I have an opportunity to join Edelman. But before I make my move, I have a few questions I wanted to ask -
For someone who is coming from a creative agency, how different is the nature of work in a PR-Digital hybrid setup?
And is Edelman a good place to flourish?
They seem to be very tech-forward. They consciously have been hiring folks from creative agencies, especially for their strategy team, to bring a change in thinking.
There will be people in the PR world rejecting what you represent from the creative world. Proceed with caution.
Worked there for 4 years about 10 years ago. To sum it up as best I can, if you come from a creative agency to a place where creative is one of many capabilities offered, you will feel the tension between the people who control the different accounts who aren’t on the creative team.
For example: If you land in a group where a strong CD is winning and executing creative, it will be a normal creative environment. If you’re on a team that’s getting briefs from VP marketers, you’re going to feel the tension of being treated like a transactional creative services group. I found that many in marketing didn’t understand concept and creative direction. “Make it pretty” was a pretty common directive. You’re experience will largely depend on the projects and your leaders, unfortunately.
Yes ten years is a long time but I think it’s a good thing to look into. I worked at an agency with a lot of problems. Left, and 12 years later went back - all new accounts, leadership, I thought it must be better. Nope! Same problems, same culture. Not necessarily the case w Edelman, of course. But sometimes a big ship just never turns around.
Which office? They’re struggling a bit to transition from PR people trying to do advertising to being an all-up creative agency, but they are hiring big hitters to make it happen. Friend who works there is spending a lot of time educating people on what brand strategy does
Singapore. So, I will be working with a lot of regional clients in APAC.
The PR world is extremely tactical. The get tactical briefs from clients and smaller budgets to work. It's fast and furious. No time for rigor. But they do get pressure about how effective their work is. Label yourself as an effectiveness person, rather than a strategist (although the two things are two sides of the same coin). If/when you prove you can help work be more effective, and sell work the agency wants to sell, they'll be more open to you in general.