Moving to the Client Side – Part 3

"Culture shock –It's a different world out here, and maybe you're somewhat on your own."

The truth is, you are never truly on your own on the Agency side; there is this camaraderie between the Strategy, Creative, and Account Managers. Everyone is on the same page about landing that new client or ensuring the next campaign launched slaps and gives bragging rights. So, you are not alone; everyone works hand-in-hand to get the job done. The late-night work, extra weekends, last-minute "aha aha" moments, etc., are part of the thrill, and you are not alone. Of course, this isn't in isolation from the healthy rivalry, beef and bant, with a mix of subtle "gbas gbos" here and there in a typical advertising agency.

Now, on the Client side, things are way more structured, with bureaucracies and a million and one corporate guidelines. These bureaucracies can be constraining sometimes. Imagine longer approval processes, more bogus workflow patterns, etc. Handling projects and seeing to successful execution is solely your responsibility regardless of the internal/external intricacies on the job. On the Agency side, everyone comes on board to see an outstanding result of their project by playing their unique parts – strategy, creativity, planning, budgeting, etc. However, on the Client side, you will most likely double-up roles as a strategist, creative, project manager, etc.

Another thing that is evidently different on both sides is the way of life. The Agency side is mostly very vibrant, energetic and filled with a youthful vibe. The older ones in the system have "no wan gree". In comparison, the younger ones are usually the life of the party anytime, any day, influencers of the latest trends, slang, eat-out points, bukkateria options and silly Tiktok trends to recreate, lol. You can feel the general youthful and closed-knit vibe of agency life, even in the way everyone dresses up, talks, and relates to one another.

On the Client side, the atmosphere is generally more formal and structured, with the corporate culture permeating everything. However, this can vary from team to team. While some may have the opportunity to strike a balance between the vibrancy of agency life and the formality of corporate culture, others may not be as lucky.

We're halfway through the series, and I'm eager to share the next part with you. So, stay tuned.

Before you go, if this is your first read of the series, you can catch up with the previous ones here and here to get the full gist. Cheers!