The elephant in the ad room.

No.198: 28th May 2024

Hi, it’s David here.

When we first started BeenThereDoneThat we used the line, “Who said you can’t buy experience.” (Experience says we should use that again.)

We thought at a time when the Juniorisation of the industry was pushing great people into early retirement we would be inundated with calls from agencies.

The phone rang but it wasn’t from agencies it was from the best creative thinkers in the market and the best marketers inside clients.?

They understood from years of experience the difference experience made.?

In this week’s newsletter, Jonathan Horner delves into the often overlooked and ever growing world of freelance professionals and sheds further light on the challenges they face.

As always, we are curious to hear what you think.

David Alberts

Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer at BeenThereDoneThat

Hi, it’s Jonathan here.

At the moment, there’s a lot of metrics I’m reading that I just don’t believe.?The ad market is at its strongest, most resilient, brightest it’s been.?AdAge reported that in the US another 900 jobs were added in March setting a new all time high for the sector in the US.

Meanwhile the US Dept of Labor is tracking 3.6% unemployment.

So, why am I playing counsellor to twenty+ people who work in the industry, who just aren’t working? Some, who aren’t hacks.?Some, who have run multinational accounts and have a pride of Cannes Lions to their names. Why is it, in one case, a freelance CD that has only worked one week in 15 months??Why is that?

On a recent trip to London, I heard similar stories. One person, an ex-head of design at a major ad agency, had worked 3 weeks in 2023. Another, a senior creative writer, with a who’s-who of top London agencies in their résumé had worked 6 weeks in the last 12 months. Then, I get a WhatsApp from a freelance CD based in Indonesia. “Is it as bad there as here?” This isn’t 2008. From where I’m standing, it’s worse.

Why is this invisible white-collar recession not being detected? Or written about? Well, to understand that it helps to understand the broader context of the industry.

In an effort to reduce headcount and maximize profit on accounts more and more creatives have either jumped or been pushed into a freelancer lifestyle. Freelancers aren’t tagged to accounts in the same way as permanent staff, so you can still have them on your account without it destroying the optics. And at first, it was great. You want me to work 60-hour weeks? Pay me for them. And… I get to block off my time? Terrific. A three-week trip to the Azores? Booked it.?

But what happens when that freelance work dries up? What happens when procurement turns off the freelance tap not just to an agency network but to an entire holding company??One network did just that recently after losing one sizeable but flighty health client. What happens then?

The effects are easy to detect: just look to LinkedIn for starters.?More and more creatives / producers / project managers adding to the comment section on every job posting out there, like rats on a sinking ship.

I reached out for one freelance role recently. The recruiter told me she had 2,700 applicants. So, why aren’t we seeing that in our metrics?

The thing is: seasonal / freelance / self-employed work isn’t counted in employment statistics. These people don’t exist. Never have. So, all the out of work freelancers aren’t included in labour metrics.?It’s a reality that’s frightening because it just isn’t talked about.?And the sobering thing is more and more professionals with experience, talent, and expertise, are being sidelined in this fashion.?The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference: and we have a whole lot of it in regards to the freelancers out there at the moment.

So, what’s the way through this? Well, to me, it starts with acknowledging the problem.?Talking about it.?And understanding that this isn’t a healthy environment for advertising.?Aside from Publicis, just look at the multinationals’ stock prices.?All are down or flatlining.?Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital stock price is down 95% from three years ago. These aren’t bright days.

Then, it starts with asking how to get seasoned professionals back into work.?If the multinationals aren’t understanding this, then maybe it’s time that more clients took their business to agencies that can understand the power of experience.?And finally, I think it’s all about carving out a little more support for those in less fortunate positions. Listen, counsel, and send job links to them.

We deserve to do this for the good of the industry.?We deserve to do it as good human beings.

Jonathan Horner

Member of the BeenThereDoneThat Expert Network

Supporting Articles

1. Jeremy Filgate - amazing freelancer. Hire him.

2. Serena Connelly - amazing freelancer. Hire her.

3. Brett Minieri - amazing freelancer. Hire him.

4. Welcome to the white collar recession.

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