Working client-side vs. working for an agency

Posted on February 4, 2008 by lenina

I currently work in an agency, with lots of different clients. This means that clients approach us (or we go out and get new business) and develop advertising/marketing campaigns, primarily using social media.

My new job will be working client-side - i.e. I will be working in a ‘corporation’, and we will be a ‘client’ and working with various advertising/creative agencies. I.e. it’s just the other side of the fence.

I’m actually quite happy I’ll be switching to a client-side job: It means that I (or we) will be the person with power (i.e. money) - we’ll have the budgets for agencies to propose for and deliver against. If you work in an agency, there’s much more pressure on you to ‘keep the clients happy’ and develop a long-term relationship with them (since you/the agency you work for rely on their business). Here’s an example why agency-side work can be frustrating:

Scenario:

You conduct a consultancy project, advising a client a certain strategy forward. Client decides against the recommendations and wants something that was proven/explained to be a bad move. Then, the client wants the agency to implement his or her plan and ideas, when you full well know that it’s not going to work! You still have to do it! When the project fails, you can’t really say anything. You can’t say ‘I told you so…’ or tell them to fuck off if they’re annoying, as you have to keep the client happy and go along with their uninformed ideas.

This is especially true with social media - a lot of clients don’t know that much or are only starting out - and they don’t know the best way forward.

I feel that I’ll be better working client-side, since it will be me who’s overseeing and deciding which strategies to use - and I can accept or reject agencies’ proposals. They can’t come up with bullshit or with stuff that won’t work as I pretty much know what I’m doing. So it’s all good.*

Further reading:

How to break into marketing (has some info on client-side vs. agency)

The advantage of working client side (from a designer’s point of view)

*especially, since the client I’ll be working for is a brand I 100% identify with and love!

Filed under: Advertising, Career, Daily life, Marketing, Work | Tagged: , , , , , ,

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3 Responses to “Working client-side vs. working for an agency”

  1. anaj, on February 5th, 2008 at 7:52 am Said:

    A good agency also needs to be able to dissuade a client from pursuing the bad plan. And the good thing about an agency is that the slow, boring people are found elsewhere (client-side, that is - and if you’re unlucky, you’ll meet the same type of incapable people that annoyed you as your clients - only this time you’ll find that they’re your boss!).

  2. Brief Professional Update « !anaj ,em s’taht, on February 5th, 2008 at 2:49 pm Said:

    [...] I am lucky to be able to build on excellent work in a related field that has already been done by Lenina [um - may I link to your thesis or would that expose your identity? btw, the contents are only [...]

  3. lenina, on February 5th, 2008 at 7:10 pm Said:

    “and if you’re unlucky, you’ll meet the same type of incapable people that annoyed you as your clients - only this time you’ll find that they’re your boss!”

    Yep :|

    Though I didn’t get that impression at the interview. My future boss seemed pretty together and focussed and it’s a woman too, and generally I have a good feeling about this.

    If it turns out to be unbearable, I shall follow your example and quit :P . I’m past the point of putting up with shite, and luckily have never been institutionalised or conditioned into 9-5 at all costs.

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