I'm revelling in the fact that I've not hit 30 yet.

Finally, one lesson I've learnt in the last year which applies to any profession is the importance of making time for yourself outside of work. It's so easy, especially in the digital age, to spend your personal time talking about or doing work (whether it's checking emails, making notes or reading extra articles). And while I think this is great that my friends and I care enough about what we're doing to want to do this, if all we do is work, we're not going to be as productive as we could be. I read a really interesting article today about a company that has reduced it's working hours to 5-a-day. I'm not saying everyone should work less, I'm saying taking time to do what you want to do is really important too. At university I had such a flexible timetable I could easily balance my work and personal life. Now I work 40 hours a week it's not quite so easy. But it's still important that I find time to do things I enjoy such as hockey, seeing friends and writing my blog. I want to do the best work I can and I believe that being happy in my personal life enables me to do that.

I'm interested to know what you've learnt either about yourself or your industry in the last year or so. Leave me a comment below if there's something you'd like to share! 

Lessons Learnt in the Meantime

Most of you now know that I have just been offered a  6 month position at Grey EMEA in London as a digital communications intern. I am sure that part of the reason I was given this offer was due to the hard work I have put in since leaving university. I have certainly been busy. For the past month and a half I have had two part-time jobs, a bartender at a local pub and a retail sales advisor at EE, alongside writing this blog.  Although these positions were not part of my ultimate career goal they have taught me a lot of different skills which will be useful for the rest of my life.
So I thought I would share what I have learnt with you!

In both positions I have had to deal with difficult customers. It's almost impossible to work in sales without meeting at least one. I've learnt that unless you were rude to them first, it is not your fault that they are angry or rude. The best thing to do is to listen to them, let them have their say, always remain calm and never to interrupt them. If you don't know how to help them, ask your manager if they can. I firmly believe that it's the difficulties you face which make you stronger and which you learn the most from. There are always going to be times when you will meet with these sort of people in any career and the more experience you get dealing with them, the better.

I have become an expert at small talk, a skill very useful when you go for interviews and you're in the lift before it starts. I've always been quite an outgoing character but occasionally when I've been nervous or meeting someone for the first time I have been stuck for something to say. (Hard to believe I know.) But now I feel confident talking to almost anyone. In the end people are just people and whether they're a 40 year old farmer demanding another pint of Carling at 1am when you want to leave, or a timid shopper looking to get a new pay as you go handset, being able to connect with them is really important.

Being busy at work is actually so much better than having nothing to do. There is nothing more boring than being at work with literally nothing to do! No customers to serve, no glasses to put away, nothing. When you keep yourself busy the time actually goes much faster too. Also standing still for a long time is more painful for you legs and feet that walking around doing things. You might not like your job, but sitting around complaining about it isn't going to make it any better so just get on with it.

Patience is a virtue. Or so that's what people have been saying for ages and ages. If I'm 100% honest, I have never been the most patient person but the last month and a half has really taught me to be a bit more patient. Not everything can happen all at once and understanding that is really important. In the new position I'm about to start I will be communicating with people all around the world and with different timezones there's definitely going to be a fair amount of waiting around. If I had started this position in July I don't think I would have been as well prepared as I am now. So I am really glad that it didn't all happen straightaway for me because I would have been as good as I will be now.

My first time being formally employed has also taught me a bit more about the different ways you can be paid, and how and when you pay taxes - which before I had absolutely no clue about. With the government's allowance of the first £10,000 you earn in a year as tax free, I'm feeling pretty lucky! I've managed to save up some money which will help me pay a deposit on a flat (when I find one). I've never really been motivated by money and while I've been living with my mum I've not had to pay for any rent or food. In the past I would have said that I didn't need a part-time job because I don't care about money but the savings I've made are going to be really useful.


I'd advise anyone who is in the position I was in to try and get a local job while you're still applying for positions that are closer to your ultimate career goal. They might not always be fun but they can actually give you a lot more than just money!