Is the grass really greener? Confessions of an ex-client
Client side or agency side? Elise Pektuzun breaks down the myths and misconceptions of both as someone who has just switched sides.
And so I’ve been told before… “the grass is much greener on the other side.” This phrase couldn’t resonate with me more. Time and time again, since making the switch, people have pulled me aside and asked me with scary wide eyes – “what’s it like?”
Truth be told, I’ve been in the thick of it on both sides of the fence and as someone who has worked on agency and client side, I’ve got a unique perspective on how they both operate.
Honestly, you would be surprised how many people spend their careers working so closely but they never really know what happens underneath the hood. The idiosyncrasies. I’m not going to be silly enough to state which side I prefer (obviously, I prefer agency), but I would like to share some hidden facts.
So if you’re thinking of making the switch there are a few myths I’d like to debunk. Allow me to share some similarities and differences I’ve discovered from both sides of the spectrum.
Client-side employees work 9-5
I often had friends approaching me with a similar expression of uncertainty – but won’t you miss those early nights on client side? This is a myth I would like to debunk here and now. When I worked client side most of the team were in the office working until 6:00pm and well beyond…even on the odd weekend.
We worked just as hard as the agency, despite what people thought. If you have a good work-ethic 9-5 doesn’t actually mean anything to you.
I will say this, however, the agency atmosphere moves at a whip-crack speed. Throw a pitch or two into the mix and you soon have a series of very late nights. Chaos is something I’ve learned to embrace and a newfound Menulog appreciation has taken my dumpling addiction to another level.
A few extra winter layers
Okay, so winter has been and gone so there are no excuses. But in all seriousness my agency life quite literally revolves around food, food and more food. Meeting the client for lunch, greeting prospective clients at breakfast, awards nights, client parties, Tuesday Tacos and ‘market research’ at the pub down the road.
This still happens on client side, but more so for senior management.
Agency side at the coal-face
The agency is trained to know it all. A mixture of generalists and specialists. As a result, clients rely on the agency to provide context and insight.
If you really want to understand agency jargon (CPA, ROI CPM, CPC yadda yadda yadda) then you need to be agency trained. To be a specialist in your field, to actually know what you’re talking about and not just relying on someone else’s knowledge – agency is definitely the way.
Before you start getting arrogant, I must warn you – with great power comes great responsibility. While the client may be quick to commend your work, they are even quicker to point the finger when something goes wrong. Cross check everything because your head is on the chopping block.
A diversity of agency opportunities
There are many avenues to go down in a full-service agency; TV, radio, programmatic, search and social. Suddenly you are able to consider what avenue is best suited to your skills and capabilities. Become an expert in one and move to the next. Speak to your leaders, learn and ask questions for next steps. I love this newfound sense of autonomy.
On the client side you take the job you apply for and progress from there, there is very little opportunity to move to a whole new team and role. There is a long HR process to go through. One may argue that client side is incredibly broad; however this also happens to be a part of working in a full-service agency and literally tapping into all components of media and digital.
Utilise the untapped resource
On the flip side, agency employees don’t know how client-side businesses and departments work. Going from client to agency has huge perks. Knowing the ins and outs of the client side business (from an internal perspective) and leveraging this knowledge has proven to be hugely beneficial within agency life.
You know how teams operate (marketing vs digital marketing), the capabilities from certain teams (developer teams vs design teams), what is allowed and what isn’t (legal perspective vs dodgy) as well as the anticipated length of tasks (project management queen).
Above all, you develop a sense of who’s who within the corporate structure – trust me, knowing the right people to ask is immensely beneficial!
I’ve become somewhat curious and canny, as I utilise my inside knowledge on a daily basis – place your ideas in the right hands. We’ve had great ideas over on agency side and because I’ve worked on client side, I know that they are achievable.
The Type A
Agency people are creative and are always looking for a genius solution. While my stress levels have skyrocketed to new heights, I almost feel exhilarated by the buzz! Robots on walkabout and a hallway hologram device … this all happens at your workplace, too, right?
The agency breed is both brilliant and borderline crazy. Type A indeed. There is always a crazy vibe infiltrating through the office – people talking, thinking, contemplating, being analytical, being creative, experimenting. It’s nuts. Both exciting and scary; an atmosphere that I can’t quite explain.
So is the grass much greener on the other side? I took a risk where I was comfortable and launched myself into the unknown. If I want to be one of those senior executives, who sit in a fancy boardroom making big decisions, I needed to know the intricacies and the implementation behind the business and environment.
It’s either sink or swim, and I chose to swim.
Elise Pektuzun is a performance account executive at Atomic 212
Great article and insight.
But this is coming from someone who has joined Atomic as an account executive – how much experience and exposure could there have possibly been client side for a (assuming) marketing co-ordinator or assistant?
It would be more interesting to hear from someone who has made the switch from agency to client side in a more senior role.
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I’ve worked in senior positions in agencies & client side roles. A couple of thoughts.
I characterise agency-life of being able to be objective without the power, while client life you have authority but you are often at the mercy of short term objectives that harm the implementation of long term plans.
Agencies have dynamic cultures where people pile in to get things sorted, but corporates are far more fragmented and you work in your own bubble. The art being able to have influence across teams (service, product etc.) to help everybody go in the same direction.
