Regrets of an advertising person

[Canis major]

It’s a thankless job, this communication addled with false aspirations, aimed at the hapless consumer; falsifying desire for need, and earning minus karma points in the process. So some of us jump at the opportunity of redeeming ourselves by working on a noble cause, be it UNICEF, WWF or NACO or any other organization that maintains a graceful objective to help mankind.



The promises of single malt writing excursions and redefining effective communication, or eccentric conversation of metaphysical liabilities and rear wheel drive V8 engines and Beckett sprinkled through our mindless conceptions, drive us in ever deeper.



Mr Hicks, haunts us during the day, ever hiding behind the RTB, shouting obscenities at us, as we stray towards those glorious lions, and blunt pencils and effective ROIs.



For us young creative, the thought of writing and designing stuff that we make believe is art in the cause of behavioral change, is solace, because somewhere down the line, the smell of brimstone clouds our judgment.



“I’m in advertising.”



“But what is it do you do?”



“I’m a creative.”



“Really. How come?”



“I make you feel that you’re inadequate and need what my client wants you to buy. Now I’ll go hide my face by smothering myself with a pillow. Thank you. ”

[Saumya]

Cmon. Its not all that bad.

I quite liked the creative bit. What got to me were the people.

[Anjana Kamat]

Thankless? the pay is quite good. What are you saying? Its soul-less. Not thankless. Read this thread.

[raja ghose]

Its thankless for client servicing. For creatives, who else would pay you like this, get to travel first class, live in good hotels, work with top talent?

[Priyanka]

I tend to agree with Canis. Its quite thankless. And often I wonder, why I do it. What is it that I do. If I stop doing is, who is affected? No one...

[Canis major]

Thankless? the pay is quite good. What are you saying? Its soul-less. Not thankless.

Nice adjective catch. Its soul less instead of thankless. Wrong adjective.

Well if you want money, then go do an MBA. If you want a comfortable mix, and you have your own considerations and values than fine. People are different.

What got to me were the people.

- True

Its thankless for client servicing. For creatives, who else would pay you like this, get to travel first class, live in good hotels, work with top talent?

True talent and I mean the genius, are very few and have a lot of conviction, advertising will never offer you the opportunity. If its money and all that that excites, then go for money. Go chase

I tend to agree with Canis. Its quite thankless. And often I wonder, why I do it. What is it that I do. If I stop doing is, who is affected? No one...

That's an existential and a very right question. Its nice people haven't lost it all.

[Canis major]

Thankless? the pay is quite good. What are you saying? Its soul-less. Not thankless.

Nice adjective catch. Its soul less instead of thankless. Wrong adjective.

Well if you want money, then go do an MBA. If you want a comfortable mix, and you have your own considerations and values than fine. People are different.

What got to me were the people.

- True

Its thankless for client servicing. For creatives, who else would pay you like this, get to travel first class, live in good hotels, work with top talent?

True talent and I mean the genius, are very few and have a lot of conviction, advertising will never offer you the opportunity. If its money and all that that excites, then go for money. Go chase

I tend to agree with Canis. Its quite thankless. And often I wonder, why I do it. What is it that I do. If I stop doing is, who is affected? No one...

That's an existential and a very right question. Its nice people haven't lost it all.

[Ek Kanya]

There is a part of advertising which isn't all that thankless. Its designing branding.

I design packaging, logos, letterheads. shop signages, exhibitions, etc. And its so satisfying to see it up there. The money is OK.

Canis is right the money is more in being an MBA. Perhaps in Finance. But at least I get to do what I love. I have left the agency life and am freelancing all the time.

As someone mentioned, the people got to me too. Bad filthy people. Politicking. Nosey. Frustrated. Unread. Shallow.

But I seek solace in my design.

[shantyarow]

The verdant grass always lies on the opposite bank.

True, advertising gets to you. The people. The idiocy. The greed. The conveyor belt of deadlines. The vaccuousness of winning awards. Lots of things, too many to list down.

On the more positive side, every career comes with its perils and detritus of damages. I've loved the fact that I could always be myself in advertising – no need to dress in a certain way, meeting the most interesting bunch of diverse people, working and understanding so many brands and industries and categories, writing for TV, press, radio, online (sometimes all in one day). And of course, the pay's been very decent throughout.

Each one of us should find our own mouthful of sky, and be content with it. The sellers always earn more than the creators. But they still can't do what we do.

A toast to all such regrets...

[Canis major]

This can be a very interesting discussion. I will propose an idea and we can judge. Maybe as student's of human behaviour, we need be consider philosophy an integral part.

I will write about labels, their phenomenological a anthropological meanings combined.

Let's see. Hopefully that will answer everybody's question

[JCSaiKrishna]

Well, I kinda feel the same as Canis, its not because of payscale or something but because I don't see advertising playing a role in betterment of a society.

At times, I do take advertising to shame because they are lying on consumers and fooling around. Advertising agencies are the companies with less embedded value systems, I haven't found any values-inculcated environment in any agency till now, because they think that doesnt act up on ROIs. If your agency do abide by any value system, please lemme know, I would be glad to learn for Window Square (our agency).

I do have a satisfaction of entertaining people with my ability to craft a communication and that's how I make myself happy for 4-10 hrs a day. On the flip side only god should know how many times I had lied as a copywriter through headlines and write-ups.

[JCSaiKrishna]

I second you.

I tend to agree with Canis. Its quite thankless. And often I wonder, why I do it. What is it that I do. If I stop doing is, who is affected? No one...

[Ek Kanya]

@JsaiKrishna: As I had mentioned [url=The business of advertising is to build brands. The business of marketingz & sales is to sell them.

A brand is a certificate of quality (and other emotional things). Imagine there were no brands. You go to an un-named shop and buy an unbranded tube of standard white toothpaste. You use it at home and your teeth fall off. How do you tell people which shop and which toothpaste to avoid?

The moment you identify the shop and toothpaste, you are creating brands. recognizable brands. advertising starts.]elsewhere[/url]:

The business of advertising is to build brands. The business of marketingz & sales is to sell them.

A brand is a certificate of quality (and other emotional things). Imagine there were no brands. You go to an un-named shop and buy an unbranded tube of standard white toothpaste. You use it at home and your teeth fall off. How do you tell people which shop and which toothpaste to avoid?

The moment you identify the shop and toothpaste, you are creating brands. recognizable brands. advertising starts.

Advertising helps. It helps the society by making products answerable. How would you know which Vaccine is better and which Aspirin doesn't have side effects, if there weren't any brands?

But yes. Sometimes, and often, we must take time out to do more direct service to humanity.

Are you willing?

[TruthHurts]

@Canis: Dude you are frustrated.

[Canis major]

@Canis: Dude you are frustrated.

Aren't we all!