Why do people work in ad agencies when brand side roles pay more and ask for less hours? Is it a prestige thing? I’m not trying to be flippant, genuinely curious. I just keep hearing horror stories of agency people working 60+ hour weeks regularly. No one in my family or peer groups work in the industry so I have no idea of what other people think of the reputation of these kind of companies.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

brand side means less creativity, usually. more investment in building the brand and business, tho.

it’s a balance, but most creatives get antsy and want to expand what they work on beyond a single brand. at some point, we get over that and want stability and more money.

likesmart

More opportunity to do more exciting things. More variety. More career growth possibilities.

like

Just seems like the positions are fairly standardized in agencies. Junior to mid to senior to ACD to CD to GCD to ECD to CCO. You can go from one agency to another easily as you hop on up the ladder and the job is the same at each once.
Client side, I may be a great copywriter on that one brand, but it seems less clear how you progress through different companies along that route. How do you grow? I dunno.

likehelpful

Agencies have more opportunity in the way of account diversity. Going in house means that your portfolio is likely all one brand.

I would say starting out gaining experience across multiple brands and seeing where your successes are is an important step before going in house.

like

What do you mean brand side? Client side? Or branding design shops? If it’s the latter, it’s definitely less pay. I actually think client side is also less pay once you’re senior level.

like

Exactly, at certain companies once you reach a high vp level, you can be eligible for a bonus that’s up to 50% of your salary

Everything above plus agencies tend to be in NYC, LA, SF, Portland etc while clients tend to be in Cincinnati or Dallas or Charlotte or something like that. 🤷🏼‍♂️

like

Unless you are inhouse in entertainment then there's a lot of diversity there.

like

Definitely not always true that brand side means more pay and less hours. Most of my clients are under intense pressure and work crazy hours with no real vacations or time off. After all, often it’s the client’s way of working that drives the way an agency team works. Plus, at least at an agency there’s variety of accounts and hope for something better/different. If you’re the client, your only option to change your circumstances is to find another job.

like

In-house tends to be more boring type of work. Not always, but mostly. Agency work can be much more interesting and fun, as well as the workplace itself. I’m generalizing of course.

like

Brand side is often less interesting and more of a "real job", with all the shenanigans and politics that come with that.

Agencies are more fun. The work is harder, the pay is often worse, but it's more you're freer to do things you might actually be interested in.

like

How many people who have responded here have both brand side and agency side experience? 🤔

like

👋

Selling products is their passion

it also levels off. you reach a certain level and it’s competitive but not for very senior roles. then you go into issues with title and comp combined.

No one will hire me brand side but agencies love me.

Same sometimes I think they look at my book and assume I’ll be bored. They’re probably not wrong.

like

Related Posts

What’s better, working for an M&A advisory group or doing M&A transactions in banking? I honestly have no idea what the key differences are.

like

Salaries for hospital and/or pharmacy billing in Indianapolis area?

like

Where do I start if I want to take therapy?

like

It’s funny - I’ve been rejected so many times in my short career. But when it happens, I still feel a small sting. Just got dinged from an interesting role - how do you deal with the aftermath?

How is the citi project in virtusa?

My tech stack: Java, spring boot, microservices, react

Is there any framework used ?

Please suggest

Thanks

like

Having my weekly crisis here. I feel like I’ve ruined my career by doing insurance defense at the same firm for 8 years. I’ve been aggressively job hunting for six months in this state, I previously took the bar in another state and was job hunting there for over a year. I haven’t had anything come up. The only options seem to be the miserable sweatshop ID shops everyone says to steer clear from. Thinking about a career change to selling cars so I can make more money. Really having a meltdown

likefunny

Is the dress code for consulting gradually changing? For the past 1 year, we were asked to wear business casuals to all the clients.

like

Hello fishes, looking for a Business Analyst role in Mumbai/Pune or Bangalore location. Have 1+ experience in Business Analytics and 6+ overall experience. Any referrals kindly DM.

Hi Folks ,

I am working as SAP Basis consultant having 2yoe . Can someone refer me in deloitte

Does anyone feel genuinely happy outside of work but then get severely depressed during busy season?

like

Anyone use a simple organizer for art comparison?

like

Provide a caption contest...make it funny 😁

Post Photo
like

Been in FDD for a year, want to move into IB (eventually, at least want to wait a few more months), but I’m not someone who has modeling skills. Best tips to improve? (Besides YouTube vids and what not).

like

Hello Everyone for band 7b what's the salary range? I hve been offered 18.2LPA CTC

like

You know what I love? Managers that tell you to do one thing and you do it. Then when a Client, SM, or PPMD questions your actions they go SILENT🙃. No support or explanation , and you’re left to defend yourself/actions. You ain’t Casper or a mute, so don’t act like one🗣.

likefunny

Personally, I like posts like this one a lot because:
- it forces companies to admit, you were never out to “hire the best”
- long-term loyalty to a company is completely overrated
- it’s finally “cool” to have hard skills and focus on being really good at them

Post Photo
likeuplifting

Career site development looking into Attrax, recently acquired by smart recruiters which we just implemented.

Any thoughts on formal career site vs. out of the box career page that's kind of basic?

Additional Posts in Advertising

Wheereee are all the ad agencies for ShowUsYourLeave on LinkedIn👀. Haven’t seen a single one post their dismal benefits yet….

like

Was asked for portfolio samples by a recruiter, but haven't updated my website in a while. What's better to send: PDF of work or just update my website and send the link?

like

Which agencies have sabbatical programs for years of service?

like

What's the deal with BBDO LA?

like

I think some agencies are using Covid as a smokescreen for making adjustments that were needed previously, but would have caused a riot. Not all. Just some. Am I crazy?

like

Current status: questioning every career decision I've ever made.

like

Out of curiosity, what happened to all the folks that panicked and cashed out their 401k in the middle of the pandemic?

like

Burning question: Laundry Service tried to counsel Papa John’s on potential media crises and John blows it like the idiot he is. Where was Edelman in all of this? Aren’t they the PR firm?

likesmart

Any creatives live in Las Vegas and commute weekly to LA for work or work part time remote?

likesmart

Any tips on how to get along with a coworker?

like

What’s blasting through your headphones?

like

R/GA layoff updates: 20 cut in Portland today, bringing stateside count close to 100 on the year. No official statement from Bob.

like

I made a decision to remove social media apps from my phone after having a hard time focusing and consistently getting overwhelmed by all the noise.

So what resources do you like to stay on top of social and cultural trends? I love podcasts and am open to ideas!

like

What's the email format for Facebook employees?

like

Has anyone/does anyone work for Synergy Medical? What’re their benefits like? How’s the work environment, etc.

like

I've been working in my role for 4 months straight out of uni. My pay is low and my work is easy. how long before I should look for a new job?

like

Politics aside (please), what's the strategy having ads set up like this? I've seen ones that are asking people to sign "happy birthday" to Trump. Is this really the best way to collect and survey?

Post Photo
like

Yall excited for all the cannes submissions taking advantage of this tragedy?

like

If we actually did move to a single payer healthcare system (Medicare for all) and companies no longer offered healthcare plans, would you switch from staff to freelance?

like

I was recently promoted and will be taking on a supervisory role; any tips for someone who doesn’t have too much experience managing someone?

likeuplifting

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal