“It’s the life of an agency.” It’s something that you’re going to hear from advertising and marketing agency employees all around the world. It may be accompanied by a hashtag. If you’re not familiar with our industry, it may just sound like another marketing gimmick, but the term describes how our sector is structured.

“Agency life” may be a lifetime of late nights and long hours in many marketing and advertising agencies. It’s a life where you spend your days scrambling to meet deadlines, then coping with constant customer revisions. The majority of agencies operate under the premise of offering their clients whatever they want, whenever they want it. Weekend efforts and all-nighters are synonymous with new pitches.

Employees in advertising and marketing agencies are compensated financially, but they also pay with their time and mental health. “It’s agency life,” as the phrase goes, means “you won’t have a life outside of the agency.” Excessive turnover is common in the profession, with many people leaving by the age of 40 or earlier if they want to have a meaningful relationship with their children, and for those who stay, it’s more about surviving than thriving.

Let’s look into what goes down in the day to day life at an advertising and marketing agency

The client-vendor relationship: 

Clients expect what they want when they want it, which is frequently yesterday. Clients want you to go above and above because they pay you money. Even though you work closely with the clients, the relationship frequently gets uneven as agencies that fail to deliver become disposable.

We can’t blame the clients for the vendor-client relationship paradigm that exists across the business. If you consistently offer the customer what they want, they will start to anticipate it. It’s comparable to an Old Navy-style retail store that offers ongoing discounts. People will start to expect a sale if it occurs regularly.

Profit over people: 

Employee turnover, family issues, and poor mental health are all costs that agencies pay for the extra money they gain from “living the agency life.” There are a lot of young people working in the marketing profession. That’s because the majority of folks don’t make it through the agency life. It’s a make-it-or-break situation, and many employees eventually go in-house as they get older, and dare I say wiser. The profit of the company and the satisfaction of the customer are the priority over the happiness (and health) of the employees.

Is a Creative agency different from other agencies?

This is a very common question. While some agencies provide services that are similar to those provided by a creative advertising agency, many ad agencies in Lahore also specialize in one area or design agency:  It provides design services for a variety of visual mediums, which consists of print and digital. 

Digital agency:

Primarily about digital marketing strategy, particularly SEO and lead generation.

Advertising agency:

It’s mainly advertising (digital, TV, radio, print, etc.). It may provide marketing services. 

PR agency:

Offers promotional and content distribution services to expand brand awareness. 

SEO agency:

To enhance traffic and lead generation focus on various on-site and search marketing techniques and tactics.

Career pathways are diverse, in keeping with the industry’s adaptability. Graduates who work in-house will often handle one part of the campaign, such as media buying or leadership development.

A graduate working at an agency, especially one with few employees, will be doing a little bit of everything, depending on where they’re most required.

 At the outset of the campaign, the advertiser may have to decide when and where to place adverts. And as a result, they will be working with media buyers to figure out the costs of each alternative.

Throughout the project, the marketer will ensure that the schedule and budgets are met, that the planners, researchers, and creatives are all executing their duties properly, and that the client is satisfied with the results. It will be up to the advertiser to determine whether additional market research is required or whether the plan should be modified.

Conclusion: Working in an advertising and marketing agency is the same every day, but it may require more effort on some days, and less on others. It shows how teamwork is very important to do things, to stabilize the office environment.  To be more creative in a space where people are working together for years.