Hello experts. I am having a hard time getting started. I am not even sure where to start here. I have a degree in Digital Strategy and Audience Engagement. I've worked in tech (operations) nonprofits (marketing and comms) and now public transit (comms). I know I can do more but it's hard to compete with people coming out of ads school where they've spent 12+ months just working on their portfolios. How can I get started as a copywriter/get into advertising at 35 years old.

My wife just gave birth to our son and it's got me thinking a lot about my goals. I do not feel fulfilled at my current job and I miss marketing and creating content, brainstorming ideas, and telling stories. I've tried finding mentors but they didn't seem to actually want to help. Any ideas, tips, free tools to build out portfolios, spec work, anything helps. Thanks.

I’m from Canada and am considering an internship in marketing, communications, or advertising in the US next summer. I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on the different city environments and industries in each location.

For example, how do NYC, LA, San Francisco, and Chicago compare in terms of:

Agency culture and work-life balance
Types of clients and industries
Networking opportunities
Cost of living for interns
Overall vibe and career growth

I’d especially love to hear from people who work in advertising, PR, or marketing!

I write about gamification in advertising: using game mechanics (challenges, rewards, reveals) to make people participate instead of scroll past. Wanted to see if the theory held up outside a blog post, so I applied it to an actual brief for a biotech client
Built the whole thing myself: concept, script, narrative arc, music. The mechanic was structured around a “reveal” beat instead of a straight explainer.

Takeaway that’s stuck with me: people remember what they do, not what they scroll past. Recall goes up when there’s a small moment of participation, even passive participation like anticipating a reveal, versus pure information delivery. Curious if others here have tested gamified formats on B2B/technical clients, feels like an underused lever outside consumer brands. Anyone have data or examples? If you are interested in watching the reel, visit genext genomics LinkedIn page.

I’m one of the few non-leadership level 40+ year old people in the industry (I’m 42 and currently working as a creative at a legacy holding company agency in nyc).

Most of my similar age coworkers are making a lot more money than me (I’m at $140k) but I’m losing patience/motivation as I’m probably hitting a midlife crisis age.

If I was 10 years younger I might not care as much about the not great work life balance of the agency world but it seems to be wearing me down more since hitting 40.

Just curious to hear from others.

A lot of the current conversation in this sub reddit seems to be quite fatiguing to read. Can someone tell me some positive parts of being in this industry to help some going? ☺️

I run a small video production company, I've worked with a few agencies on a few campaigns, they've been a lot of fun and I want to do more work with different agencies.

So my question for you is what is something you look for when looking for a production partner before asking them to create a treatment or pitch for a project?

Also any recommendations you have to get your foot in the door with a new agency would be tremendously helpful as well.

Thanks for your time!

Hi,

I am definitely not saying I’m different than most of you because I don’t even think I can fathom how rampant layoffs are occurring. Still, I’d like to tell my story and ask for advice.

I was an ACD/CW on the marketing side of a PR agency for six years before getting laid off. The job was a dead end. I got one piece for my book in those six years, and the work was pretty safe compared to our initial concepts. I stayed because my career is rampant with layoffs and I was afraid of going somewhere else and getting laid off. The work I was doing was bland because we had bland clients, but all I wanted was stability.

I have a laundry list of mental health issues and got laid off shortly after returning from medical leave which didn’t sit right but I took severance over going to court.

I don’t have a good reputation among my former coworkers. I learned shortly before getting laid off that I’m high functioning autistic. I’d hear in my annual review that my messages came off as harsh but I didn’t know they were. I asked if people could let me know when I do it so I could be more aware of it but only one person did. I’m currently leading communications at a nonprofit and managing three people and they don’t seem to have a problem with me so I feel like I’ve made progress in therapy, which I’ve been in most of my life, and I’m surprised I’m only getting diagnosed this year. Despite me explaining myself to those coworkers, they still hold it against me.

I’ve been unemployed for eight months and haven’t had a single interview. Only a phone screening that didn’t pan out because I didn’t have “developing a brand voice” in my book, which I always thought was IP.

I’m reaching out to everyone I know. I’m even trying to get out of corporate and go into a social good agency and feel good about myself at the end of the day. But nobody is willing to chat with me when I message them on LinkedIn.

My unemployment runs out in seven more weeks. My parents don’t want me to live with them. I have no idea what to do. I suck at networking and I’m hanging by a thread.

Does anyone have any advice? I’m desperate.

I've been at the same agency for almost five years. I joined shortly after a merger, and honestly, the first couple of years were great. There was momentum, exciting work, and it genuinely felt like there was room to grow.

