Working in advertising sounds like fun to many people — most of whom have no idea what it’s actually all about. I’ve worked in the industry for 15 years, nearly 5 in a successful agency. (Copy)Writing, proofreading, editing — been there, done that. Time for a reality check (sort of). It’s not that bad, I promise.
1) You are doing drugs all the time.
LOL. Not on that paycheck.
2) Sex sells.
No. Sexism sells.
3) It’s all about creativity.
No. It’s about mind reading. It’s about patience. It’s about people skills. It’s about guessing and implementing the Almighty Being’s (= your boss’s) brainwaves. It’s about playing nice with people who have no fucking idea what they actually want, but they sure as hell don’t want THIS. It’s about not killing anyone who dares to ask you for your “creative input” before you had your third coffee.
It’s about whatever I don’t give a fuck about.
4) The business is full of old white men. [European writing here]
Yes. With the occasional old white woman for good measure and a nice gender quota. (Talking mindsets, not (just) age)
5) Working in advertising is all about GLAMOR.
LOL. Unless being underpaid, overworked, undervalued, bullied, and (nearly) burned out is ‘glamorous’ then HELL NO.
Working in advertising is all about the illusion of whatever you want it to be so you can sleep at night.
6) Working in advertising is fun.
Honestly? This depends on your capabilities, your stamina, and how well you can handle a toxic work environment. And it will always be toxic — if not because of your boss(es) than the clients. I started out as an independent copywriter in my mid- to late 20s and it took me a few years to learn when to listen and when to ignore what people threw at me. Once you learn to handle the bad stuff, it can be fun — at least all the bizarre shit you must do for some clients. Just embrace the suck.
BTW: People with a healthy sense of self-worth don’t even bother with this industry. Just sayin’.
7) Advertising is evil because it creates wants no one needs (especially not in times of climate crisis).
Not necessarily? Progress creates opportunities we didn’t have before. Advertising communicates these opportunities in all their doom and glory, which then will create wants no one needs. That’s the main part of the shitshow called capitalism.
So yes, we’re evil (and nasty bastards when off-duty because we KNOW shit).
8) A job in advertising pays well.
LOL. Depending on your profession, where you work, and if you’re independent or part of an agency, this could be true.
But I highly doubt it.
9) It’s difficult to get a start.
It is indeed. Experience and versatility in your field help, so keep on learning and practicing. Knowing the ‘right’ people also helps. I was lucky and met the ‘right’ people at the ‘right’ time. However, what got me the job of a traditional copywriter in an established agency wasn’t so much luck as my professional skills — which I honed through years of academic work, dead-end jobs, and freelance projects.
So yes, it can be difficult, but if I got a shot, believe me, it could happen to you as well.
Bonus smartassery — to end this on a positive note
See everything as an experience you can learn from — because, in the end, it is. Once there’s nothing more to learn, move on. Always. Working in the creative industry doesn’t always lead to a linear career path, but it sure as hell should not lead you to depression, despair, and (premature) death from drowning in someone else’s stupidity. I’ve worked as a cleaner, a salesgirl, a bartender, and several other jobs and I still got a go in the industry. You can as well.
Go with your flow, but always keep going 🙂