Confessions of an Advertising Professional

“One of the main problems is people stealing credit. Most creative directors happily accept awards for ads they didn’t conceive”

The advertising industry is not as hot as it used to be. New talent has stopped coming in since it doesn’t pay at all. The hours are long and appreciation is hard to get. One can only make money after putting in a decent number of years, and that too if you get into the good books of influential people.

There is the ‘Prasoon’ camp, the ‘Balki’ camp and the ‘Ogilvy’ camp. And making it big without belonging to one of these camps is pretty hard. This industry is small and if you make one mistake, everyone knows of it. But if you make friends with the right people, you could really build your career. You have to be a ‘yes boss’ kind of person.

The main tamasha unfolds during the awards season, when all these camps indulge in petty politics. That’s why India doesn’t have a Cannes-like advertising festival. These awards also depend on the heads of agencies that give it out, like the Ad Club Bombay and the Advertising Agencies Association of India. They award people they like or those who belong to their camp. The really good advertisements get sidelined. Many advertising agencies do not even participate anymore in Indian awards.

One of the main problems in this industry is people stealing credit. A trainee or intern may slog to produce an idea, but the creative director will take the credit. Most creative directors will cheerfully accept awards for advertisements they did not conceive. Sometimes, people steal ideas from the portfolios of newcomers who come in for a job. And they are not even hired.

The main reason the ad industry is suffering is that all power now lies with the client. Creativity is butchered on a daily basis. Most clients don’t want to take a risk, as their ads are only on air for a month and they don’t want to spend too much. They would rather have a jingle that’s a copy of a song—a concept that is sure to work.

(This advertising professional has been working in the industry for over 10 years now)

As told to Aastha Atray Banan

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