Over 40 in Advertising

I replied to a post in the Advertising bowl using only ’90s Beastie Boys lyrics and the OP didn’t get the reference

Hi everyone,

I am a Senior Art Director/Designer who wants to slow down a bit as I’ve been doing this for years. Do you guys have any recommendations for in-house or agencies that offer a good work/lif… more

Talk to me about your resume. How many pages is it? Do you provide and overview page and then go into more role detail? I’ve received conflicting advice.

Have you dropped any of your earliest roles or lied about years of experience? How old were you/how many years experience and what was the trigger? Kind of feeling like I need to reset the narrative a… more

Who's working for a company where personal growth is prioritized & you don't feel exhausted and empty inside after 2+ years of service? Am I looking for a unicorn or do these places exist… more

With the talent crunch in advertising out there, I wonder if ageist barriers might start to crack. If so, maybe we think about starting an information sharing thread here in places that are more open… more

Anybody here have long-term care insurance? What carrier did you go with? Any advice for choosing a policy?

Some thoughts. I am 50 years old. I did not go as far in my career as I thought I would, nor I made as much money as I wanted to. I don’t blame anyone. I went as far as my talents and capacity were ab… more

Ready to level up at work and need to figure out what's next. I've been gifted the opportunity to have meet and greets with various senior executives. It's a chance to introduce myself and learn more … more

Is it possible to ever make it in this biz over 40 as a freelancer if you’re not “amazing”? On a scale of 1–10 I’m a 7. Am I doomed?

I need a senior AD/AC/CD partner who can concept on TV scripts with a hot book to prove it. Week-long gig, maybe more. DM me your book for details.

I know this is Over 40 “in Advertising” but I’m wondering if there are people here in ad-adjacent fields (branding, marketing agencies, digital design etc) and if so, do you feel that ageism is any le… more

Ever have a boss / senior leader make a snarky comment about your age? How did you handle it?

Lots of dialogue about ageism of late. Interesting discussion—one person railing against the bias; alt view from a headhunter, “it’s not ageism, it’s salaryism (us older types too damned $$$). I can… more

Anyone considering teaching after they get aged out of the industry?

I turn 40 next month. Y’all throwing me a party? Also, is there some type of hazing event?

Anyone else find it amusing that agencies don't want permanent employees who are over 40, but when hiring consultants they want people with the most years of experience? I was forced into retirem… more

Remember when there were superstars in advertising? Campaigns you drooled over? CCO’s you’ve actually heard of?

Laid off last Nov. Have built up a steady freelance stream since and it’s working. Shit, it’s lucrative. But I miss being in the game. Can I get back in? Should I? Opportunities at my level seem few a… more

How are you doing? Are things picking up? Excited for the future? I'm getting many more inquiries than at any point in the last 2 years, with lots of interviews that seem to go splendidly, but the… more

After a pause of more than a few years, I decided to renew my print subscription to CA magazine—figured it might be a blast from the past to actually turn pages again. Looking at it, however, was mor… more

Thought I’d ask this here since I imagine there are a few of us who were laid off over the last year. I am signed up and scheduled to start making the Cobra payments May 1. I do qualify for the subsi… more

Be curious. Learn new skills. Stay relevant. What are you adding or looking to add to your skill set for the next sea change in advertising?

Anyone in this bowl ever worry that your house looks too nice on Zoom calls? I transitioned into this career late so I’m older than my peers and managers, and tho I don’t live in a palace, it’s a nice… more

Fellow 40s in advertising - the APG in canada is running a virtual event addressing ageism in advertising with some pretty great panelists. If you’re free on March 31, there will probably be some good stu… more

We all know it’s out of bounds for interviewers to ask how old we are. But I feel like a common chitchat question is, “Do you have kids? Oh, cool. How old are they?” Do you lie, or dodge? I pass for m… more

All that experience we have is actually valuable to some people. I made a few hundred answering questions about pitch best practices, and they have consulting opportunities across all kinds of business di… more

Today I was told "Don't be such a Karen" at Whole Foods (Chicago) for asking a Gen Z (20-something is Gen Z?) to move her cart so a grandma could squeeze between our carts.

I’m 40. Should I cut experience on my resume before 2010? I already took off my college graduation year. How else can I defend against agism? I’m not looking to make more than $220k a year - honestly … more

I got written up due to a millennial aged co-worker whose feelings I accidentally hurt during a meeting. I didn’t call the person any derogatory names or shout or do anything out of the ordinary. I ju… more

How often do the women here get routine mammograms? I had an appointment last March that was canceled due to the pandemic, and now it’s been more than 2 years since my last one. Don’t really want to g… more

Some brands that advertised during Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl:

AOL, Blockbuster, Radio Shack, Circuit City, CompUSA, Sears, HotJobs, Yahoo, VoiceStream Wireless, Gateway Computers