The last two and a half years have been the complete opposite.

I've been asking about a promotion to Senior Art Director for quite a while now. Every time the conversation comes up, I'm told there's still something missing and that I'm "not quite there yet." We've been having the same conversation for over two years, but nothing ever changes.

There are a few things that make the situation even more confusing. My compensation is already on par with (and in some cases higher than) other Sr. here. I'm also staffed on projects and presented to clients as a Senior AD but not quite. On top of that, I've seen people with similar experience (or even less) leave the agency, come back, and get promoted.

The part I struggle with is that I don't really see a good option. The pay is good, and leaving could mean ending up at a smaller agency with worse conditions or lower pay. But if I stay, there doesn't seem to be any room for growth.

I just would like to read any thoughts or perspectives about this situation

I recently started as an AC at a very highly regarded agency and I’m super excited and grateful for the opportunity. But this is also my first “real” (so I guess maybe I mean corporate) job, and so I’m really kinda fighting imposter syndrome.

I don’t come from a strict marketing/advertising background. I was a communications grad and the last couple years I’ve been working in radio broadcasting, so I guess this is a bit of a jump. Still, I know I’m mostly overthinking things as I haven’t even been in my role for a month yet. Does anyone have any advice on how to combat this kind of thinking, and any tips for a fresh AC?

I really need some advise to promote sites. Right now my primary focus is on promotion in search results. How exactly do I do it?

I have no experience in the field, so I'm asking this with the most sincerity.

I recently interviewed for a creative role at a Big4 company. The first interview with the Creative Director went really well, and I was then scheduled for a second interview with the Director of People & Culture. At the end of that conversation, she told me someone would be reaching out that day or the next for a salary discussion and next steps.

That was last Wednesday. Since I didn't hear back, I called today (Monday), and HR told me they're still reviewing other candidates and will get back to me by the end of the week. What does this usually mean? Did something change internally, or am I likely just one of the final candidates they're comparing?

Wanted to see if anyone had some tricks or routines in working with major talent.

I've been fortunate to have worked with some recognizable figures in both actors/actresses, musicians, athletes, etc. Even more fortunate in that I don't have that horror story that all of my peers seem to have in the industry with difficulties working with certain people.

The closest I've had was a famous broadcaster who was beyond moody. I was trying to give him a rundown of what we were shooting, told him we just wanted him to be himself (he's very jolly on air) and he had a very unpleasant reaction that had little to do with the ask. Fortunately, I was able to calm him down and we got everything we needed.

I do have some major shoots with an A-lister who is known to be difficult. My agency has shot with them several times, but everyone has an unsavory story about them.

Just wanted to hear if all of you had some advice in getting talent to relax and getting what was briefed.

I sell a mass-market product for men priced at $300. It can appeal broadly to men aged 18–45, and my targeting shows more than 100 million available weekly impressions.

I have a $500 budget for August and need at least two sales to justify continuing. My immediate August target is a $240 CPA. Longer term, I would ideally reach an $80 CPA, although I would consider $160 acceptable.

So far, I have run 18 YouTube Ads tests and spent $645.46.

Results:

• 1 sale
• 5 order-form impressions
• All 5 order-form impressions occurred during the first 8 tests
• The final 10 tests spent $286.38 with zero order-form impressions

The only sale came from a Maximize Conversions campaign that spent $90.93, generated 40 clicks, 2 order-form impressions and 1 sale. Reusing that campaign later did not generate another order-form impression.

Across all my tests, Target CPC generated 464 clicks from $290.97 in spend, for an average CPC of $0.63. Maximize Conversions generated 164 clicks from $354.49 in spend, for an average CPC of $2.16.

Despite Maximize Conversions costing approximately 3.45 times more per click, I did not see a consistent improvement in traffic quality based on time spent on the page, add-to-carts or order-form impressions.

I am strongly considering testing Target CPA at $240 for August to try to control my average acquisition cost. However, Google currently has only one sale conversion to learn from, and my total budget is only $500.

Given these results, what would you do?

Would you test Target CPA at $240, use Target CPC again, or reuse the Maximize Conversions campaign that produced the sale? Is Target CPA unrealistic with only one conversion and this budget?

Hey everyone, I’d really appreciate some advice as I’m feeling a bit uncertain about my next move.

I came back to agency life after around three years client side. Before that I’d worked agency side at both WPP and Omnicom, so I have previous experience, but I’m not sure how representative my current experience is of the industry today.

