The 80/20 View: When it comes to advertising talent, right now it’s a seller’s market
In his regular column for Mumbrella, Thinkerbell’s general manager Ben Shepherd assesses the post-COVID fallout of skills and demand.
May 2020 was a month where many of us were in the eye of a storm so severe it frankly scared the shit out of us. The advertising market cratered. We saw a lot of our peers and clients suddenly out of jobs. Many experienced immediate pay cuts. Forced leave. Four day weeks. Nine day fortnights. On top of this, many of us had to tell partners and suppliers that budgets were being cut, as hundreds of millions of dollars exited the advertising market.
COVID wasn’t something that had a manual. At the time, those of us who had a job were happy we did, and if people didn’t like the situation… they really had no alternative.
Let me be clear, I’m not saying these actions weren’t justified or necessary in the environment. For many businesses it was a matter of pure survival. I don’t for a minute think that anyone was doing anything other than what they felt was required in the situation. So, to be in a position where the economy has bounced back, jobs have returned and advertising has regained some sense of normalcy is the best possible outcome anyone could have hoped for.
