Career Coach: I’m being asked to create a scam award entry – what should I do?
In a regular new column career coach Kate Savage gives advice to people in a pickle. This week looks at what to do if you’re being pressured to enter scam work in awards.
Dear Kate. I’m a suit at [An.Other agency] and during awards season I’m always pulled in to coordinate entries into the different awards – I guess I’m good at getting shit done! Don’t get me wrong, I love winning awards as much as the next creative (well, maybe not that much), but my values have been challenged recently when I’ve been asked to be…um…creative with the entries. When I raised my concerns I was told to ‘just concentrate on winning the award’. What should I do if this happens again?
– Confused @ Cannes
Is this really a question someone has written in?
I call bullshit on this advice.
Do what makes you happy without selling you soul.
No one should be working for an agency who push for scam awards – and if you’re okay with it – you’re everything that’s wrong about this industry.
period.
Oh for christs sake, both of you – you work in advertisng. Advertising! You take money from n industry that fuels the consummerist society that fucks over our planet. Not to mention youth obescity, and alcoholism . And your’e woried about a scam ad? You’re gonna be in hell a long time – just do the bloody scam and enjoy the award piss up!
Think this is good pragmatic advice.
@crap – it’s a pretty small industry to have an attitude like yours.
would think for this column to be a success it will help if the questions are legit and not both made up and painfully copywritten.
I also think a key part of the advice is dangerously wrong. If you’re going to deliver bad news, you should always do it in person, to ensure that the tone is delivered correctly.
Hi Nick,
Appreciate the feedback. As it’s a new column we wanted to get the ball rolling with something topical, hence the scam.
The intention is where possible to use real-life questions from the audience, and we’ll keep tweaking the format as well.
As regards the advice – I’ll leave Kate to respond on that point.
Cheers,
Alex – editor, Mumbrella
Oh please! Read any award entry and you’ll see grey is the new black!
Tow the industry line and you will go down with it.
I told my scam blind bosses to take a hike , walked out with my principles and moved to the clientside where transparency, governance and zero tolerance for fraud and misrepresentation is rewarded with proper career advancement and way better money and benefits.
The choice is yours.
Keep playing and abetting the scams game.
Or grow a pair and create real work that gets you poached into the big league where you can actually bank your rewards
Hi all
Thanks for the feedback Nick, agree that real questions will be ideal – please do send any over that you think would be worth an audience. In terms of the advice. Agreed the initial conversation should be verbal, the advice was to ensure it’s put in writing regardless – my bad, should have made clearer – or the he said/she said and selective memories can get pretty personal when the sh*t hits the fan!
@Exborg & @crap – “Thanks for your opinion – unfortunately the level you’re at, the role you’re in, and the people you work with mean that being happy is not always that black and white. Not everyone has the luxury of quitting when their values aren’t being met, but I’m hoping to make that an easier decision to make!”
Please do keep the comments and questions coming.
Cheers, Kate
Respectfully Kate, level has nothing to do with acting on one’s principles.
I called BS as a junior to a 15 year vet sent from the U.S. She got the boot. I stayed and got promoted. Even as a CeO , I was given an awards KPI from my global boss – that means activating, finding and funding any award worthy work so the network looks good at cannes. That was code for ‘Scam if you must but don’t get caught’. That was the final straw and I left the agency scene for good.
It’s a fallacy to think that one must attain a certain level in life to afford having principles and values.
By then, it’s either too late to know the difference or the price becomes too hard to bear.
I was fortunate to have good mentors before.
I hope the column can be of use to others