I know I’m supposed to make lemonade when life throws me lemons, but when you get a nice hefty sack of shit dropped on your chest, what do you do? Seriously. You’re having an ok day when all of a sudden you get three jobs that basically demean you to the position of official client transcriber because their copy is what truly works. See, this is the shit about having agency aides and in house employees newly arrive at your client’s offices. It’s not bad enough that the dumbfuck process was hard enough when you had to deal with 4-6 idiots, you now have the pleasure of having yet another fuckwad screw with your layouts, your copy, your everything because that’s what he’s paid to do. He’s not paid to help, aid, or make creative better. No, that would fucking make sense. He’s there to annoy the shit out of you, overrule any creative decision you could make or even think of making and of choosing the layout you like the least out of pure smite rather than objective analysis. Safe and stupid is how the client likes it and it’s more a matter of arbitrary budget allocation rather than anything that follows the rules of strategy or good taste, because heaven forbid that I just may have a fucking clue as to what I’m doing. But I kid myself by thinking that if you give your 100%, it’ll make a difference and I insist on wasting energies and putting forth the extra effort, trudging the extra mile and always to get shit on.
If by any chance you are a student and you think advertising is glamorous, read this and read this well: IT’S NOT. You are probably overqualified for the job you’ll end up doing and unless you choose your agencies carefully, you’re fucked. You will do shit work, have no money to do executions, you’ll always be wrong in the eye of the client and you will often find reason enough to go to Wal-Mart and purchase some gun on special to truly make a difference in this world. Your talents shall be used and exploited to sell shit people don’t need as if the consumerist societies we live in need any type of help. You’ll have great ideas, come up with witty clever lines and will possibly stumble on advertising solutions for your client, but guess what? They won’t want that because they know the best advertising to sell their shit. Oh and it doesn’t matter how responsible you are, you’ll always be late because someone fucked up, no matter how sharp you are. It doesn’t pay to be a go-to person because guess what? Someone will ALWAYS go to you because “they don’t know what to do” which truly means they don’t want to do the work but you’ll end up doing it cuz you’re stupid enough to think that it really matters.
You’ll work long hours at places that’ll fire you at the first chance they get. You’ll get sick, you’ll have fights with your significant others and you’ll neglect your pets. You’ll have gastric problems, you’ll drink too much and you’ll still convince yourself about the idiotic hoopla constantly fussed about this industry in college. You’ll cling on to anything to justify your salary and more often than you’d like to admit, you’ll approve something that is a total fucking joke.
You’ll have to make jingles, free standing inserts, emails blasts and countless junk mail bullshit that further promotes pollution rather than effective communication. You’ll have to change good photos for stock ones that not only suck but will be used by your competitors because no one wants to pay rights managed pictures anymore. You’ll ask friends for favors and feel worthy of Dante’s Inferno for having dragged them into this idiotic industry where work you do one month is paid for 6 months later.
You’ll have the blissful opportunity to eat pizza and shitty Chinese food while working extra hours for free. Oh and don’t order something too expensive, because even if you’re not charging for your services (which actually is a violation of your constitutional rights), they’re on a budget for your dinner. Saturdays and Sundays, don’t count with them on a regular basis because you are kidding yourself. Oh and you won’t get paid for those either.
Also, get ready to see the shittiest person hired for a job. Get ready to see second cousins of someone’s lovechild get ascensions and boosted salary caps just because of their ties to the person who unjustly hired them in the first place. Suck it in because you’ll see people scanning spics and negroes to hire so they can comply with affirmative action rather than considering them a genuine asset to a company.
Haven’t had enough yet? No worries, if anything there’s always a new thing to piss you off about your job because guess what else, lots of advertising gets prizes through negotiations rather than talent. Your work will most probably be meaningless in a few months time. You will have the awesome opportunity to meet dozens of new people every year thanks to a disgusting turnover rate and you’ll still meet people who are so coked out of their minds that they swear this is the paradise. Ah…. The advertising life. That’s what it’s all about. Wasting time, acting like what we do changes the world and kidding ourselves about our fucking reality day by day by day.
You will encounter countless people that say, “well I’m not a creative but if I were”, and they’re going to suggest something you’d want to slap their face for but since they back that bullshit up, of course it’s going to fly while your concepts will be shot down by the own agency.
