Suits: less popular than pest controllers
Advertising suits have a thankless job that is currently being eroded by the changing industry says Naren Sanghrajka in a piece that first appeared in Encore.
Not in my wildest, craziest nightmares would I ever have thought I’d say this. But I’m going to. Being a bean counter is far more appealing than starting as a suit in advertising. There it is. I said it. I actually said those words.
Yes, it’s incredibly depressing. But it’s true.
Last week the most wanted job, according to an article published by the Wall Street Journal, unsurprisingly wasn’t to start a career in an advertising agency, but surprisingly it was to become a bean counter. Not just any type, an actuary, the type that assesses the physical risk and cost of floods, volcanoes and bush fires.
Whichever way you look at it, that’s someone who sits in front of a screen all day, modelling numbers, geeking out on pivot tables and then leaving at 5.30 to (presumably) go home and crochet. That’s the job people actually want, rather than to start in advertising as a suit. US website, CareerCast, ranked 200 jobs according to physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook. Out of those 200 jobs, being an advertising account executive ranked 124.
Not that bad, I hear you say. Well, let’s put that into context for our industry. Recruiters came in at 69 and PR execs bagged 73rd place.
Even more remarkably depressing is when you consider that being a funeral director and a pest controller are also more appealing (ranked at 116 and 95). That’s right. Digging holes, burying people, killing rats and vermin are more appealing than starting as a suit in our industry.
A few months ago an article was published by Y&R worldwide planning boss Sandy Thompson saying that many suits have turned into “nothing more than glorified bag carriers”. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of discussion about that at the time. But, perhaps, she’s got a point.
The role of a suit has been, and continues to be, eroded from all angles. When I started in advertising you had to write your own briefs, plan your own strategies, manage the finances, drive new business and be able to talk about all media with equal gravitas.
Now we have planners to strategise, finance departments to manage revenue, new business leads to pitch and specialist shops seizing the territories of social, digital, PR, direct, data and technology.
Perhaps the erosion of the role, combined with tireless working hours, low pay, unforgiving stress and the volatility of it all, means young people don’t want to start in an agency.
I think Sandy has a fair point. The role of a suit is getting more complex, unspecialised and increasingly diverse; yet most agencies, and the industry as a whole, haven’t sought to redefine the role.
Alongside AWARD and the APG, the Communications Council will launch The Account Management Group in New South Wales next month which will represent account management at an industry level. The body will address this issue head on and seek to define the modern role of account management answering once and for all the question of whether suits are anything more than glorified bag carriers.
Naren Sanghrajka is the chairman of The Account Management Group, NSW.
This story first appeared in the weekly edition of Encore available for iPad and Android tablets. Visit encore.com.au for a preview of the app or click below to download.
Here’s an article from recruiters Tenth House who have found that ONE in TWO account service and strategists they meet are looking to jump the fence to client side.
The reasons why are hardly surprising:
http://www.tenthhouse.com.au/b.....-of-talent
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Interesting topic. The issue occurs at a cross-section in your career – generally when you are a seasoned Account Director, and hitting your early thirties.
Unless you are able to take that next step to Group Head level, which not all are, then natural attrition occurs and the grass looks that much greener. Those that do make it, however, can set their sights on a long-term career and a big pay packet. Enough to justify all those hours you weren’t paid for as a junior.
There will always be a role for experienced, senior suits. Albeit getting there will never be easy – and nor should it be.
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I wonder if any account managers would have time to actively participate in an account managers group! But seriously, it sounds great, they are under represented in terms of industry groups. Good to hear it.
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Suit life used to be fun, can I even suggest ‘sexy’ once upon a time… then a couple of recessions later, all we became were post boxes!
Such a shame
I became a suit in the early 80’s because I couldn’t draw! Hence, my aspirations to be an art director were limited. Still I thought myself a pretty creative person.
After a small hiatus, I return to account service a few years back and experienced a complete lack of respect for this group. They had become paper pushers and if I may say, even a bit accuray in nature!
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Unfortunately long term careers in account service are becoming less and less common. @bob is a rabbit is quite right in that most seem to peak in their early thirties but from then on they quickly disappear.
Recruiters are given very specific age criteria where anyone past this age is automatically seen as being out of touch and over the hill. The intake of the next lot of overworked “cannon fodder” feeds in at a junior level with every promise of their career falling off a cliff in their early thirties.
All their sacrifice and hard won experience soon amounts to nothing much at all. Typically agencies and recruiters roll out such cliches as “looking for someone to grow into the role” or “far too senior and experienced” or my personal favourite:
“don’t you think you should just move out of the way and give someone else a go?”
Having been in both agency and client roles and seen the lack of senior experience and mentors in account service teams, I have found myself feeling somewhat sorry for how little many agencies have to offer clients.
