What after advertising?

[basant kumar]

I am feeling a bit stagnated in advertising. what should I do after about 8-10 years in creative in this business? its a silly business which is dying in India, thanks to poor client relationships and unhealthy business practices. What are your recommendations?

[shikharkamat]

How about teaching? My father is an advertising professional and he teaches too.

[Allen Mathews]

teaching is not for everyone. many people are bad teachers. but true its a valid concern. I feel these days lots of us become CDs, ECDs at around 30-35 years of age. And then its a career End Of Line. Not everyone becomes an NCD, anyway thats too politcal. What then? Writers? Artists? Film makers? Its tough. If one HAD to become, lets say a photographer/film maker, then why start in advertising, and waste all those years of youth when one is capable of struggling? As you grow older, you cant take all teh humiliation that comes with struggling...

[antzfx]

Maybe, start a media/advertising school? If you are not an inborn teacher, hire someone who is.

Write a blog, be a story teller, sell icecreams, play with kids...

[kyarajesh]

advertising is a worthless career with a shelf life of just 10 years what does one do after that? and pl. don't talk about advertising school. don't wan't to dupe unsuspecting youngsters after being duped myself.

[shikharkamat]

Kyarajesh, why so much animosity against advertising in India? Why do you say it only has a shelf life of 10 years? (Im a college student and Im interested in pursuing advertising down the line)

[Saumya]

i tend to agree with rajahs. advertising has a shelf life of ten years and its a worthless career.

you start early, and move up till you are a CD/ECD. By this time you are around 35 and in the prime of your youth. Then you face a career dead end. Not everybody rises beyond an ECD. Perhaps ECD-VP. Fancy designations. Low pay. And then? Now you are 37. Now what? Same old shit. Worthless servicing people who are doing this because they couldn't find other jobs (obviously because they would get paid more in other fields doing the same thing, like in Software, Infrastructure, Hospitality etc). Also you are stuck to only two cities in India. Mumbai and Delhi. What if I like to love in Bangalore? Kolkata? Chennai? Hyderabad? Chandigarh? What if I want to move abroad? They don't want our brown skinned creatives. (its different that we are drooling over their discarded goras)

I am into art. Look at the quality of advertising art in India. It sucks. S*U*C*K*S. Show me one contemporary Indian ad/brochure/identity design etc from an AGENCY. IT ALL SUCKS. Small design shops are doing better.

Shikhar Kamat. You are better off doing something else. In this country, especially in advertising, you wont go far. Not as an average. If you are awfully connected, extremely shrewd and market savvy, are heartless etc, maybe you can do something. Else, no way.

[vikas]

I know someone who quit adveritising and has started a small Yoga Centre in Denmark

[antzfx]

I am not in advertising industry; but always wanted to 'get in' as it is more creative than the traditional jobs around.

I must admit that I am shocked to read the above comments.

Must be true!

I have one comment on the pay part. What I came to know in my 11 years as an employee is: except in a very few companies, pay is not that great as people think; including IT/technology/product companies. It appears that the same applies to advertising industry.

But the show must go on...

[kyarajesh]

youngsters with a good heart, please don't join advertising? you will regret it. talking from experience and good heart.

[Saumya]

@antzfx: the pay is not too bad in advertising.

the question you must ask is, what is good pay?

there are very good creative directors in Mumbai/Delhi who make about 25-30 lakhs a year. Average ones may make about 13-18 lakhs. I know ECDs who make about 40 lakhs a year. Then there are NCDs who earn about 60lakhs upwards.

when someone gets 25 lakhs a year., thats the C-To-C meaning cost to company. That includes salary, HRA, benefits, Providend Fund, Gratuity, Medical Leave, Paid Leave, LTA, medicals for dependents, annual performance benefits, annual bonus etc. So that person perhaps takes home about 1.2 or less lakhs a month after tax. Thats not too bad money. One can live a good life. The only problem is abnormally high cost of housing in India.

My friend has friends who earn many times these amounts in companies like Google, Microsoft, SAP, Wipro. Again some friends in Reliance do not get paid too well.

The thing is, in adveritising, you have to leave by the time you become ECD, earning about, lets say, 25 lakhs annually. What do you do then? You are 35. If you were in the client's side, you could still be employed, and earning well, till perhaps 55. Have you seen a 52 year old creative director in India? Again, lets talk average people.

some say there is more money in being an entrepreneur. But take into consideration the risk, the 24X7 worklife, dealing with eeverything from tax to rent to employees to legals to branding to marketing to strategy... too much work. And unless you are earning a really fat sum for it, perhaps its better to be in a job.

[nzhirkov]

start your own agency. start a restaurant. teach. become a fisherman. photography. open a dharamshala. freelance. consultancy. creative consultant. farming. do anything. do something you always wanted to as it seems advertising wasnt your calling. was that a rhetorical question?

After 8-10 years, its hard to believe you are running out of ideas dear friend.

[antzfx]

@Saumya:
Thanks for the elaborate reply. It appears that advertising is not bad in terms of pay!

[Saumya]

@antzfx: no, the pay isnt bad at all. plus we get good benefits like the top cds fly business class, stay at 5 star hotels and also get sent to Cannes. Not bad at all

but not for too long. Too many people I know, in their late thirties, early forties are struggling to retain their jobs.

[TruthHurts]

why think of leaving? continue til you get a chair in the board. Piyush Pandey could do it. Prasoon Joshi could do it. Josie Paul could do it. So many peopel could do it. Why not you?