It’s a fucking fallacy to destroy advertising because it doesn’t seem to be effective when it’s not even tested and when it is tested, it’s placed on a two week run with limited exposure and not saying one thing about it. You will dream about nirvana agencies where everything runs smoothly, no one fucks up, and interesting work gets produced. You will be frustrated because you’ll swear that your creative expression should be enough to carry a campaign, but that’s not true, and it shall never be. There will be a row of white collar dipshits playing devil’s advocate with your work and questioning each and every centimeter and letter of your layout. Your radios will be revised by the client because that twang in that person’s voice is not right, pay hundreds of dollars in idiotic revisions and never have one cent to do anything worthwhile. Have a great idea? No worries, they can always not present it because they’re not sure if it’s compliance ready or not. You will waste your talent until apathy takes you over or you have a heart attack. You’ll try to see the pro’s of advertising vs accounting and other jobs you know you’d hate even more but you constantly omit career options you could do. You’ll regularly remind yourself to be professional, to take it easy, to choose your battles and you’ll forget seconds afterwards.
You won’t matter for however much people insist that you do because no matter what, someone else will do your job and since your full potential shall never be utilized, then no worries, because someone half as good as you can provide the same material and guess what, that person will fight less and be cheaper which means kudos for the agency for getting rid of that problematic creative that insisted that he wanted to help our company when he consistently did the opposite of what he’s told. Who needs creative criterion when you should be taking orders. You live in an information buffet, a restaurant service where you serve the exact dishes offered. Don’t improvise, don’t modify, don’t even think.
You’ll see almost as much ass kissing as a lobbyist convention but you’ll snap from time to time and say, hey, at least I have a job. You will stop caring about your job and get sloppy at it. You’ll see typos, design mistakes, wrong pantones and the most clichéd garbage will start becoming your norm and finally your best. You will suck as much as advertising and you’ll have to retire at a few years after forty because you will be obsolete and won’t matter.
But still you hear naïve college idealists labeling me as a naysayer, a pessimist, a sour puss or any of another variety of names so they can kid themselves into buying into the bullshit this industry offers. True I might be generalizing and there might be great places to work at, but guess what, I still haven’t found that place and I’ve worked in five agencies. Perceptions of Ad Bliss get quickly dissipated because you meet people from inside the gutter who are struggling not to commit hara kiri.
Might this be the bombastic rant of someone who’s had a shitty day? Why of course; but that doesn’t mean I’m lying. So trust me kids, if you’ve ever wondered Why Advertising Sucks, just read our back catalogue and I’m sure that if you’ve worked in this shit long enough, you’ll find yourself nodding and swear you’re reading something from your diary or journal.
Cheers mates,
Here’s to a very needed venting
25 comments:
My god, that sounds so fucking familiar :(. I'm at work, and, guess what: I have to modify a perfectly good copy just because the client wants it like he wrote it. I tell myself to take it easy every day. Sometimes I fear I'll end up at some mental institute. But I still love the job - call it junior copy naivity, call it whatever. It's the people that suck, the job is awesome.
I might have to change that sometime in the future, tho.
Don't forget the part about not being a 'team player' if you disagree with any of this post.
;-p
Actually one is always entitled to disagree with anything that is written on here and debate is always an option.
In regards to working in a shitty agency or being a shitty creative, those are two clear possibilities. I'm not God's gift to advertising by any means. I just try to do my work hence this post being labeled by myself as a vent, not as factual empiric evidence of how everything is. Or more accurately, it's a combination of experience and anger generated at and from work.
Maybe this is my way of coping with the bullshit I got dished out during the week but I definitely agree that I need a better way to deal with said frustrations and not take things so personally.
However, if you did take offense of that bit about the racism, then sorry but that's how it is in some places. I wish I was being naive or making it up, but I'm not. I'm not saying it's like that everywhere, but I don't see why me commenting on it makes it obvious why the problem exists. It was mentioned as part of the rant in large part because of my opinions of how affirmative action is implemented and the things I've been in the position to witness. Sorry, maybe I'm also massively naive in my own way, but I take great offense at some comments and practices of our industry and I don't think ignoring or sugarcoating an issue is any way to solve it. The fact is that I know of people who literally scan minority resumés in search of compliance as an exclusive priority.