The industry really needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat to solve it or the future
will be less than magical for all concerned.
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Having worked in agencies and run my own business, I’ve got to tip me hat to the good suits – and don’t blame the average ones trying to survive the pressure from above.
I’ll also say that a manipulative, self-interested, c*nty suit is to be despised at all costs.
Respect
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Provocative bit Naren… the industry has to commit to training across the board – from suits, to planners, to creatives. Frankly, we’re falling behind clients and upstarts…
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at the agency I work at we have a great group of account service people who are respected members of the agency, contribute to the quality of the work, and definitely not just bag carriers.
not all agencies are the same.
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A few questions….Why are there are less and less men being attracted to account service roles? What are the issues surrounding the gender imbalance? Is it that men seek longer term career opportunities out of necessity and can see little or no future?
Is it the fact that women are being blocked from senior opportunities through the pressures of juggling family and work demands and choose the former rather than the latter? Does this in turn encourage agencies to hire women over men as that early thirties cross roads is readily and easily solved and the cycle starts again?
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there have always been planners, finance departments and new business people in agencies. Account managers have always been generalists and they have always carried the bags (an infamous grad at my first agency lost his job after he left top secret P&G boards on the train when he got out at the client’s stop!).
the role of an account manager has always been to manage the project, marshall and direct the resources and lead and add input to the client’s business and relationship.
a good account manager has always found ways to influence and positively impact on the strategy, the creative, the profitability, the growth etc etc. as they go about their daily job
a bad account manager has always found ways not to do this and to blame other circumstance for this
it is definitely true that the industry has changed and there are now greater demands on time, budgets and other resources than ever, but this applies to every function of the agency and not just account managers
one thing that definitely needs changing is the term ‘suit’, since most of the account managers I meet these days seem to wear jeans
tony,
there are certainly no agencies hiring entry level women because they’re easier to get rid of in ten years time. do you see monsters under your bed? (!)
the prepnderance of female a/c managers is based off the stereotype (often accurate) that women are better at multi tasking, people skills and attention to detail than men and these are often the key criteria used to recruit entry level account managers.
that and at the graduate recruitment days, the female candidates are very often better prepared and far better presenters and group workers than the males.
Naren – you’re right, it’s a shame that Account Service is no longer a desirable role. But I wonder why that is. I know we can always earn more but wages aren’t all that bad, and the role is pretty much the same as it always was. Sure, we could be more ‘strategic’ but I don’t know many agencies where a strategic Suit does badly.
I think the issue is that working conditions have become unattractive. Network agencies have driven the value they can achieve from Execs to the point where there’s now way more “better” jobs out there for kids to choose from.
If big agencies stopped under-resourcing their Suit Depts. the better off the industry will be. As a small agency it’s no issue for us finding great people, they’re simply looking for an agency that values them.
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My personal experience as a male in my mid-thirties, most recently holding a strategy director role, then Group Head role (after 13 years working my way up) is I’m constantly being approached by recruiters – the reason I’m given is there are very few males with my experience around, with a quiet nod to the fact I won’t require maternity leave unless medical science makes some serious advances. Coupled with a belief that psychology suggests women find senior women threatening – particularly clients – and suffer from a daddy complex.
These aren’t my beliefs – but what I have been told by several recruiters and senior execs.
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Nick,
This morning I sat next to a group of women in a cafe holding a breakfast account service WIP for their agency. A number of agencies do this in the same café over the course of every week . I have found it becomes an excellent source of intelligence as they bare their souls about both client and agency issues breaching confidentiality and providing insights with every breath
This morning’s topic of discussion was a recently hired male graduate who was copping a hiding as they all commonly accused him of not being able to “multi-task”. It was decided that hiring a male was not a good decision as he asked too many questions and would not fit into the mainly female environment. His goose was cooked and his job gone in 15 minutes.
I have had the pleasure of hiring excellent male and female account service people including some multi-tasking detail driven guys. From a client’s chair I have also enjoyed the diversity of skills, experience and dynamics that a gender balanced team brings to the table. The churn factor in both situations is far greater with female dominated teams. Simple life pressures and balances soon bring about natural attrition and highly skilled women simply choose through their own circumstances to move on from the industry.
Having sought to hire graduates in agencies, it became immediately obvious how few male candidates are now attracted to the industry. The account service role has changed and clients are receiving less from roles that in many agencies have been relegated to project managers. As can be seen by the article I posted yesterday from Tenth House, those left are unhappy and voting with their feet.
Nick, I am not sure that perpetuating the stereotype of the “multi-tasking” woman does anything towards solving the above issue that the industry needs to tackle and solve. But I will grant you that a continual flow of candidates is certainly good for your business as a recruiter.
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@Tony Simms.
As a male, and as per my previous post, I agree 100% re: multi-task stereotype. Rubbish.
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