The marketing industry offers many ways to earn a living. But, a key career decision is whether you should work for a brand (the client side) or in the marketing services industry (the agency side). I’ve done both. Here’s my perspective.
Client-Side
I started working at Nestle, where I spent 7 years working on brands such as Nescafe and Buitoni. It was my first proper marketing job and I loved it.
For a marketer, the client side offers many opportunities.
a) You get a holistic view of a business. Not only the marketing but all the other aspects. Sales, finance, purchasing, supply chain, manufacturing. You see everything and understand how a business works. You’re in contact with all kinds of people - not just your marketing colleagues. You've got to be accountable for finances. And, you get to see ideas put into action.
b) There’s pride in working on a famous brand and leaving your mark. If a brand has been around a long time, you’re contributing to its story. You could also influence a category or consumer behaviour by introducing something new. Even now when I walk into a supermarket I get a buzz out of seeing brands I used to work on.
c) Seeing your name on the business card of a well-known brand gives you a sense of status. Friends, families, and strangers will be impressed. You acquire the reflected glory of the brand’s history and its corporate reputation. It’s on your CV forever. For someone young or inexperienced, it can boost your confidence.
d) A good company should offer you opportunities for training. It should invest in you and look after you. You should learn a lot from your line managers and experienced colleagues.
e) Being part of a large organisation should give you a degree of security. Of course, this is less true in uncertain times. But, a big organisation that should protect and support you.
But there are downsides
a) you’re a salaried individual, which is great. But if you have high financial ambitions, they may not be best served by staying in a corporate role. Salary bands are quite strict as are titles. If you’re a high flyer or want to move on, you may have to be patient.
b) there’s also a need to adapt and conform to the corporate culture. If you love the culture, that's great. But, you may find it restrictive. You have to toe the line, conform, and deal with office politics.
c) the roles can get repetitive. The annual marketing cycle can remain pretty well unchanged, year in, year out. There’s a risk of feeling jaded when working on the same brand or category. You love the strategic and creative side of marketing. But, the daily challenges of managing the brand and business can wear you down.
So, if this doesn’t appeal to you or you fancy a change, what’s the alternative?
Agency Side
I spent 10 years at Added Value, a strategic marketing agency. It was sold to WPP and became Kantar Consulting. It was an exciting and enjoyable phase of my career.
What does work in an agency offer?
a) the marketing services industry offers a huge variety. There are larger agency groups, and more bespoke agencies. You get to specialise in the area of marketing you love. Packaging design, brand communication, market research, innovation, and more. You get to become a true industry expert. You may even become a guru!
b) the learning curve is rapid. You work on tough assignments, often with tight deadlines. You need to deliver to an exceptional standard and demonstrate knowledge and expertise. It can be very sink or swim. If you don’t perform well, clients won’t want you on their business. Also, you don’t want to be seen as a liability to the agency. However, if you’re up for the challenge and perform well it can be a thrilling experience.
c) the work culture can be fun and dynamic. You don’t have the corporate restrictions of many larger organisations. People wear what they want. Being an individual is encouraged. You can bring your whole self to work. It helps if you’ve got a cool office in a nice location. There’s often a ready-made social life you can drop into.
c) I love the variety of the work challenges. Assignments can be short. You have the opportunity to work on many categories. You will experience different corporate cultures. You will go behind the scenes and see how businesses work. In the old pre-Covid days, you got to travel quite a lot. You’re dealing with ‘proper’ marketing. It’s a real privilege.
d) there’s the potential to earn more money. If you or your agency is super-successful, you’ll be well paid, especially if you own / part own the agency. You may even decide to sell your agency for a tidy sum in the future.
But it’s not all fun and excitement.
a) remember, you’re working in the marketing services industry and your job is to serve clients. You have to respond to them. Be nice to them. Work very hard for them. And be subject to their changing moods, demands, and decisions. It can be wearing.
b) you’ll certainly work harder than people on the client side. You face short deadlines, tough briefs, and demanding clients. So, you’ll work longer hours, often on the weekends. If you work in market research, running focus groups in the evening is common practice. You live or die by the quality of your work. Unlike the corporate world, there’s no hiding place.
There's freedom and fun but also much insecurity. Marketing services are competitive. You're always looking for the next piece of work. You’re continually in ‘sell’ mode. Sometimes you’re dependent on one or two key clients and if their work disappears, you’re in big trouble.
d) there’s also a lack of ownership. On the agency side, I’ve worked on many great brands. However, when the project ended there was a gap. The brand owner had to implement the ideas. They also had to execute the recommendations. I never got to see ‘what happened’ as I was onto the next project with a different client. I found this a little frustrating. Whatever happened to that big idea that we came up with?
e) finally beware of personality dependency. The owners/leaders of agencies can be brilliant individuals, but this carries risk. They may hold all the key client relationships. Or, they may hold the agency's intellectual capital. If the individual disappears, then all this goes with it. You may be subject to the whims of the individual. If they love you - great. If they don’t rate you - you’re in trouble. There’s no hiding place.
In summary
Marketing offers many career opportunities. They are on both the client and agency sides. And I’ve yet to mention freelance roles, running your own business, or teaching. What works best for you? Well, that’s your choice. People have rich and fulfilling marketing careers on both sides of the fence. It requires individual reflection, honest self-appraisal, and experience to discover your preferred role. Talk to people in marketing to help you make up your mind. Talk to a coach. And of course, seek professional career advice.