Yes some agencies do know how to treat all employees equally, but that's not the case everywhere and it's alarming to my shitty creative self to see it still be so clearly evident in more places than most would care to admit.
However, as to how you got to the conclusion I'm a shitty creative, I don't necessarilly know and it might simply be that I touched a nerve with something of what was written. This is quite interesting though because in your comment, the reaction was in essence telling me to shut up and not be a broken record about the same ol yadda yadda, which could be just as offensive to anyone who found themselves in such a situation.
Now, will I get to work in a perfect shop or will I stop sucking? I don't know, but I do know that as long as annoying things keep happening to me, I'll keep on writing not to speculate but to share my two cents. As with everything, some people can relate while others think I'm full of shit. No one is right or wrong, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I thank you for sharing yours.
Feel free to send a post, a question or email me at jokerwashere@gmail.com (that goes for everyone)... In regards to highjive specifically, I scanned some of your articles and saw one speaking of white students welcome in negro colleges and that is part of the correct solutions toward segregation. I'm not saying kill whitey by any means. I agree with you that minority outcries often fail because they omit white people from the conversation, which is retarded since it should be a general debate including representation from all sides.
Being Hispanic though, trust me I've been forced to swallow deep gulps of racism and "take it like a man". That it happens somewhere at a daily basis is a reality and that I get pissed off at how people react to it only makes me human.
The terms spics and negroes weren't used in the sense that I use said language to refer to anyone. That's just how some people see people of minority. Euphemisms though, anger me just as much because saying Hispanic when you mean Spic, and African American when you mean Nigger is just as offensive but you're forced to applaud the conquest in language while mentalities remain unchanged.
Again though, my thanks for your contribution and I hope you write again.
cheers
And by the way, it might be that you didn't know I was Hispanic and read the rant out of context which would explain the offended reaction.
Trust me, I'm tired of being looked at as if I'm a rapist or just someone who should be mowing a lawn instead of in an office because I'm Hispanic. I'm tired of seeing Asian friends from different countries treated as if it doesn't matter if you're from Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China or Singapore because heck, they're all the same. And I'm tired of seeing my black friends looked like everyone thinks they have a gun on them. It's a topic we've touched on before.
Joker,
If you are indeed Latino, you did yourself a great disservice with your words. To an unknowing audience, the slur looked offensive and racist. And it was—you could have made your point by saying something like, “…people scanning minorities…” Sorry, but White folks don’t get it when minorities use slurs (see Don Imus), and it leads to the general populace believing it’s ok to refer to others by those terms.
If you did visit my site, you damn well know I’m aware of the racial issues in the industry. I took no offense to your recognizing the problems. Your use of slurs and attitude seemed to support the bias and racism. Sorry if I misread your intent.
You do need to find better ways to cope with the frustrations. What are the positions of your creative directors? Are they hacks or are they striving to do better? If you are truly in a shop that consistently and happily caves in, you need to look elsewhere. It’s not a reflection on you if your workplace sucks. But it is if you stay and/or submit to the stupidity.
I posed the notion that you may be a shitty creative mostly to get your attention. It is a possibility, but I’m hoping it’s not the case. In my humble opinion, if you really want to succeed in this business, you need to realize that solving problems goes beyond writing a clever headline. Selling the work is as critical as creating it. Perhaps your clients are shitty. Few aren’t. But it’s part of our responsibilities as professionals to help them get better. I’m not idealistic enough to believe you can miraculously transform idiots, but you can probably do a better job of persuading them of your positions.
I never suggested that you suck it up and shut up. When you shut up, you essentially concede to the stupidity, ultimately becoming a hack. Submission is never an option. But knowing what the real problems are—and knowing which battles to fight and how to fight them—is critical to success. And to your personal sanity and well-being. Additionally, being a chronic complainer in this business does not lead to success on any level. Believe me, I’ve tried.
I would suggest you check out books by Albert Ellis to cope with your frustrations. You should also check out books on selling and presentations. Don Peppers wrote a good one titled, “Life’s a pitch. Then you buy.” David Kean wrote another good one titled, “How not to come second.” Most of these books are still in print, or you can probably find used copies via abebooks.com. And if you ever have the opportunity, try to get into a presentation seminar by Toni Louw (find his info online). Louw is probably one of the best people around to help adpeople sell work.
