Where Are The Real Men?

Are there any real men left in advertising?*

*Note: I know I should be referring to both men and women, but unfortunately women in advertising/marketing still have yet to be given anything close to equality. I'll be blogging on that problem at some point as well. So for this post, humor me and let me use the word men.

There's plenty of 'men' in advertising and in marketing. Agency presidents, chief marketing officers, and the such. Probably too many men (as noted above). But, where's the real ones? The ones with guts. The ones that still have creativity, imagination, and the nerve to take a stand - the ones that have the balls to try something new (yes, I said 'balls').

Have they been beat down so badly by their corporations and peers that they have just given up? Are they simply out of ideas, passion, and energy? Or, is it just too damn easy to keep cashing that pay check for mediocrity? But wait - I read recently that the average tenure for CMO's at the top 100 branded companies is only 22.9 months (not a lot of pay checks there). The average tenure for ad agencies is about the same. Get the picture guys? Hint: You're not helping each other.

"Hey Tom, why the rant about agencies and CMO's?" - I'm glad you asked that question. Because I want things to be better. I want to see people work harder. I want people to be rewarded for taking chances. I want agencies to remember why they fell in love with the business in the first place - and get back to communicating with consumers in new ways that actually make people feel good about brands and drive purchase. I want to stop hearing agency employees bitch and moan about what is wrong with their agencies, but instead do something about it. I want to see agencies and CMO's be change agents again and rise above. I want to stop seeing good people getting pulled down in the minutia that doesn't matter. But misery loves company - and there is plenty of misery at agencies these days. Most of it though is self-inflicted.

It's no wonder that the TV show "Mad Men" is so popular among agency types - it represents a fantasy that they wish they could live out. It makes you feel like there is energy, risk, creativity, fun, and even sexiness in the industry. Well, I got news for you, there still can be! But, it takes hard work (not three Martini lunches). It takes the willingness to call bullshit when you see it (sometimes at the risk of your job). It takes nerve.

This business is not just about big ideas. But if you don't have the ability to see a big idea when it is presented to you then you should not be in this business. If you don't understand how the right ideas executed in the right way can provide your brand with a new competitive advantage, then you do not belong in this business. If you take yourself and your work too seriously, then you should not be in this business. If you think you really should be making feature films in Hollywood instead of TV spots for financial institutions, then you should not be in this business...etc.

But, if you have no fear of taking chances, no fear of speaking your mind, no fear of trying new things, no fear of being different, and lots of nerve then maybe you can be among the real men of advertising.

PS: if this post pissed you off then you should not be in this business :)