1

Glenn McEldowney

senior creative group head, Starship Advertising

Shit, I hate questions like this. No matter what I say I’m on a hiding to nothing. While working at a major international agency I was asked to look into buying another agency that could help augment and extend our offering. It hurts me to say this because I like the pretty young things around me as much as – if not more than – the next man, but going through the process of buying an agency makes you really look at what’s on offer.

What I found out about agencies in those five to six weeks was a stark insight into agency staffing today. Two things stood out in my search: first, they all promise the same ‘list’ and under deliver. If I see another ‘about us’ loaded with clichéd rubbish centred on being ‘different’ I think I’ll dress up as a Teletubby and quit the game!

But the second observation was how ‘light on’ some of these very successful and well-known agencies were when you stopped, set aside the bullshit language and saw how they were claiming capabilities far beyond their current employees. And when pressed to explain, agency heads would underplay the fact that the highly awarded and strategic talent were no longer there!

Claims about web development capabilities with no specialist web personnel abounded, but they did have nice junior legs in short dresses at low salaries on staff to do it. But shrouded in the smoke and mirrors show of many modern agencies, do those pretty young things really have the legs to handle your business needs?

There is a lot of ageism towards people over 30 in advertising. Older people may not look or be sexy, but they are more likely to make clients look good.

What would you like, a sexy tease… or some real satisfaction?

2

Helga Diamond

director of professional training, AFA AdSchool

Of course not. Simply because, as far as ‘young’ is concerned, ours is a young industry. In the ad agency world, once you reach a certain age and you’re a creative you write books, sail into the sunset or manage a motorcycle club.

If you’re a suit you start your own agency. Or learn to play the flute, or run a chain of successful beer cafés. As for ‘pretty’, well, good looks happen to come with the territory. After all, they can’t all work for Channel Nine, can they?

But seriously, ad agencies are not staffed with just pretty young things, they’re staffed with clever pretty young things.

The days when you left school and wanted a career in advertising, so you started in dispatch, are long gone. Today most agency staff are tertiary educated. And training doesn’t stop any more when you leave university. Everybody wants to stay abreast of what’s happening in our rapidly changing industry.

Under the accreditation program that the Advertising Federation of Australia introduced a couple of years ago, member agencies provide continual professional training for their staff each year. That’s because CPD is absolutely necessary to ensure best practice. We have a responsibility not only to our clients, but also to the community, to work at the highest standards. And because our industry has become a lot more professional, we’ve been more successful in attracting talented young people. For example, this year’s intake of AFA graduate trainees has doubled, and AdSchool courses get booked out.

Through my job l I’m in touch with a lot of the young people working in our industry, in advertiser companies and agencies. Their passion and thirst for knowledge inspires me every day and I’m sure the clients agree with me that it’s good for their business to have ‘clever pretty young things’ working on their account.

3

Nat Ma

digital account director, whybin\tbwa

This is a topic where I can speak from personal experience. At the age of 21 my partners and I established an interactive agency. Armed with a computer each, the three of us set out to conquer the digital marketing world. During the six years in business, we grew to become a well-regarded boutique interactive agency. We successfully won pitches against large advertising and well-established interactive agencies.

Our agency was only staffed by ‘pretty young things’. We won work and kept the relationship going because we were passionate, enthusiastic and willing to go the extra mile for our clients. We mostly recruited talent straight out of uni – experience, although important, was not the main deciding factor for us. It was their passion for the work, industry and lifestyle that most concerned us. We knew that experience will inevitably be accumulated and it was the passion that always shone through when competing against the ‘big boys’.

If the staff are talented they will conceive ideas just as well (if not better) than the guy with 10 years’ experience.

The thing about being young and inexperienced is that the only way to approach a brief is from a fresh perspective. Having preconceptions of ‘the formula’ or ‘the right way’ to respond to a brief can inhibit unique ideas that stand out.

From time to time, however, inexperience will lead to mistakes and production time-frames become totally blown out as a result. This unfortunately is the price you sometimes have to pay. The digital space today is much more established and mistakes are a lot less tolerated. If a company were to choose an agency staffed predominantly by ‘pretty young things’, it would be essential that the agency have experienced leaders directing the strategy and management of the staff.

4

Mollie Hill

strategic planner, H&T

Disclaimer: I’m young and working in an agency, but I’m not a ‘pretty young thing’ (PYT).

Honestly, I’m not a fan of the question. But there seems to be two answers.

Firstly, if these PYTs are why you’re choosing the agency (over creative thinking and ROI), isn’t the danger obvious? Unless, of course, your business objective is to work with Lindsay Lohan look-alikes, in which case congratulations, you’ve succeeded.

Secondly though, it’s a different case entirely if you’ve chosen an agency that just so happens to be full of PYTs.

Obviously, being attractive is advantageous in an industry where relationships and trust are critical. But I’ll assume this agency of PYTs doesn’t come close to the infamous hiring policies of Abercrombie&Fitch or Hooters. It’s also a safe bet that your own company demonstrates hiring behavior based on subconscious institutionalized look-ism(!). Gladwell’s studies on height in men in Fortune500 companies found that an inch of height is worth $789/annum in salary.

An agency’s staff, and their ability to have positive working relationships with clients, forms one of the strongest imprints for the agency brand. I believe you’re totally within your right to judge an agency by its people.

But it’s not your right to dismiss a PYT based on their looks. If they have the intelligence and passion to work hard for your brand, what’s the justification to dismiss them for a hobbit-looking counterpart?

Assuming you’re able to focus on the idea beyond the PYT in front of you, I believe the real danger is not choosing the agency that best understands your business, has your trust, and the collective smarts and skills to implement a creative and effective solution. Because sure, sex sells, but that’s a whole other story…

5

Alex White

account director, IE Media

Is danger lurking? YES! Variety is the key. You need diversity if you’re looking for a successful agency relationship. Hiring a bunch of bubblegummers fresh out of uni is clearly a mistake. But within the digital industry context you may not have much choice. Digital agencies redefine the measure of ‘young’. For the record, you’re reading the words of a 29-year-old brain in a male body.

Our studio’s average age is 28. ‘Young’ in the digital space would be between 22-24. These are formative years where people dance with different studios until they find their niche. From 25 onwards passionate people will find an agency that suits them (or make one of their own) and start carving out some powerful opinions away from lecture notes and Seth Godin books.

The perfect agency mix in my mind is lead by a CEO who’s young at heart. They have hand picked management staff, each with around a decade of experience and battle scars to prove it. This tier is assisted by a selection of true young guns. Young guns ready to hug your brand and sprint, with burgeoning enthusiasm, to fresh places. Hopefully clients will trust them without quashing their limitless concepts into conservative campaigns. Remember, these guys were teething while watching LonelyGirl15 on YouTube.

As for ‘pretty’? I’d sooner have my business success in the mind of a digital savant than bruised by a shapely figure hired for their facial symmetry. No offence to the fairer sex, we all know digital could do with more geeky girls.

So embrace the bold and the beautiful. The geeky and the cool. The young and the old. Diversify, where possible. Just make sure your agency has switched on people that truly care for your brand.