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This is a frequently asked question on this forum.
Here is my take:
In a nutshell, the answer to your question is twofold. Account people either grow up to be equity holders in an agency and accept the realities of being in what is increasingly a fast turnaround project driven service industry; or they often move on to in-house or client side marketing leadership roles.
BUT - many others find their way into business development roles or sales with digital media, software, etc. Still others go into nonprofits in a leadership role.
Bottom line - they go into a field/position where they can use what they have learned, but in a more sustainable way.
What is not sustainable nowadays is being at a non ownership account service role long term. It eventually becomes exhausting & frustrating for most.
This is not meant as a criticism, but the reality is that many people kind of “outgrow” what today’s agency industry can provide - professionally, personally, financially.
The agency industry of today is a bit like pro sports. You get in young, can move up pretty fast if you hustle & are at an agency/client with momentum. Eventually, around 35-45, many folks simply choose a path that is more sane, time efficient, and lucrative. Very few people have 15 year careers in pro sports. Likewise, relatively few people decide to stay in the agency hustle to 50 and beyond, at less than the top level. Many people simply decide that the pace and competitive realities make another path more attractive at some point.
What Skills Transfer:
What you CAN learn in agencies almost better than anyplace else is how to learn industries, categories, consumers & brands quickly. You learn how to turn on a dime & shortcut process when a client project has to be out the door in 8-48 hours. You can also learn “the language of ideas”. Clients, ultimately, live in the world of “operations” - getting orders, products, etc in the door, processed, and out the door - on time and at a profit. Agencies live in a world of “a great positioning strategy/idea/execution”. Yes, agencies increasingly have to be very process oriented in order to be profitable & competitive, but ideas are our primary stock in trade. The creative (or media, or data science, etc.) output is the “product” and this skills have to be prioritized in terms of financial resources. Especially in an era of increasingly tight client compensation.
OK - making the move:
THE key is to try and get with a company/category that has growth potential. Being aligned with “an idea whose time has come” is worth a lot! Being with Apple of Netflix over the past 25 years has led to one kind of a career. If your were with IBM or NBC/CBS, etc., you have probably had a different career experience.
To be perfectly candid, one of the best ways is to move to a client or data/digital supplier that you are working on while on the agency side. The reason is because that these folks know you in a way that is beyond your resume/book/website, etc.
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. Look at emerging in-house operations at clients. There are lots of these out there.
3. Look at clients known for prioritizing great consumer strategy/ideas. It is places like these where your added value as an agency manager will be most easily sensed.
4. 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. I know you’ll make the right choice for yourself long term
This is such an amazing and thoughtful answer. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it
Is this from ChatGPT ? 👀🙃
No, it’s not.