The most prolific five years of my career ended with my teeth handed to me.
Cameron Day
Author of The Advertising Survival Guide trilogy. Mentor, mediocrity repellant, and human intelligence advocate. AI pragmatist. Available for speaking, brand-tuning, repositioning, and random F-bomb hurling.
Five years putting nose to grindstone helming a fledgling creative department, then unceremoniously fired when the bottom fell out of the economy.
Five years working for founders I trusted, then stripped of a 10%-ownership stake and kicked to the curb, no severance.
Five years with nothing but a steady string of award-winning work to show for my efforts and trying to maintain a level playing field within my department.
Best of shows. Nine national Addy awards in one year alone. Small Agency of the Year.
Five years is a long time to buy into anyone's bullshit.
Is this even worth writing about?
It is if you're willing to learn from other's mistakes.
Because there's a lesson to be had here, folks.
No matter how much great work you have to show for it, never make the mistake of thinking you're valued by an ad agency, even if you've helped them establish a strong reputation.
It's a business.
You're a number.
And when the bottom falls out, spines will show their true colors. Don't be surprised if that color is a sickly combination of blood red and yellow.
Sometimes the truth is a tough damn chew.
But if you're truly about the work, no one can strip you of that.
Your skin will heal if you remain steadfast and devoted to the only thing you have any semblance of control over.
The work.
The best idea wins. No special treatment. No pets.
It beats the crap out of bullshit narratives and mealy-mouthed promises. Team-building exercises, group vacations, and the company line.
At the end of the day, the work is all that matters and the only real reward.
领英推荐
Everything else is candy-coated bullshit and subject to HR's special brand of revisionist history.
Be careful who, or what you buy into, Sherlock.
No shit.
#theadvertisingsurvivalguide
Cameron Day has made many mistakes in his career. He shares a good number of them in his Advertising Survival Guide trilogy. Books One and Two are for the beginning and middle of your career, respectively, and are available through Amazon or hand-signed through his website. Book Three, coming out this year, covers the highest levels and the lowest behavior imaginable. Consider this just an appetizer. Welcome to advertising people, people. Cherish your dental plan.
www.iamcameronday.com
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Brand Communications | Creative Direction | Content Strategy
1 年One-way loyalty is exploitation. And it looks like the new generation of Ad Agency Creatives seem to have developed an innate immunity to the bs concept of employee loyalty... Good for them!
Cherish your dental plan!
Cannes Film Grand Prix/Cannes Film Jury President/Cannes Cyber Jury/One Show Agency of the Year/One Show Jury and Past Board Member/Emmy/Grand Effie/Grand Clio/D&AD Yellow Pencil/D&AD Jury/Ad Age 50 Top Creatives
1 年Cameron Day security always trumps loyalty.
student
1 年And don’t you love it when they say, “Nothing personal. It’s just business.”
Premium Ghostwriter | Microsoft Word Specialist | ex-Soldier | Dog Lover
1 年Totally agree. I got laid off from my first j-o-b in almost 20-years last summer and despite the flowers, chocolates, and "let's keep in touch" promises (figurative, of course) your priorities ain't theirs (and never will be). Admittedly, the soft music, dimmed lights, and whispered promises lull you, but a contract is a contract and in all honesty, this electricity ain't gonna pay for itself, so shut the door on your way out sharpish, will ya!