So, You Wanna Be in Marketing?

Marc, thank you for this. It is very true. It was the question of "Which side are you on?" that really made me sit up. I was thankful for the person that challenged me with this, as it prepared me for my interviews thereafter. I have said this before and I will say it again that, recent college grads are usually not sure what they want, and if they do, they are afraid to say it because they don't want to limit themselves to one position. But by knowing what you want, which side you are in this case, you demonstrate drive, confidence and desire plus excitement to work.

I will say that when I read your categories above, the agency side comes across way cooler. But I am on the client side, and WE'RE COOL! we have fun, too you know ; ). The bottom line is, no matter what side you are on, you have to be creative to work in an agency. Hands down. And you definitely have to understand the other side.

-Carly

www.scoutbrand.com

When you said "which side?", I thought you meant areas of marketing - such as business development, marketing communications, etc. I think it's more important to define which area of marketing to focus on rather than pigeonholing yourself as an agency person or a corporate person, especially when you're coming right out of college. I think in this day and age it's important to be flexible as to where you work. For instance, my experience is all in corporate, but I wouldn't mind working for an agency either.

Hats off to Marc Brownstein for a great article on a much neglected subject. Of course, which path to choose at first (client or agency), depends not only on one's personality or left brain/right brain proclivities, but on what one wants to learn.

The best place to learn everything about "big picture" marketing is on the client side. You certainly will deal with advertising and related integrated brand communications, but that will be a small part of your daily activities and ultimate responsibilities. Other little things like keeping the total brand budget, monitoring retail inventories, managing production schedules at the plant, supply chain management, R&D, pricing strategies, sales, CRM, etc. will be part of the deal too. Not only that, you will spend a lot of time just monitoring and reporting on what the competition is doing, e.g., who just took a price increase or dropped a gazillion coupons somewhere. Oh, and did I say P&L? If, after everything, the brand doesn't make a profit contribution to the company, it's your fault (not the agency's) and there's nothing "cool" about that!

On the agency side, you're just a small, albeit important, part of the above. While advertising, sales promotion, direct, PR, internet, social media, etc. are highly specialized disciplines requiring very specific knowledge and expertise, they can only do what they can do. If the client's branded product doesn't meet promised consumer expectations, you (and your client) are screwed no matter what you do as an agency "suit" or "creative". And be prepared to take the blame if your client misses their numbers, i.e., develop a very thick skin quick-time! Moreover, if you're a "suit", get ready for your very own "creatives" to beat the crap out of you if you aren't really buttoned-up to help them, or get in their way. The client's abuse will seem like a walk in the park.

Is the agency side usually sexier and more fun? You bet. But like the client with his or her boss, get ready to take some heat from your own top management when the agency's income on your brand(s) is down. As I noted above, nothing "cool" about that.

Closing on a more personal note, if you really want more opportunities for the very best brand marketing training and experience, get ready to move to Cincinnati, Glendale or New Brunswick. If you want the best agencies have to offer, "Welcome to New York City".

Hope this helps in some small way. bcrandallnyc@aol.com

Marc,

First of all, great article. I've been following your posts for a few years, but this latest post really hit home for me. I've been trying to make the move from client side to agency side for the past year and have found the sledding tough.

I've got over a decade of strategic marketing experience, both b-to-b and b-to-c. On a daily basis I translate business strategies into actionable marketing plans that are executed across all marketing channels... print, tv, radio, direct and especially interactive. It all begins by utilizing consumer research, business data and competitive intelligence to develop these marketing strategies that are grounded in fact and focused on results. Target audiences include C-level executives and senior decision makers, high net-worth individuals and mass consumers, law firms, CPA's, centers of influence and specific industry verticals (including manufacturing, distribution, technology and healthcare companies).

I would think that this type of background would be extremely attractive at a small to mid-sized agency looking to provide strategic marketing capabilities that can closely align with their creative executions. Thus far, the most common reaction I hear is "find an agency with a bank client", since I currently work at a large east coast financial institution.

Maybe I'm naive, but I believe that this type of strategic marketing background, coupled with experience as the client to so many agencies large and small, results in a perspective and an offering that would benefit any and all agency clients. So what gives? Are the transferable skills not as obvious to others as I think they are?

Marc, that's a really good article!
I was having this discussion a few days ago with a friend. I'm still in my twenties and already have two years of background in an agency and I'm fully convinced that I made the right choice. However, my friend was trying to persuade me how much control you have on the client side, so we ended up passing comments for about twenty minutes and ended up with the decision that we simply want different things out of the job.
Now I see a really well-structured explanation of what we were talking about. I also believe that there are people who are more suited for the client position and there are "agency-folks" by nature. This doesn't mean that I'd never consider a position in an internal marketing department - I think that if you want to be a well-rounded professional, you should walk all paths in your chosen career at least once.

I made the move from Sony to the agency side and have never looked back. My four years of client experience has been invaluable. I can paint a much more accurate picture of what a client does with their time and just how difficult their jobs can really be (politics, committees, internal dissent over strategy & creative is only the beginning.)

And....just how busy they really are.

It is, though, very hard to find a client-side person to hire on the agency side. But not impossible. You just have to look for the right personality and interests. I interview client-side people when they look like they have a sympathetic background--and have found a handful of really terrific people.

Scott Lackey
Jugular, Co-Founder & Strategic Director
http://www.jugularnyc.com/blog
http://twitter.com/JugularAds