Ad people need to market themselves better in the New Normal. Why? Because you are going to get fired. Almost everybody in the advertising business loses their job at one time or another. Rarely their fault but the New Normal is not fair.
I have read that there are fewer people in the industry than prior to the Great Recession. I doubt that is because many of those people retired.
The Advertising business has always been a young person’s game. The average age is 38. Don’t let that scare you. I am still in the game and a couple of years older than that but I have been successful at reinventing myself. My good friend John Vrba is still wired into the game and is 94. You can follow him on Twitter.
We all know that Ad People Aren’t Normal which is why I have always loved the business. There is even an Infographic confirming that. Sure they participate in social media more than the average person but that is not enough these days.
Ad people need to use that talent to promote themselves. They need to network more for sure. Have their own personal business cards, websites, resumes that look like the infographic above and better LinkedIn photos. The might want to post a few more updates on LinkedIn. They are surrounded with the talent that can help them but few take advantage of that.
I can see why many ad folks aren’t very good at marketing themselves. They often don’t have good mentors. Many agencies pride themselves on being Cobbler’s Children which isn’t very smart for agencies or people.
What triggered this article was the fact that a local agency recently lost a long-term large client. I got some emails. Hey can you help this guy? Really a good guy. Has a young family. Sure I feel the pain but I can’t empathize a job.
I saw it coming for years. Why? Because it’s not my life. The agency was dominated by one client. They really didn’t have a local dedicated New Business person. The writing was on the wall. First they lost the media. Then the digital part of the business went away. That was a clear shot across the bow that the end was near. When you lose the future good things aren’t going to follow. Did the people who worked there see it? Maybe yes maybe no. We all want to hope for the best. Did they get ready for the future? Probably no.
However all good marketers know that you have to prepare for the worst. When I was a young puppy in Canada I got a lesson about the future. The agency had a cornerstone client what was shared around the world with another agency. Things were good. As I remember the story around Christmas the client was having a party for the agency to thank them for their great work. He got a call from the head office in the States alerting them that there had been a global realignment of the business between the two agencies. It was based on some global financial compensation arrangements and nothing to do with performance he was to fire the agency I worked at.
An early lesson. A harsh lesson for my friends who were gone. But one I never forgot. That is why if you Google Hank Blank I own it all. What do you own? Are you ready to get fired?
You can connect with Hank on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/hankblankcom
Follow his updates on twitter: @hankblank
Like Blank and Associates on Facebook
Watch a video called Why Agency Principals Need to Get Out of the Game.
You may also enjoy these articles:
Creating an Agency Culture in the New Normal.
How else can people market themselves Hank? Perhaps the subject for a future article.
Great share Hank!
Self marketing or promotion is about sharing ideas, concepts, and strategies. And establishing credibility — not gloating about past achievements.