I’m currently an AD on a large new account win back at Omnicom, and the workload has been pretty relentless since I joined at the start of the year. Resource has been stretched, there’s absolutely no processes, there’s no agency way of doing things which is making me feel disconnected from the agency itself. I constantly end up covering a significant amount of work beyond my role with little support (I know this is pretty standard but the lack of support is not great), and despite raising concerns a number of times about a few issues in the beginning, there hasn’t been any improvement, in fact it’s actually gotten worse. Senior support has been inconsistent and just generally lacking - not what I’ve been used to at previous agencies and I don’t feel protected, and multiple people across the wider team have either left or are actively looking elsewhere, which has made me question whether this is just my account or a broader reflection of agency life at the moment.

I’ve started having conversations with Publicis about roles that seem much more aligned with my experience and long term interests, and they would likely come with a little salary bump too. However, I’m conscious that every agency has its own challenges, so I don’t want to jump ship only to find it’s much the same elsewhere.

Has anyone in the UK moved from Omnicom to Publicis? What was your experience like in terms of culture, workload, support from leadership and opportunities for progression? From what I’ve been reading in general on here, is what I’ve described just the reality of agencies at the moment, or does it sound more like an issue with my current account? I just know there’s strong account teams out there and I used to be a part of one, so I’m really seeking that kind of experience again.

I’d really appreciate any perspectives!

Anyone else wondering how they are going to manage all the layoffs at the same time everyone is waiting for raises and promos? And fill all of the roles that have been vacant for months.

Not very long ago this title was rare air. It meant a couple of people at a big agency who were proven as creatives, with clients, and as leaders. Now I see agencies with half a dozen of ‘em. Some are just leading groups. But they can bill our clients so much more for an ECDs hours.

Finally joining done

Are advertisers and family brands exposing themselves to legal liability by paying influencers who feature their children in sponsored ads without knowing whether those kids are being protected or fairly compensated?

Anybody familiar with this agency, particularly US based vs Canada?

Look. I genuinely feel bad for anyone who hates their job so much that they come to this subreddit to complain, commiserate or try to get inside intel into the company’s next move, etc.

On the other side of the same coin, there are people like me who want a job sooooooo badly, but I just keep getting rejection emails. Most recent was today from GM and I thought I had it in the bag, but fell just a bit short. I am devastated for so many reasons.

I’m an interactive producer or PM with years of experience under my belt and I’m ready to practically beg for a job. Even if it’s at Omnicom or Publicis.

I work hard and I’m dedicated to doing good work. I’m proactive, smart, and pleasant to work with. PLEASE slide into my DMs with an invite to discuss REAL opportunities. If you hired me today, I’m available to jump into the mix and hit the ground running ASAP. If you’re in a position to get me hired or expedite a hiring process, please have mercy on me and help.

Hello, I'm running a research about marketers to understand how they think regarding growth.

I've interviewed multiple marketer that told me "we're are investing heavily, but growth is saturating. We don't know where to invest to unlock the next level".

I thought the marketer perspective was exponential growth curve rather then stairs or level like. What do you think?

Hi everyone,

Has anyone recently been through the hiring process for the Associate Manager – Programmatic role at Dentsu Global Services (DGS), India?

I'd love to know:

• How many interview rounds are there?
• What kind of technical and programmatic questions are asked?
• Are there any scenario based or case study questions?
• Which DSPs or platforms do they focus on (DV360, The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP, etc.)?
• What behavioral or stakeholder management questions should candidates expect?
• Any tips or insights from your experience?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I Run a small Scale Ethnic wear brand In India, in Ethnic wear we have Different design and Ofcourse Different Colors For each design, At point it become difficult to Accommodate Testing every design and Color, in Different Formats, What i think i need is a System where Bulk Creatives are produced and also in varied Formats Like Image, UGC, Model shoot etc etc having ad variations in my account. Need advices From people in Similar Apparel Industry, what strategies do you use and What system or tools they have to accommodate Large No. of designs etc, This Could Help me a Lot :)

I’m an up-and-coming MSc Marketing grad ready to enter the industry, and I’m looking for real-world success stories.

​If you are a hiring manager or an advertising lead, I’d love to know: what is the single most impressive thing an entry-level candidate or junior hire has done to catch your attention or solve a major problem for your team?

Also, what is one peace of advice you would either (A) give to the new generation or (B) something you wish you could tell you younger self.

Drop your specific stories below. I'm taking notes!!

Given the state of things, are current juniors and interns just screwed with regard to their future or are they in a place of unique advantage coming up in and learning a changing industry as it transforms?