By the way, I’m presuming you could benefit from enhancing your presentation skills because the presentation of perspectives via your post demonstrated a need. In my opinion, that is.
Good luck.
Joker, it sounds like you should think about finding a less toxic position asap.
In Freaking Marketing I recently posted an entry, "The Case for Apartheid in Marketing." If talented people with their hearts in the right place stick together, we'll see less of what you described.
Well, I’m not delusional enough to believe Joker or Me are capable of making progress. But since it’s a slow day, I’ll type a few more thoughts.
Joker and Me may also be doing a disservice to their generations (presuming they’re among the younger generations). The ad industry, like it or not, is currently still run by Boomer hacks who think the rest of us are whining crybabies unwilling to sweat on the job. Rants like Joker’s only fortify the asinine misperceptions. Tired of the bullshit on the job? Do something about it.
Me misinterpreted my comments. Sugarcoating is for pussies. I think calling people out with racial slurs is for pussies too. You can call it edginess or honesty. I call it cowardice and ignorance. You’re just contributing to all the reasons why advertising sucks. Dr. Seuss would agree.
Hey, we’re all entitled to our opinions, right?
We most certainly are entitled to our own opinions, but again, the post was labeled a vent more than anything. Maybe the phrasing was out of whack or maybe the reading was, either way here's the current situation regarding my racial sensitivities, I am currently working in a place where I don't have to deal with moronic things such as was written in the post, but that isn't to say I haven't lived through severely foul moments which were the ones that once prompted me into looking for a better place to work in.
In regards to the phrasing, I used said language in an attempt at recreating the comments I've actually heard from people from Human Resources of two of the companies I've worked for.
As for my presentation skills, again, you misinterpreted the context. It was a post to vent out a couple of years of frustration that for some reason or another belted out in one cohesive albeit slightly incoherent flashback of a slap. What did prompt the outburst were your typical dumb moments during working hours piled up in a nice heap and offered to me throughout the four day work week. I coupled that frustration with pretty much anything I've had to live through and if I use, have used or will use racial slurs, it's to make a point and to get someone's attention, i.e. possibly you. You might deem the usage of said vocabulary as cowardice and you could probably make a case though I use said words to make a point and never just to refer to someone I'm talking to.
These topics are far from merely being of great interest and I was able to see that you most certainly give a damn about minorities and their representation in the media and of how we're treated in professional environments. Then again, it might be a simple case of this being the first post you read from us since we've touched on the subject other times.
In essence, if the comment looked, felt and read offensively, it was on purpose. I've been offended multiple times and though I have the pleasure of now working at a place where racism is actually not an issue, I have worked at places where me saying hello to someone from the cafeteria and making idle chit-chat is part of me keeping with my own and representing yo (actual comment by someone I'd rather not see in this lifetime again).
I totally agree that racial slurs are something many people don't understand but I'm regularly bewildered at people saying how good things have gotten in terms of prejudice. Simply because we use euphemistic terms, that doesn't mean that racism is not tacit yet overly present. It just means that it is merely disguised.
So maybe someone got offended by what was written; good. I'm glad, because it shows you care and it shows that you're doing something about it even if it was misrread. I've had the pleasure of working in minority programs and have seen the pros and cons of such programs. I've seen people take advantage of some distant relative that lets them qualify for a minority program or for scholarships that they don't need.
As for the position of my current CD and most people in my shop, it's great and none of us look at any other as better or worse based on race, creed or sexual preference. But again, that doesn't mean I haven't worked at places where it was an issue. I've worked in places where a hello is given, information is exchanged and hand sanitizer is used when the person leaves because they're so icky. By icky I might mean, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish, gay or all of the above. That's how some people think and act. It sucks, but it's unfortunately not made up.
As for us contributing to the reasons why advertising sucks with this blog though, I have to disagree quite a lot. As you said, we're all entitled to our opinions. As for scatalogical posts and rants stopping, it's either this, alcohol, drugs or meds (though I am looking into yoga). So our pardons, but our brand of madness will ensue. I do thank you however for your continued interest in exchanging thoughts.
All the best.
Joker
ps.: I must admit that the "if you indeed are latino" beginning did strike me as curious but for the purposes of anonimity, I can only offer some words in spanish and the hope that you'll take my word for it.
