Agency Culture [INSIGHT]

Culture in an ad agency is unique to the place and the personalities of the people running the shop. There is the outward agency persona, and then there is the inward true culture of the agency that we all work within.

Why do agencies try so hard so show the cultural inner workings of an agency?

Agencies are a business and the established distinctive culture of the place is there on purpose. For one thing, as a brand seeks a potential agency partner, they look for agencies that would be a good working relationship fit. An agency’s culture is part of what the shop is selling to a client. It is part of the promise to the client, on what type of work they are going to get and how they are going to work together to get there. If the agency is all about ROI and analytics, think about the types of people and processes that would be in place as opposed to an agency that is known for design or an agency that is known for very out-of-the-box thinking.
The cultural lens — how we want others to look at the world.

Agencies have an inherent culture and value system. It may not always be articulated in a clear manner, but it is there. This means that agencies hire against it and seek out clients that are aligned with specific cultural values. When agencies are clear about it and communicate what that culture is to both potential clients and existing and future employees, it helps to solidify what the agency is about, and down the road it can go a long way in stabilizing the agency’s business and relationships.

I can walk into a shop and very quickly feel and tell what the vibe is going to be. I’m always evaluating a place on the overall environment. However, culture goes beyond an office working space. Besides, some agencies also have a very strong culture that you won’t get just by walking in the door. Some places do a great job of matching up (screening) employees against the agency culture and continue to foster the culture on a continual basis. Other agencies do a poor job at defining and maintaining a set of company values, and may find themselves going through high employee turn-over. It takes a lot of effort and nurturing to maintain a company culture.

If you are going to have a strong agency culture, at starts and stops at the top. First a big truth — the values that started the agency may not be the values it currently lives by — for good or for bad. One example, the guy (or gal) who probably started the agency has most likely left long ago. He or she may have left a legacy and probably an agency manifesto (it may even be in the form of a placard to the wall), but the meaning behind those words is long lost. It can be very hard to maintain the original set of corporate values over long periods of time. Current management may not subscribe to all the points the founders subscribed to. Some agencies tend to go through more upper management changes that others, and if upper management is key in maintaining and defining organizational culture, it can be pretty hard work to maintain those values overtime.

However, to shed a more positive light as agencies mature, cultural shifts can happen that make positive changes to the agency.

In the agency world, there are some awesome leaders. To them, culture doesn’t mean ping pong or pool tables, a funky space and beer in the fridge. Culture is setting an environment (both physical and intellectual) that focuses on specific values. For me, the best agencies allow for an environment where employees can feel safe while taking (creative) risks, unafraid of making mistakes, open to questioning, doubt and curiosity for going beyond what is being asked. The best cultures foster innovation & collaboration — inspiring others and creating a place that helps to recruit talent.

When culture and personalities collide.

Anyone who has ever worked for an agency knows that it’s very hard work and stressful. Agency culture is undoubtably linked to top management, and the heavy influence of the creative forces in the agency. It wasn’t long ago that we use to put the names of the people who ran the agency on the door. When your name is on the door, you are making a big statement that the agency is heavily influenced by those people, their work and personalities.

While the trend has turned away from putting names on the door, an agency’s culture is still influenced by the strong personalities that are running it. At some point in your career, you are going to work for some very interesting people.

Agencies can be fun places to work in, but they can also be influenced by the ebbs and flows of strong personalities. Each agency has its own quirks, of what is and what is not acceptable behavior. It goes with the territory. Big agencies may be more evenly keeled, but more political. Smaller agencies tend to have more swings, but you may get to have more input. There are pros and cons to every agency. Some creative leaders tend to be a little nutty, hard to fathom at times and tend to lead by their own uniqueness. Sometimes you work for someone and they become life long mentors and friends, and sometimes you find yourself working for some hard ass people.
Realities of a bad fit.

Every agency will tell you that they have a “no a–holes” policy when it comes to hiring. However, agencies are businesses and will hire people who have great portfolios, or great new business connections and look the other way at times.  All I can say is, get use to working with all types of people. Even nice people can get stressed at times, and agency life can be very stressful. More than likely you will work for several agencies in your career and you may encounter the same people again down the road. So be mindful, you don’t have to kiss butt, but you may have to work with them again.

And yes the a–holes do exist (no matter the stated culture of the agency). But fear not, for there are all sorts of interesting leaders out there that you may work for one day, talented jerks, nice guy but a hack, brilliant but crappy managers, strategic geniuses without a creative bone, and then there are some really truly gifted creative leaders out there that you’ll never forget. (Hey, even talented jerks make you work better sometimes.) The one thing I always remember is that I’ve worked for some great people in my time, that motivated that crap out of me.

Why we need strong personalities in advertising.

