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Thoughts on Laundry Service as an agency?
newly-promoted ACD salary in NYC?
What health/pharma agencies are in SF?
Going in house is the move, right?
What’s the WLB at Droga like?
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Also same. Should we all band together and just buy a farm or some shit
i am in
I've done both agency and client sides.
Understand that in the final analysis, agencies generally live in a world of "ideas" and clients
generally live in a world of "operations". This reality sets up the difference in the work experience.
On the agency side a person will learn more & faster early on. You also learn across so many categories. On the client side, marketing communications & production is not the center of gravity.
Usually the business units are product/ operations/finance led, so your longer term promotions will be capped.
Net - on the agency side, even as a producer, you have been closer to the center of what they do. On the client side, you are working in support of what they do.
On the client side you usually won't have fight to get "in the loop" on briefs & getting to the decision maker. WLB is generally better on the client side, and you may make more $$ on the client side, unless you get to the top of an agency.
The client side is not as "fun", because they live in more of a "what did we get sold/produced/ shipped today" mentality, and planning for how all this is going to happen over the next 3-6 months. Being into culture & trends is usually not their focus. At an in-house agency, it is, but it's different than an outside agency.
Of course, all of the above can vary by client and individual.
Either side has advantages & disadvantages, based on how an individual is wired.
OK - making the move:
In all candor, if you are currently a producer, going to a client will likely not lead to a brand management leadership role. They are recruiting for different things in those positions. Of course, if you want to go back and get an MBA, get “reconsidered” and then start as an assistant brand manager, etc., then that’s another thing - but the money and time commitment to do all this is heavy.
To be perfectly candid, one of the best ways is to move to a client that you are working on while on the agency side. The reason is because that client knows you in a way that is beyond your resume/reel/book/website, etc.
As a producer, a couple of other approaches are to:
1. Focus on client side categories that you have worked on (once again you are able to credibly discuss the business dynamics of the category & the competitors).
2. Beyond existing in-house agencies, look at emerging in-house operations at clients. There are lots of these out there. Could you even help start one for a client?
1. Look at clients known for prioritizing great production values across the board. It is places like these where your added value as a Producer will be most easily sensed.
2. Be aware that clients can change their mind.
While in-house creative operations are generally continuing to grow, Keurig Dr. Pepper just announced the closure of their entire unit - and it was highly regarded.
Hope this is helpful in getting you started.
I know this isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, but a lot of larger companies have in-house agencies (Clorox, Disney, LEGO, etc.), which could be a good way to get your foot in the door. Might be easier to start off as a Producer there and transfer to a Brand Manager role.
There’s usually better work/life balance at in-house agencies
Also following! I’m a producer too. I feel like our jobs are slowly getting eliminated. I’d think brand side as a producer first, then crawl your way into marketing within the company.
That said, I also know I wouldn’t like being a client too much. It would be as bad as or worse than being an account person. Lol
How do you feel producing roles are getting eliminated?
I guess a lot of us are considering this