21 suggestions for a successful advertising career
ivan | Mon, 2009-12-21 22:28
- Find the right place to gain as much experience as possible in the shortest amount of time. This may mean a hot-shop independent agency, a large multinational or hopping jobs every 2 years depending on the available options you may have.
- Work somewhere that's worthy of your time and talent. Don't settle for any job.
- Put more effort into your job than expected and do it cheerfully.
- Become the most positive and enthusiastic adman in the agency.
- Be forgiving of yourself and others. We're humans and we make mistakes even when we only have good intentions. Don't allow such mistakes make you lose sight of long term goals.
- Be generous with your contributions to the team's work. Do not try to take credit for every idea you came up with.
- Persistence, persistence, persistence. Great work never just falls into your lap. You need to work for it, refine it, perfect it.
- If you clearly see you're going into the wrong direction with your strategy do not be afraid to stop and rethink everything even if it means you have to start everything from scratch.
- Discipline yourself to save money on even a modest salary. This will give you the freedom to change jobs when things go bad and will allow you to take meaningful holidays that refresh your mind and body.
- Commit yourself to constant improvement. Technology and the industry is developing really fast. You have to keep up.
- Commit yourself to quality. Do not ever settle for something less than your outmost best. Perfect your work till time allows.
- Your professional happiness isn't based on the number of awards or how much you make, but on the relationships you have with your colleagues and clients. Treat them with respect.
- Be loyal to your clients and your agency. It will be appreciated even by the competition.
- Be honest with your work. Never lie or mislead the consumer. If you do you will feel miserable about your profession.
- Be a self-starter. If you identify an idea take charge and go for it.
- Do not blame others. If you're unhappy about something take the initiative to change instead of whining about it.
- Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong. Timing is everything in advertising.
- Be bold and courageous with your work. When you look back on your professional life, you will regret the the things you didn't do more than the one you did.
- Do not overestimate the value of formal education. Most successful adman never had formal advertising eduction. Real work experience is more valuable than any education.
- Eat healthy, do sports. Your mind and body are your only tools available to you. Do not abuse substances. Save them for those critical special times when you really need a boost.
- Don't take all advice for granted. Pick what's useful for you. Make up your own rules and change them at your will.
Comments
I found the article very good and helpful. Thank you for that, Ivan. Someone asked this in the dungeon before and I am curious as well. Your first tip said "...gain as much experience as possible in the shortest amount of time." I am currently in my mid-20s and after three years working as a designer for one company and not advancing creatively or financially, I am soon going to put my plan into action in regards to moving onto my next ambition.
I would like to see what I have to offer to the advertising field, while at the same time -- to keep details about my life at a minimum -- I may be called for service and have to put my personal and career life on hold for a year or two. If that is the case, I may come back a few years away from 30-years-old. With having to get a successful book together, revamping my brand identity and website at that point in time, and maybe even going forth and studying or going to a portfolio school as I had pondered, I wonder if this will all pay off?
Will my ideas and determination (aside from other things) be what may or may not get me into an agency? Might my competition be on par with me, but much younger and a Creative Director would be more likely to hire them, especially since I will be older than 25 with no experience at an advertising agency? I know this is in my heart and mind to do and I am willing to give it a shot regardless of what path I take in the near future. However your input as well as any one else's thoughts is welcome and just as helpful.
Thank you!
You asked many things. I think putting your career on hold is risky, but could result in a new career you like more. Education at this age most probably not benefit you as much as the the same time and effort put into interesting real life projects. Your life experience is valuable, so you being older is a benefit to a CD. Young have more life energy than the old, but it may be misdirected, so it doesn't necessarily result in good work.
Ivan, which do you consider more important? Being decisive, or diplomatic?
I don't think they are mutually exclusive. You should always consider other people's opinion and then make a decision yourself based on your own judgement. If you communicate this decision making process transparently most intelligent people will not question you. They may still disagree with you, but they will accept your decision. If they don't you can't help it. You can't alway make everyone happy, you just have to accept this as a fact of life.
Then you are diplomatic! ;-)
Merry Xmas
Clearheaded approach and practical. Good for starters and those looking for improving their existence in the advertising world.
Ill translate them to spanish and viralize. Thanks a lot, Ivan.
I like number 20. I gave up smoking like 6 years back, or 7 now. But damn i am craving for space cake!
they are suggestions for whole life, I think
Great points, and enjoyed reading the post!
One point really stood out for me...
"Do not overestimate the value of formal education. Most successful adman never had formal advertising eduction. Real work experience is more valuable than any education."
In my work I have given many presentations to advertising students and that is something I always stress.
My recommendation is that if you really want to succeed in advertising, don't study advertising. You would be better off taking a basic course and then study sociology, psychology, anthropology, religion, folk lore and acting!
All the best,
Bob
Robert H. Sanders
President
Sanders Consulting Group
Blog: http://sandersconsulting.com/newbusinesshawk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/newbusinesshawk
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rhsanders
As someone who has recently started my career in advertising, I thank you for this advice!
Hey! Thanks to provide such informative article in which i come to know most useful things which makes me so knowledge and after reading this passage i viewed that some of the advantages archived after using these 21 suggestions for a successful advertising career....
Great article static!!
Nice Job
Caroline Johnson
http://www.datarecoverysoftware.com/datarecoverysoftware/data-recovery...
As a student I found these tips to be very enlightening. I am currently still learning the field and have had many discouraging moments. I’ve found that being persistent is necessary in order to become successful in advertising. Thank you for the reminder in suggestion number 7.
Hi Ivan,
Very Interesting and helpful tips. Will try to follow your suggestions! Tnx!
I think there are too many so-called jobs sites that are supposed to be helping unemployed people like me back into work. But, in a way, these sites are just another barrier where people can screen resumes and select people for positions before they have even met them face to face. What happened to a good old-fashioned interview? Human beings are not robots and I think treating them as such is immoral. I have been looking for work for almost nine months on a range of careers sites that I found on the dozenjobs.com index. But my issue is that people just look at my age, experience and name before actually talking to me. I think most of these online job sites are cashing in on our misfortune. They have a vested interest in keeping us unemployed, so their traffic increases.
Nice article
It will surely help me in many ways
I wonder what you guys have to say to a person who has spent 18 years in advertising & still has the urge to learn more & join a gr8 agency but for lack of being part of a brownie group
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