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I’ve seen a steep decline in freelance opportunities since the fall of ‘22, so yeah, it’s been a rough haul. One I’m done with.
I’m moving on from advertising and focusing more on my new venture, and it feels really good to leave this industry behind.
Bye, bye advertising.
Art 1, I’m starting my own business. I’m gonna keep the specifics under wraps until I get things really going, but will say that it’s in my AD wheelhouse.
I aged out at 57. No more fight after Covid. Had a great run and planned accordingly. Unfortunately, only John Wren and the ilks get to retire from this industry. I don’t even recognize this industry anymore. Seems like it’s one giant color by numbers exercise.
Definitely plan an exit strategy. Be in control of your future. Don’t leave it to the pencil pushers in New York.
I saw the writing on the wall. The shift was very apparent. Fortunately I had amassed enough in retirement and other streams to say good bye.
For those who still have a lot of the career ahead of them, I suggest you consider what makes you happy and if that means you taking a step back to take a big step forward down the road, do it. The ad game within a holding company has changed. Thinking it will change back is foolhardy.
To millennials and GenZ reading this: save some money and consider buying an existing business. Use your ad knowledge to succeed at it. Boomers are retiring in record numbers and their kids don’t want to take over the business. You can many times negotiate an owner finance, or 15% equity stake, SBA loans can make up remaining balance. I sold my house. I could barely afford to finance buying a business and it’s been pretty good six years so far. Not without its challenges but better than the unrewarding ad grind.
I would definitely like to hear more about this.
I’ve pivoted into consulting, working on both agency and client side. I focus on the aspects of the industry that I like, while trying to minimise dealing with politics. So far it’s a workable balance and life is more pleasant. But the industry is under massive change and turmoil. Holding companies think they have the answers but keep effing things up by trying to be everything for all clients, rather than doing fewer things, better. And clients have gotten more transactional, looking for short-term wins rather than long-term growth, treating their agencies as vendors rather than partners.
It’s possible they will be forced into reappraising things as they fall apart.
Can you blame clients?
Agencies used to make work. Now they make decks and pay loads of employees to make fluff.
I just did. I quit my job a month ago without having anything lined up. I couldn't take the pressure anymore and I had a lot of money saved. Now I'm traveling for a year while I'm still young. I'm planning to open my own business when I get back and it won't be in advertising
I paid my house off and now drive a forklift at the airport. I also get ridiculously cheap flights to nice places other than LA where advertising used to send me.
Many in their 40s and 50s who have been forced to work freelance. The work's not out there like it used to be and I hear too many stories about creatives drastically lowering their day rates just to have some money coming in.
A friend and former CD went into real estate.
I know several CDs who have gone this route
I'm getting ready to transition into a non-creative healthcare-related role.
Yes! A friend of mine (account) left advertising for good and became a nurse. So happy for her.
Yes, but it was in an early nineties slump. Left to create a golf apparel brand. Didn't know anything about golf, didn't know anything about apparel. But I knew about niche marketing (thanks FCB). Came back to agency life after 9 years, but what a ride. https://www.londavis.com/planet-golf
I realized this industry will not getting better anymore now . Especially in here China. At my age of 35 I definitely agreed with this 'advertising is for young people'
Damn, 35 IS young. Unless China has different standards.