In my experience. It’s easier to move from agency roles to client side roles. Agency people are used to deadlines and getting things done. I’ve seen several corporate marketers fail in agency land because they can only speak in objectives (i.e. we need to be more customer-centric) without being clear exactly what is being developed or created. Avoid that trap!
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Thought I was in for a good, in-depth analysis of both agency and client side. Instead, got an article that was written by someone who’s language is very agency side heavy with very little insight and perspective into what goes down on the client side. Waste of time.
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Mumbrella, I know UGC is tempting because it’s cheap, but you need to vet your contributors and either reject those who don’t know how to write a story, or invest in structural editing for these pieces. This reads like an over-long comment and offers little insight, except that the writer is full of energy and loves her career (which is fantastic, for sure).
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I can’t believe how negative people can be? I thought this was a great article, in fact I’m a junior on marketing client side who is considering swapping to an agency, and I found it incredibly useful! I think it’s inportabt to hear from those on a grassroots level. Both insightful and interesting.
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I think it’s safe to say that the grass is seemingly greener on the agency side. It’s great to hear from an energetic young lady entering the industry – thanks for the tips. Maybe I’ll make the swap too. And for those trolling – this is an opinion, not an extensive research piece. Great to keep it casual and personal.
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People are so snippy. It’s an opinion piece. If you think your insights are so much better write your own damn article, you fuck-knuckles.
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The story title promised insight into the differences between working in an agency or clientside. The story didn’t deliver clear insights. Fine for a personal blog; not fine for trade journalism.
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I think it’s okay to offer critique on a story published on an industry website. I think it’s okay to suggest that Mumbrella should apply professional journalistic standards, even to opinion pieces. it’s okay.
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And just quickly, if you head to https://mumbrella.com.au/can-brands-get-anything-out-of-a-facebook-like-391132 you can read a story on Mumbrella that DOES deliver insight, clearly and succinctly. (See, critique can be positive too. It’s all good.)
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I have never worked on agency side, but have had a weekly view of agency life. I would never switch to agency. Your success is based on the subjective likes of your client. And agency staff are worked way harder than client staff.
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Thanks so much for this article.
I have always worked client side and have found the thought of going to an agency confusing and daunting. It is good to know that I have client side knowledge that others in the agency wouldn’t necessarily have. Also that the opportunities seem vast on agency side and a lot more fun and fast paced.
I’ve never actually heard of anyone going from client to agency it is always the other way around, so this article is very interesting.
Congratulations on going against the grain!
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The grass is greener. But it still needs mowing. Regadless – Client. Agency. Consultant. Contractor.
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That’s for the snapshot into the swap. Love hearing from a young-gun like yourself. Thanks Mumbrella!
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Agency or client side; it’s really about where you work and the real ‘culture’ of the place (not ‘Friyay! Drinks, yay!’ culture).
Do you work in a place where people give you enough time to do the tasks at hand?
Do you work with a clear set of defined objectives?
Do staff consistently blame other people / departments when things go wrong or do they take an element of responsibility themselves and try to help?
Is it a team you work for or a bunch of Millenial ‘me’s?
Is your workplace more concerned with politics or more concerned with product?
There are two types of workplaces, toxic and tolerable. Whichever side of the fence you’re on, deciding which kind of workplace suits you is the best.
If you’re not very talented and a career-politician, believe me will not only thrive in a toxic workplace, you are also probably only capable of working in that environment.
If you’re talented and more interested in doing great work than delegating blame, a tolerable environment will suit you better.
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I would be more critical about the fact Atomic wants so much exposure that they are pushing anyone with any ‘worthy’ topic to go out and shout about…
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I’ve also done both.
Agencies are a great place to cut your teeth. You get exposure to a wide variety of categories and it develops your work ethic like few other environments. I always look positively at candidates with an agency background early in their career. But I would never, ever go back there. 20hr days for rubbish money & no ownership of work is not a sustainable career. Add in the often cliquey/toxic culture that exists in many agencies and you quickly figure out why there’s barely anyone over 30 in agency world. The jump to client side also highlighted just how weak many agencies’ commercial acumen is (despite their claims of being results-focused).
I just worked out my hourly rate from working in agency life – $18/hr. Then I compared that to my current (client side) gig – $62/hr. The work is better on the client side & it’s more rewarding, too. No contest for mine.
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With such a high turnover occurring in agency land, your opinion will be valued by so many young millennials looking to see what the market can offer them, but unsure who to ask!
Thanks for your personal perspective Elise!
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Extra props to the Atomic staffers posting supportive comments too!
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The great debate: Agency vs Client side… Never gets old.
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If breakfast, lunch and dinner is your thing then Agency life is for you, especially if you can claim it’s client related. But at the end of the day you have no real influence on campaign you’re working on. Client side provides real ownership, commercial insight into a business and the opportunity to influence both business strategy and performance. I’ve worked agency and client side (in senior positions) and can tell you if you’re after more from your career than ‘good vibes’ and a long lunch, be the client.
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Funny how strong disagreement is now so quickly called trolling by people who strongly disagree. Troll spotters, like the ones above need to seriously fuck off the opinion threads.
Elise’s description of agency life was puzzling. Walk into any agency and you’re meet with people sitting silently at computers – like any other corporate work place. (see Simpsons where Bart visits Mad Magazine)
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