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I left big agency, and it was one of the best decisions for my mental health and personal life. If you still want to do agency, try things such as medium-sized, independent, boutique, etc...or just go in-house! Large agencies are a mess right now and an amalgamation of depression and anxiety.
There will be agencies but they will just be vendors. Even now clients only care about how cheap and how fast things can get done. The idea of an agency doing "our kind of work" or setting the schedule ourselves is just laughable to clients.
However it does seem like (at least for now) when a client tries to go in house some debacle--or at least pretty shitty work--happens. So we still have that.
Personally my solution is for everything to get blown up, then rebuilt without holding companies. The fees clients HATE paying right now are mostly the kick ups required to keep holding company execs in their summer homes. I kind of dont blame clients for thinking its ridiculous.
I'm sorry VP getting laid off sucks. Look at it like a creative opportunity to pursue something new - go in-house, try a new city, maybe come work for us or another tech company. You got this!
Thanks S&S1. Just got laid off and trying to wrap my head around things so your help here is really appreciated.
Martin Sorrell was just laid off so I guess things don’t look very good
I have been at big agencies for the last 20 years and I can say confidently that it’s over for them, creatively. As stated, the best are going in house or just finding something far more interesting and creative than what goes on at an agency. Marketing is changing drastically and the client is no longer the boring saps in cubes. The best businesses are being run by entrepreneurs with ideas, a sense of culture and more of a finger on the pulse of culture than accented planners at agencies. I highly suggest running toward the future of in-house positions at more forward-thinking companies
Just got laid off and don’t think I can stomach this anymore.
Yeah they are going to die off. I just made the switch to a production house that is working on becoming more creative and hiring creative directors, art directors and writers. It’s business model is set up for success compared to agencies. All they do is project to project basis work. Which is something agencies can’t take on very well and can’t hire properly for. Also they don’t require the typical agency fees on top of production costs. Places like the mill and other production houses doing creative type work, working directly with clients will be the future. Or at least one type of the future. There will be others as well, other than production houses
If a creative is only as good as their last idea, then ideas can be formed anywhere. From media agencies to consultancies to in-house. In my opinion, the creative agency model is the most flawed in our industry
I had dreams of working on films more, but usually in film art directors are no the same as they are in agencies. But this opportunity is allowing me to do just that. I thought the same thing, if I were going to leave the big agency/agency life that I would want it to be something different. And so far I’m really loving it.
Thanks FCB1. I actually had a meeting with a production company yesterday to talk about content creation and it was really interesting. I like the idea of get in and get out.
I think the reality is that there will always be a need for a range of different type of agencies, along a spectrum. Big established agencies won’t disappear if they continue to do good work. It is definitely harder to make money now though. I see the biggest shift likely to be toward brand experience agencies progressively picking up the lead agency position with clients over ad agencies. CX leadership a more important driver nowadays than previous and in the future will lead any comms brief, not the other way round.
I think they will pivot but not go away.
I think revenue decline over the past few years says everything you need to know.
Get out while you can
Good marketers will always value insights and ideas. Everything else can be commoditized. The big agency world has spent to much time grabbing anything billable and put most of its effort into busy work that almost anyone can do. The future is in thinking and bringing it to life.
@SE1- thanks for you insights. Definitely thinking in house.
@AT1 I don’t know what your agency experience is like, but the smaller agencies will work you the hardest. I’ve been on both sides. That being said, I would rather be working for a small agency. Just my opinion. Different strokes for different folks.
I totally agree with BBDO 1!!.