Everyone talks about the perks of jumping from agency to client side, but what are some of the challenges, learning curves, etc?

likesmart
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This doesn’t necessarily apply to me at all times but these are general client side challenges:

- Working for people who don’t think creativity wins all - performance does. This depends on the stage your company is in (seed, series a, b, c, ipo). So, being incredibly persuasive at every meeting that it’s the right thing to do. It’s either exhausting, or you question how persuasive you are.
So you learn to value performance which is not bad. We’re here to make ads that work, not awards.

- People are invited to give their opinion on creative which waters everything down if you’re not prepared to shut down others’ opinions (in an inclusive, constructive way)

- Not having enough time to do work. “Proper” work that’s executed well. They want things fast and not to overthink. (That’s when mistakes or mediocrity happens)

- Sometimes no project managers! I have none. It’s exhausting. Fighting for time, being thrown things in all directions.

- This can be positive if you like doing different things: wearing different hats. You can become an events planner, a networking monster, use your relationships to build partnerships that will help your brand grow. Depends if you’re brand is early stage.

Overall I love it because you have straight access to people making decisions for the brand and there’s zero BS. These are the challenges I can think of.

likehelpful

I agree with everything but the zero BS part. I have found that in-house jobs have a lot more politics to deal with and that often leads to inaction or inability to be decisive.

like

Lots of politics, slower and less creative work, better hours, better pay, flexibility to move around the country if they have multiple offices, more travel (for better or worse).
I love client side but I was looking for better hours and pay and less focused on the work, since as I got into my career I was further away from it anyway.

likehelpful

Agree with all the above but do think the experience is vastly different based on the brand you end up at . I’ve been agency side + two large brands, all were very unique in their challenges .

I think patience and willingness for things to move slowly is a big one, being ok with staying somewhere at least a few years (ideally more like 5 if you want to really show impact or a body of work.) things move so fast in agencies and you can build up ur book so fast— couldn’t be more different in house.

like

You’re at the best brand ever, I’m jealous lol

Corporate lingo has been a particular pet peeve when making the transition. Everyone here talks like they went to business school. Even creative. If you don’t mind it’s not really that important.

Both comments prior to this do a very good work explaining the goods and bads, so I’ll just say I agree instead of repeat the same.

What I will add is that you need to choose wisely. Just like with any ad agency, in the brand side there are bad, good, better, and best places to work. Choose a brand you love, if possible. Chances are you will like it more.

like

If you’re young, the make it or break it for you. Bring fresh out of school, I’ve interned for both sides. I know for a fact I’m the youngest person in the whole company, the second youngest on my team has 7 years of experience. The age gap can make it hard to socialize outside of work, especially when everyone is more focused on adulting and family stuff. But overall, It’s slower less creative, has better hours and more stability

likehelpful

Thank you, both! This is super helpful

like

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