Here’s my perspective, creative leaders who can get clients and brands to take major cultural shifts in messaging need to have very persuasive personalities. In order to convince a brand that they need to develop and execute communication that incites conversation, provokes a strong response and forces competitors to react takes some pretty strong leadership. And that leadership style spills over into managing and leading on the inward agency side and helps to create an agency’s culture.
Agency Environment – 101

The hours.

We all work long hours, evenings and weekends in advertising. You will get calls on your days off and will have to check in on vacation. The quality of your life while working in an agency is typically directly related to your own mental outlook and how much you are able to set boundaries. Expect to stay late for pitches and important presentations. Typically, suits come in earlier than creatives, but creatives typically stay later. Some agencies are ok with teams working “off-site” some are not. Some agencies are good about work / life balance and some of them are not.

Things that are cool about working in an agency.

In general, you often get to work in pretty cool environments and office spaces. You get to work on cool stuff (generally) as well. Dress codes are typically lax, even when you are a “suit,” and especially in Movember. Typically there may be a lot of younger people around and that means built in social groups and cliques. Expect to go to some cool parties and expect to be hungover at some point.

Table Tennis, the Playstation and other sports

Yes, some agencies have table tennis in the office, and all sorts of stuff to make the place seem cooler. (Did you know that studies have been done that show table tennis in the office place actually increase office productivity?) However, more than likely not everyone takes advantage of it and the rest of the toys around the office. Lots of agencies have intramural teams (or ping-pong, softball or bowling teams). It is a sad day, when the table tennis table starts getting used just for trimming layouts or eating lunch.  

Mentors

If you find yourself working with someone who has a willingness to share their experience, take advantage of it. Learn all you can, no ad school in the world will teach you better than actively working under a great mentor.

Interns

If you have worked in an agency, you may have started out as an intern. Some intern basics, you may/may not get paid, do expect to be at the agency long hours and work hard. (Make connections while you are there, you may need to be proactive in very creative ways.) An internship is what you make of it. The experience you gain is invaluable, and it may lead to a permanent position down the road. When you are working as an intern, people are looking at you to see how you would work as an employee. Don’t goof off and remember the Starbucks order. (Hey, I’m a managing director, and sometimes take out the trash!) You will be asked to do a variety of things, no matter what your background, but you may also get to work on things that are pretty darn cool as well.

Functional vs Team Management

You will probably report to a department head, but more than likely you will also be part of a cross-functional team as well. Functional management is where you are an account executive and report into a head of account services. A cross-functional team means that you are part of a team that works on a specific project or agency client and the team is made up of many different disciplines. Teams come and go regularly in an agency. You will work with all types of people, so it can be helpful to learn how your personality jells with others. You will have many people that you report to for different reasons at an ad agency, your immediate boss, the head honchos, your ECD and your project managers. At the same time, you may also have a very flat structure in your work environment, where everyone is expected to contribute and be responsible for their work.

What is it with these timesheets?

While not unique to the workplace, expect to do them and get badgered to complete them if you don’t. Do them, and the ADHD people in accounting will stop bothering you and your boss wouldn’t have to hound you. For the most part, the biggest part flaw in the agency world is that we still bill for time by the hour. However, doing your timesheet accurately really helps. Project managers and producers in the agency kind of rely on these things to estimate and create real world schedules, oh and charge the client for stuff.

Sudden in-flux of new employees

Ok this can mean a few things.

Don’t worry, they are only there for pitch time, they are paid extras, they’ll be gone by morning. Don’t worry, you won an account and are staffing up. Worry, someone in broadcast overheard the word “restructuring” on “merger” on set.

Sudden out-flux of employees

Don’t worry, everyone is at the bar, fueled by the agency’s credit card.
Don’t worry, it’s the holidays.
Don’t worry, someone said something about free food.
Worry, it means you lost a client, or in the case of a holding company, it’s the end of the fiscal year.

Free food

I’ve known interns who survived solely on left-over client meeting catering while working an unpaid internship.

Tips for scoring free food in the agency;

– Don’t touch the food prior to the clients arriving. It is frowned upon.
– Best to score, have a desk near the main conference room door or be in the kitchen area to keep watch to see when meetings end.
– Study where the interns are during key times of the day.
– Signing a group birthday, announcement or retirement card is a sign of impending food, specialty cupcakes or cornuts.
– Stay after 8:30 p.m., most agencies have a policy so you can charge back for food (if you are honestly working).
– Broadcast shoots always have better craft service then print shoots.
– See “Free Beer,” since there is usually snacks where there is beer.

Free Beer

Tips for scoring free beer in the agency;

– Working for an agency that has a beer account may limit the brands of beer in the fridge.
– Don’t touch the beer in the fridge before 3:00 in the afternoon.
– “Beer O’clock” is a common agency slang word.
– It’s Friday afternoon.
– Make your boss go out with the group.

By Ed Burgoyne

Courtesy of adsubculture.com