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Elyse Foley reflects on the industry’s obsession with having an agency exit plan, which simply means holding a desire to exit agency life and move over to the dark side, or any side. She poses the question, is this a strategy of a bygone era and do we need to be taking a more evolved view on agency careers?
What’s your agency exit strategy? That’s a question that’s been raised 100 times in my 15 year career to date. It’s a question you may have pondered yourself. I’ve recently returned from maternity leave and that question popped into my head again. It made me think, do clients or salespeople have the same rhetoric, are they also planning their exodus or a total step change in the early years of their career? The data would suggest that they don’t. But it does say that in agency land, we not only ask it but we action it. This is evidenced by our average agency age of 32.
Being closer to 40 these days, I’ve come to the realization that an exit strategy is no longer on my agenda. In fact I’m incredibly grateful and inspired by our industry and what’s ahead and I’m confident and comfortable with the support I’ve received as I’ve become a working parent. But the question did lead me to wonder about the dynamics of our industry and why an exit strategy is on our agenda at all. Below are my musings on why this is such a common question and if it should remain one.
The Agency Opportunity
I once sat in a meeting where my CEO at the time, explained media agencies as a big pyramid. As you get older, and more experienced people fall off the pyramid as there are only so many roles at the top. At the time I agreed. There is typically only one MD or CEO at an agency. Where do you go if that’s not your plan? While that may have been the case as recently as 5 years ago, the agency remit has aggressively expanded. Across OMG for example, over 40% of roles could be described as a “non-traditional” agency remit. Cross functional opportunities are endless, and the agencies of the future will have roles we’ve not yet even imagined. It doesn’t make sense to opt out of those opportunities with a default view to prematurely join a metaphorical agency exodus.
It's going to take time for us agency folk to see that your career doesn’t have to be linear. There are so many cross functional growth opportunities that mean you don’t need to be the GM, then the MD then the CEO.
Family Dynamics
There is often a perception that agency culture is churn and burn and the client side is the cruisier ride, more appropriate for people trying to balance work and family life. During the earlier years of my career, I wondered if that was in fact the case. Most of my clients have been incredibly hard workers and friends who sit across all sides of the fence report varying levels of stress and pressure depending on their unique situation. It is therefore impossible to make a broad stroke claim and as such it shouldn’t be a determining factor in deciding if agency land has longevity for your career.
But that said, we need to take responsibility for the reputation we have. The reality is not actually as dire as the rhetoric suggests. Agencies have come a long way in terms of flexibility and support for people with families, often outshining client and publisher programs. Most importantly, we are constantly evolving and improving in this space. When your people are your product, it’s important that they are proritised and personally I’m grateful to be a part of an industry where that is such a big focus.
Longstanding Leaders
They say you must see it to believe it. If a large proportion of our industry leave, who is setting the example for the next generation? There was a time when I could name on one hand the leaders I knew who were over 40. Now there are more than we can count. We have an active debate going on in the industry right now about ageism and the value and importance of experienced veterans of advertising. Times are changing, there are more opportunities to progress within agency land and there are many mentors who are leading the way to ensure those coming through in their 30s and beyond can continue to learn from the wisdom of their legacy.
Personally, I am inspired by our OMG Chief Product Officer Alex Pacey. An agency lifer who has held multiple roles including client and agency leadership. He followed his passion into a product focus and is now responsible for influencing over 80 planners and strategists across our group and spearheading our product development locally and globally. He is constantly evolving his role and remit within the business, understanding the transformational dynamics and positioning himself to outwit, outlast and outplay. Alex is proof that success does not have to come at all costs, embodying work life balance, putting family and health first and positively influencing everyone he works with. He is also the perfect example of something I’ve learned firsthand. Your experience of agencies changes as you do. Experience brings perspective and your priorities and your mindset can shift in unexpected ways. It’s hard to imagine what you’ll be like at 30, 40 or 50 and to rule out a particular direction is unnecessarily limiting. Finally, this would not be a true debate without factoring in the fun that we have in this industry. It’s easy to take for granted if you’ve never known another way. Agencies are dynamic. They’re exciting. The training and development focus is unparalleled. People often talk about the “good old days” and how “things aren’t like they used to be”.
My formative years were at Ikon Communications, notorious for its cultural cut through, to be politically correct. Sometimes the good times and memories come up over a lunch or latte. But I’m just as grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have now even though they look a little different.
For those who are only just entering the industry the experiences of today will be your nostalgia of tomorrow. Essentially meaning that “back in the day” can be every day if viewed from the right perspective. Lean into everything agency life has to offer, it’s a unique microcosm of fun, hard work and energy.
Despite a seemingly linear path, my agency career has been chameleon like, ever changing and varied. Myself and so many others are proof that you don’t have to leave the industry to experience a fulfilling career and evolve into your best self. With gen z anticipated to have up to 5 careers throughout their lifetime, I’m not suggesting a commitment to agency forever after, but perhaps being open to the future of endless opportunities agency land can provide. Our industry will be brighter and more brilliant with you in it.
Elyse Foley is PHD's Head of Planning and Effectiveness