Tips for Working for an Ad Agency

Large or small, ad agencies can offer a lot of great experience. However, that being said they can also be some of the most aggravating places to work. They can be very intriguing, so it is not hard for them to get a pile of resumes to choose from. If you are looking to work for an ad agency, or maybe you are thinking about leaving your agency to work for another, here are a few tips to consider.

In my opinion, non-compete contacts have gotten a bit out of hand, so it is important to take a deep breath before you sign and consider negotiating what you are about to sign. Of course it should be said that these are my opinions and I am not a lawyer. These are a few things to ask for:

Ask that the geographic reach for the non-compete be less than 30 miles. This is a reasonable amount. Honestly in today’s world geography is really not an issue. Companies can go global with the click of a button, but many agencies are lagging in their tech awareness and still want to enforce a 50-60 mile radius for the non-compete. If they won’t negotiate, you may want to reconsider the offer.

Non-competes can be very general in defining the ad agencies market. It is important that they define what it is that they consider their market to be (i.e. are they focusing on small business, medium or large companies; do they build Web sites; can they design software; are their niche industries they work within; are they business to business or business to consumer?

This can help you have a wider selection of groups to work for after your departure. This is because if you want to work for an agency whose market is definably different than that of your former agency, you are just fine working for the “competition”.

If they just say “advertising and marketing” as their market, that is not good enough.
Ask that the non-compete not go into effect for 120 days from your start date. This will give you enough time to determine if the company is a fit. Turnover is very, very high in the agency world and you don’t want to be pigeon-holed as soon as you step foot into your new job.

Ask that your role be defined, and in writing. This is really for any job. Make sure you know what your role will be before you start the job.

Get your bonus structure in writing. This also includes how long they hold your bonus; if the structure is different based on type of project; and etc.

Ask what their creative process is. Why is this important? Because if you are a creative person with great ideas, the last thing you want is to be cut out of the creative process and just delegated work rather than being involved in the process. Trust me, your creative spirit will be crushed and you will be totally bored with the work, so address it up front.

Ask to see their portfolio of work. This will give you an idea of what their design, copy and other abilities include. I could have kicked myself for not doing this in the past. I have gone to work for an agency whose work was so bad that I vomited in my mouth a little once I realized who I was working for – totally no understanding of white space, horrible copy, Web sites that were like brochures, etc… Learn from my mistakes!

Ok, so maybe you are already stuck in a non-compete and feel like you are chained to your desk, well here are some resources.

Great resource!
http://www.breakyournoncompete.com/

General Non Compete Info
http://employeeissues.com/non-compete_agreement.htm


Non Compete Lawyer Insights
http://www.myemploymentlawyer.com/non-compete-covenant-FAQs.htm

Break Your Non-compete.com offers an outline revealing defenses to help an employee break a non-compete agreement.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_11_47/ai_94161935

US Dept of Labor
http://www.dol.gov/

Is it me or are ad agencies going out of style?

Just wondering because I see more and more clients dropping their agencies. I have worked in the agency world for a while and nothing is more apparent to me than how so, sooooo, many agency people want to sell what they think is best. Hello, McFly… just because it looks great or sounds cool doesn’t mean it will deliver the return that the client wants. And here’s another concept: just because some new technology was in Adage last week doesn’t mean your client needs it.

Here’s an idea, listen to what your client really wants. Then solve their problems instead of selling them something you want or need to add to your portfolio.

I went into another market down south a month ago and was astonished at how shitty the marketing and advertising was. Then, I realized that I had to stop myself. Who am I to say something doesn’t work? If the bar is set low, why should someone come and raise the bar if the same old shit is working? And why would a client listen to someone selling something they don’t have a need for yet? It’s like asking for inflation to take effect early.

I do believe that this thinking and the shifting media landscape will kill off a lot of agencies and force them to go into project mode. There will be an agency revolution and I believe many new agencies that get technology and efficiency will become the leaders of our agency world.