"Quien olvida los colores, los dioses y los sexos, recuerda que es humano, al igual que todos."
Cheers.
Eloquently put my dear Me, and I'd also thought of the Carlin example. That detail brings a very valid point, most of what was found uncomfortable with this post was the use of racial slurs when in reality, the line was almost an after thought in the post, included so as not to forget the bigot pissants of days of yore and maybe that's why it was missread. But I did think the topic deserved a bit more elaboration for the sake of debate and discussion. :)
Cheers though luv, life is good even if advertising does suck and may your first child be a masculine one.
ciao
On another note, I actually agree with what Robert Rosenthal wrote even though some might consider it a fictional Utopia. The main problem with that though would be defining what people with their heart in the right place is and ensuring that all members of that team fit the profile. About my toxic environment, well it could be I was just PMSing and needed chocolate.
About Eugen's comments, I also have bouts where I think I'm going to be institutionalized because you're trying to help and you just find yourself with clients that really insist on shooting themselves in the foot. Actually, I was telling someone not too long ago that advertising in theory is a wonderful job. The problem, as Eugen noted, is the people you have to deal with on a day to day basis and being creative, it's only natural that my nemeses should be the client and the exec, it's apparently designed that. But when you look at what we do and you try and think of having freedom and working as a team to build, maintain and promote a brand, it's actually quite fun. The day-to-day though, is quite far from the ideal.
And 'Make the logo bigger' (do you use any type of nick?), as you can see, you're welcome to disagree. The only time I can remember of someone not agreeing and being a nuisance was a while back when I said that there was a problem with unemployment and I was counterattacked with figures and statistics from the NY Times and other trustworthy infallible sources stating the contrary. It then became a debate of who's right or who's wrong when I know people who had a problem finding a job (I'm happy to report that's bettered a bit) but the gremlin instigating the conflict was just there to get his or her rocks off by just being controversial. Highjive however stated an opinion and stance and I hope the discussion has helped to clear a few things up. That we agree totally is not a given nor do I wish it to be a given, but I do appreciate critical minds. HJ stated an opinion, brought a few things to light and enough text to fill up four posts has gone into comments and discussion threads. I for one can't complain at the result from a documented Joker bitch fit. So feel free to join in :). Kind regards to all participants though.
Me,
Again, I won’t attempt to change your attitudes on anything. But take the final sentences of your last post, print them on a layout, and hang it outside of your cubicle tomorrow morning. See if you’re still employed by the end of the day. I suspect you have some talent. But you’re also a fucking moron. Don’t sweat it—it’s just a few words.
Joker,
You’re right that I’m not familiar with your blog. Not sure why you’re writing rants when you appear to have a decent gig at a decent shop, according to your statements. On another tip, if you were so comfortable using the Hispanic slur in your original post, why did you avoid the Black slur (opting for negroes versus the dreaded N-word)? Just curious.
Cheers.
I didn't avoid the word because I was afraid, that's just how it came out. Trust me, I don't dread the oohhh so nasty N-word. By all means, backtrack the catalogue, when we need to say nigger, we say nigger (and please don't ask when exactly it is necessary to say the n-word. It's never necessary and it is merely an expression). This time it just came out as negroes and the usage of said vocabulary is not based in fear, prejudice or latent bigotry, it was to make a point.
As far as the rant again, I had a couple of bad days and combined with other stuff, I felt the need to vent, so I did. I might have a decent gig, but that doesn't mean I don't have to deal with idiotic issues and crappy execs or clients from time to time. Pretty much this was a testament to make clear that the fantabulous world of advertising that is sold to casual observers is far from being the reality of our day to day.
Now saying that Me is a moron is out of line because in all honesty, she was just standing up for one of her own and I can attest for her talent, loyalty and commitment to good work.
As for your comments, it seems you are insisting in transforming what was said at some moment into a massive racial issue. Your blog has very interesting things, but it does seem like a slight obsession. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying that in a vent, a rant, a rambling of momentary frustration, the main thing was to show that advertising wasn't as marvelous a world as it is thought to be. This post was NOT about racism but you have deemed it to be so. Why? I'm not totally sure because I thought I'd made it clear that it wasn't about racism but it just goes to show you how far a topic can be changed with one simple comment and instead of mentioning or making references to other parts of the post, you focused on the slur. From said insistence, I could assume and conclude that you are also a fucking moron, but I don't because that's not true as evidenced by your correct use of grammar at the very least, not to mention a pretty well thought out blog.
