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Who here have abs 😬
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Thoughts on having PMs manage media teams?
Favorite free item in your office ?
In West Philadelphia born and raised...
That Ram Ad??? 🙄
Rising Star
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Rising Star
Not suit-y, necessarily. But a grown up. Able to regulate their emotions. Able to understand and appreciate this is a business, not an art gallery.
Pro
The ability to regulate your emotions/expressing them in a productive way, is the key to every relationship. Wish I had learned that in my 20s!
Worked with plenty of quirky ECDs/CCOs. First one ever was co-President, and had to change the office attire policy because the rest of the office couldn’t be held to a higher standard when he came in with quicksilver bathing suits and sandals lol. The biggest challenge will be learning the non-creative parts, which I’ve seen some really talented creative people struggle with as they ascend. Such as managing/delegating resources, letting go of personal preference to empower team leads, and adapting to needs of business and clients (vs just shooting for Cannes on every single thing).
For what it’s worth, “quirky people” is a pretty standard trait for some of the best creatives in the industry, and that’s why you hire them. Out of the box thinkers are seldom boring vanilla types.
Greg Hahn & Lee Clow (when he was running the show for decades at C/D) have never been suite-y. That doesn’t mean these folks can’t have an adult conversation with serious business people. They absolutely can. They are both great salespeople of their agency’s work. Be focused on doing work that really connects with the target and stands out in meaningful ways, and you’ll be fine.
You can’t be anything less than credible. But how you do that is up to you. In fact, if you’re too much like a suit, you won’t have creative cred. So it’s a balancing act
I like my strategists and creatives a little weird. We need out of the box thinkers.
Don’t become an ECD or CCO. Use that quirky creativity to build something for yourself. Then become so goddam successful at it that CCO’s have to schmooze with you.
But, if that’s your dream, quirky is a superpower at times. Just make sure you make clients feel heard, supported, and help them feel confident in making bold decisions. Make your teams feel supported and empowered to lean into their own superpowers. And help them become leaders so they can manage clients on their own. Be a good person that people enjoy being around.
Or, be a narcissistic, charlatan who blames their junior teams, fails upward, and takes credit for everything their eyes briefly fall upon for 25+ years. Either way works.
At a big holding company probably. But those “CCOs” are basically account management anyway
Pro
Great post OP. I often wonder if I need to be more “normal.”
I interviewed a guy for a CD position who wore a truckers cap and ripped jeans to the interview. He was in my top three.
Be yourself. Maybe a tad more respectful.