Three big questions to ask of an agency

Posted by McCann on June 2, 2011

Back in August 2010 I switched careers from journalism to advertising. Now I’ve had the chance to get my feet under the table, here are three important questions to ask if you too are contemplating a switch agency side:

1) Will you get to know interesting audiences?

It’s an old cliché but a great thing about working in agencies is the opportunity to understand different groups of people and different clients’ businesses.
Personally, I’m working with a lot of mum-bloggers at the moment and have spent a fair bit of time getting my head around mums’ online behaviour. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I find it fascinating. No disrespect to any high-level ad execs out there, but after spending so many years interviewing you guys, I’ve got to be honest, it’s nice to have a change!

I’m pretty easily interested in any group of people really – maybe it’s because my degree was in sociology. Perhaps you are easily interested too? But if not, try and get a clear sense of the different groups of people you’ll be asked to learn about in your role, as it can be a really rewarding part of agency life.

2) What kind of staying late will be asked of you?

After finishing University I went to work for a music festival production company. Along with a crew of around 10 others, we’d sometimes work 20-hour days: putting up big tops, dragging around enormous speakers, driving fork-lifts about full of scaffolding, that sort of thing. Notwithstanding the excitement of working at music festivals, nobody minded the hours much.

That’s because it was a team effort with a clear goal everybody was working toward.
Just last week the creative department at McCann put in some big shifts. It was a good team experience, and reminded me of my festival days – except with laptops instead fork-lifts.

It’s a reality of agency life that long hours are sometimes required, and I feel for people who’ve got kids at home when they’re confronted with this. For me, I haven’t got kids (yet) and find the whole ‘team’ thing pretty rewarding at this point.

On the flip-side, try to avoid working back late, on your own in a deserted office, over-and-over again. It’s bound to happen from time to time, that’s just the way it goes. But if it sounds like that scenario could be a recurring feature of your role in an agency then maybe something’s not quite right.

3) Do account service ‘get digital’?

Before I worked in agencies, I didn’t pay much thought to the role account service and project management play. But these guys are the unsung heroes – the good ones that is! And it’s especially so when it comes to doing ‘digital stuff’ – as there is a well-known shortage of ‘digital suits’ in Sydney.
If your prospective agency isn’t making a concerted, tangible effort to help its account guys keep up with ‘digital’ then brace yourself for some tough times ahead.

I’m lucky enough to work with one or two so-called ‘hybrid-suits’ at the moment, we collaborate well on work and (I think!) do a good job; I would name them here, but head-hunters being what they are, I think I will refrain!

There’s a whole lot more to try and work out if you’re curious about working in the agency world – and the big caveat to the above is that I’m only just learning. Mind you, if I last the distance I have a feeling I will still be a learner ten years from now!

What questions would you ask if you were moving into agencies for the first time?

Author: Kevin Johns
Updated: 12th July 2011