I'm just trying to promote further discussion but I find that you just keep going back to the same line taken out of context and overanalyzed to an intense level. And actually, I didn't see which tip you made allusion to in the last sentence of your last comment, I simply saw you making another observation on a few lines of text that clearly made you quite uncomfortable.
I can't say it wasn't my intention to cause a stir, but I can say that it wasn't meant to be the primordial point of the vent/post. From this reaction, I can only venture to guess the amount of crap you've been dealt for x or y reason and it's great to show passion, but it's another thing to show an insistence on a topic that wasn't fully addressed.
Now, I truly find it amazing that you've never ever once had a bad day or a few bad days at work. I actually can't accept that notion because at one point or another, something, sometime, somewhere is going to annoy you. That more things annoy me than the average bear, hey such is moi. But I really can't accept that in your time spent working anywhere, you've never once questioned why you're doing the work at the place you are doing it. If that is and has always been your reality, then I'm overly ecstatic for you but from some of the fire of your remarks, that just doesn't seem the case.
Now if it's a post dealing with racism that you want to address, than you simply had to ask.
Cheers
This response is gonna meander, just tellin ya’ now.
;-p
Ha, yeah, I’m sorry as hell now for coming up with ‘makethelogobigger’ every damn time I have to fill out a response on TypePad, etc. MTLB is looking like a REAL good idea to switch to.
As for my comment, so much of what you summed up I relate to collectively over the years and was trying to find one thing I could add. It was in reference to the group think mentality in agencies–not this thread–where, if you disagree with the consensus in the room, you’re perceived as not being a team player.
(I was fired/let-go/they gave me the gun with a round already chambered from one agency, and a friend just let go from McCann for exactly that reason.)
That to me is the single greatest threat to creativity, the idea that design by committee is a good thing. I can remember sitting in my office going over layouts for a pitch with the agency pres, two account peeps, a writer and—speaking of handjob titles—the director of creative services literally over my shoulder.
A dipshit hack-agency lifer-writer wanted to see something on the page moved, which I knew would suck. I politely said it will be a waste of time for me to do so as I know it won’t look good, we've already tried. Several times.
(The kids out there will say, “why don’t you just go ahead and move it and make them happy.”) To which I say, because it wouldn’t be enough. It never is.
Especially as a sr. creative. My opinion should be such that you trust it. (I don’t come in and tell you what fucked-up words to write.)
That long story over a seemingly small incident is the heart of the problem though in so many places today. Creatives in account-driven agencies are pushed around by the account team.
And if you speak up, even just a little, you’re gone. In fact, that incident was brought up as one of the bullshit reasons I was “allowed to look for another job” the day they suicided me.
It's that attitude fostered by account people, who by their nature are afraid to say no to a client, that is also the biggest problem in any creative pursuit.
I may be old-school on this, but a team may help produce an idea once it’s created, but bet your ass that it was just an art director and a writer working together initially to come up with the cool shit.
And since the thread seemed to get out of hand regarding the original racial comment, my take may just be academic at this point, but I didn’t take the original comment that way per se, rather, I saw it as, “this is the kind of shit that goes on and that you experienced it, not perpetuated it.”
(I experience it with age rather than race), but the idea that HR scans for that kind of stuff to cover their ass, not because they’re looking for a person with talent. I get the code words all the time, “...someone with your experience would probably be better suited...”
They won’t ever come out and say the four-letter word guaranteed to produce lawsuits—age—but it's there under the surface all the time.
Having said that, I could see where what you originally wrote could be taken the other way too.
But, that’s just me. A white 40+ boomer old-school/new-school art director blogging.
¿Que se yo?
(By “It never is,” I meant, you would think that once you show them that it actually does suck by moving it, they would trust your opinion the next time out. Nope. We all know they’ll just keep going in that shrugged shoulder, passive-aggressive voice, “I know you said it wouldn’t work, but could we just see how it would look for a tiny sec?”)
That’s why my dream agency has no AEs.
Ah.. my dear MTLB, sorry until you get something else, you're going to sound like some trendy acronym named agency lol.
I can see your point on dissenting views and how that could get you fired. Luckily I haven't had to live through that bit, but it isn't unheard of. Basically if you're not one of us, we don't want you here and I don't know how people could accept acquiesce as a path to excellence, but hey, I'm a dreamer, n'est pas?
If anything, management by committee leads to half assed work, uncreative ideas, and satying safe just so everyone stays happy. I've lived through this many many many times and it was one of the things that made me blast off last week. Basically we got three projects canned completely because one person out of a group of six didn't like what he or she saw. Since there was no consensus and not everyone was happy, then we got shafted and not one exec put up even the slightest bit of a fight.
And I also agree 100% that it is never enough. So much that 10 options for headlines were discarded for a safe bullshitty headline given by the client because I missed the target. To my further shagrin though, the same job came with a revision from the client to change a word from their own headline and I was faced with the rhetorical question of wow, is it ever enough? And the answer is no.
There is an overwhelming amount of account driven agencies and I've worked in quite a few of them and it's always deja vu all over again with the same situations, the same comments, the same reactions and no one offers an iota of honest thinking and everyone simply bent over and said, the customer is always right while grunting and biting into a mongolian gag ball.
Creatives are rarely respected and often discarded as whacky people that help us get to the solution we wish to implement.
As you showed though, speaking up against that was reason enough to further justify a bullshit firing and that sort of attitude just blows. There are many AE's that are nurtured and conditioned to not say no once to a client and again, I agree that no matter how much of a team effort a campaign really is, in essence it is the product of an art director and a copywriter. It's not ego speaking, it's just a fact of how the creative process works most times. That anyone can have a great idea, that's definitely a truth but that's not the norm.
As for how you took the comment, that was how it was meant to be taken which shows just how deficient language is a way of communicating fool proof. As for you being discriminated based on age, that's another topic we touched once and might take up again.
Age and experience are looked down upon rather than taken advantage of. Their are liabilities rather than assets and I can't understand why. honestly, I say I have it tough, but after stating your age and the fact you've been at this a while, I know for a fact the pain in the ass processes you had to go through for an ad as early as the late nineties in some places. Setting type faced fonts on boards to take pictures etc, I've heard about these stories and instead of saying whoah, that's so passé, I appreciate the level of ass busting the old school people had to go through. Actually, a member from our creative team is quite past his prime, meaning that he's nearing his fifties and don't think I look down upon him. The sheer fact that he puts up with this BS is mindboggling but that he does his job well speaks volume of the man. Some people might say that he's too old school in his way of thinking when it comes to campaigns, but I can guarantee you that coming up with mailers, POP's, and interesting non traditional media, he's awesome and always goes the extra mile to offer possibilities of interesting things design wise. unfortunately, other people label him as a dinosaur and don't take him seriously asking when he's going to get fired so they can get a raise, and said chain of thought massively pisses me off.
But you have a point, HR people scan for race, sex, age and numerous other things so they don't hire liabilities, get paid a nice bonus and are considered part of the contributors to a young and fresh spirited agency, which means in essence, talented rookies that get paid shit and are fired once they turn a certain age.
As for ¿Qué tú sabes? Pues sabes más de lo que la gente se imagina. My thanks for reading and commenting man. Cheers and keep the fucked up posts coming, I enjoy reading the warped things you manage to find on a regular basis.
Cheers.
Wow, y’all need to calm down already. Based on the posts, you’re spending far more time obsessing over this than me. Hell, I may have even inspired your latest rant. You’re welcome.
Take a look at your original post and my original comments. Sorry, but the original statement that I reacted to was not clearly written. I read it as coming from someone who was endorsing discrimination and bemoaning affirmative action. Those statements have been repeated a lot by adpeople (mostly old school White Boomers) in the past year, and I’ll admit I’ve grown tired of hearing them. I won’t even bore you with the fact that affirmative action does not apply to our beloved industry.
Believe me, I’m not among the folks seeking to legally ban slurs. But you’re right to notice that I have a problem with the words, as they’re often used to lessen a person’s worth based on race and/or other characteristics that have nothing to do with nothing.
You claim the words are just words. But I doubt you’d react favorably if your bosses, clients and coworkers proceeded to use them when addressing you on the job—although we know they do behind your backs, right? At least I hope you wouldn’t react favorably.
Anyway, that’s all I have to say. I’m not even bothering to read your latest rant. But know that like you, half of what I’m typing is deliberate bullshit. Sometimes a lot more than half. I’ll let you wonder which half is which.
All the best.
once again, thanks for the contribution, the different take and the views shared. The only thing resented was mentioned before but I appreciate your candor. All the best and kind regards. Bullshit or not though, it's all about talking things through, even if they don't necessarily resolve themselves.
Cheers
Yeah, highjive, don't read his latest post. After all, you don't need to aknowledge someone else's arguments, you have something you believe in and that's that, you will not be convinced you're wrong or that you didn't understand. Not rationally. Not with arguments. You remind me of the guys that want to impose the study of "intelligent design" in schools. It's almost pathologic.
Joker, man, you're too mild with the man. If I saw someone that refused dialogue and refused to listen to reason/arguments, hell, I'd give him a big "fuck you, stupid" and be done with it.
But that would get us nowhere, and for some strange reason, I'm not in the mood of simple bashing for however interesting it might be.
That might just be a sign of unwillingness to engage in further conflict, or it might be that I'm too exhausted from fighting at work to keep it up here. Regardless though, simply saying fuck you stupid would go against some of my most recent points. So rather than being disingenuos, I leave it at that.
The point was lost in that case a long time ago, I attempted to clarify it and simply made it clearer for those who had already managed to get it in the first place. I'm content for leaving it at the comments written here and the extra post but further elaborating on the issue seems like a waste of energy.
A wise CD once told me I should stop fighting as much and choose my battles. I've simply opted for climbing out of the trenches on this particular battlefront because it's gotten to the point where people are shooting and engaging in conflict when they don't even know why lol.
Regardless, I totally appreciate the support. Like I've hinted earlier, venting and writing is a pleasure all its own, but having someone relate and enjoy what you write, that's golden. I don't expect to be a twenty dollar bill no one says 'no' to, I don't expect to be universally liked, and that's fine.
In the recent post, the last comment kind of proved the point I was hinting at and it's maybe just that some people aren't meant to get me and what I have to say because I expect people to read an entire post sometimes or maybe read between the lines. I'm cool with that. Regardless, I hope y'all have a good week.
Cheers
“Pues sabes más de lo que la gente se imagina.”
Ha, yes, well, more than others, less than some.
;-p
Because I’m Web 2.0 like that, let me just say on HJ's behalf—and he'd be the first to say he doesn’t need me speaking for him—that when it comes to issues of race, his blog wears it's heart on its sleeve for sure, but nowhere else in the mainstream pubs do I see a POV like his speaking out on the issue of race.
Sure as shit ain't gonna hear it from Ad Age or Adweek, etc. Unless of course it's that one time every six years that a senate probe gets people riled up. Even then...they do nothing.
Guess I'm saying everyone here may be closer on that issue than they are apart. All opinions are good, no?
My point exactly and the site does have various articles of great interest. That we disagree on strategies, tactics and approaches to an issue doesn't mean we disagree on the subject at hand. Hey, we're human like that and an opinion is always good because even if you disagree with it, if you're responsible enough, you'll try and look things from the other person's perspective and try to understand where they are coming from even if at the end you don't all agree.
I also do think that most major entities and publications do avoid the topic of race or put it up for debate in rather lukewarm fashion, consistently coming up with the answers they want to hear rather than the reality of an issue. That I take a more extreme or prick like approach to convey my point doesn't mean I don't support an issue though.
wow... we can make a blog out of the comments on this post. Interesting. It's been an interesting debate even if tempers flared here and there.
one can either rage against the machine, or mock it, switfian style. some choose to mock it.
to wit:
http://theawesomeworld.tumblr.com/
enjoy it. and if you cant, then do what i do. look in the mirror and tell your neurotic self you're damned lucky to have such first world problems. and then to back it up, go talk to a homeless person, a war vet, or a recovering junkie. that should also help.
You are completely right Reqfield (had to come up with something for a name). Perspective is best achieved by conversing with people with real problems. This post was actually a long time ago, but that doesn't mean it's partially relevant to me nowadays, so expect a revisit.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for reading.
Cheers
Post a Comment