What is working at a creative advertising agency like? Hours, culture, pros/cons | career talk

I often get asked what working at an advertising / marketing agency is like, and so here is my honest take based on my experience. I will first talk about the structure of a creative marketing shop, the main teams that are involved from account services, strategy and creative. Then, I talk about the working culture, what my hours are like, and what the general environment is like. And yes, the stereotypes are true. Last, I talk a bit about why I chose this career route straight out of university, what the main learnings are if you choose to enter this industry and what my favorite part of work is.
We definitely are not saving lives, but advertising is a very thought-provoking and forward-looking space, so if you someone who is naturally curious, likes fast-paced work and using creativity to solve problems, advertising could be a fit for you.
I am happy to be of help and answer other questions about career, so please comment below if you have other ones in mind!
x Dahye
#careeradvice #advertisingindustry #dayinthelife advertising agency creative marketing industry work life balance career millennial gen z what to do advice fresh graduate how to pick your job

[@soyJulianR]

I just came here to represent the production team!! lol thanks for sharing your insights and sharing what we do every day. Great I bumped into your channel.

[@withmoku]

Thank you for sharing Dahye!

[@horaciosigler1097]

Thank you! Very informative!

[@Kiblowsky]

Ad agency copywriter here! That was really fun to watch and you made me realize one of the nicest things I wasn't even aware of: You truly have to be very honest and raw to work in advertising... I actually think it has made me very open, and now I actually think some of my discussions with a creative partner sometimes are even therapeutic because you talk and discuss everything. Damn!

[@antonetteharvey749]

Hi Alexander how did you find this job.I would love to do what you do

[@Kiblowsky]

@@antonetteharvey749 It's not necessary, but I would recommend finding a good school and studying a bachelor's in advertising.. But in theory you could try to get an internship and work your way up ;)

[@zachdavis7988]

Thank you for this. I’m watching for an internship interview I have in a few hours

[@TheRamblingSoul]

I've done freelance copywriting before, but I'm considering enrolling in a portfolio school to update my portfolio and get a full-time job at an ad agency. Thanks so much for your insight! 😊

[@MartinoFeliz]

Thank you for be honest!! Hi from Spain!! 🥰

[@emyou56]

3:30 The creative team 4:00 The other teams in an agency 6:20 If your looking for an honest 9-5 job.... Its not a regular 9 to 5 job and it is manageable You can see when your busy seasons are its all according to your clients 7:20 List of clients you have and the different types of clients

[@heydahye]

Wow, thank you for making these timestamps!!

[@itstonycia]

I can’t believe it’s a real job. I would love to work at an ad agency even for a lil while. It’s like one of those jobs you only hear of in tv shows

[@zephyrkhambatta]

Thanks for that Dahye. I just joined an agency after years of struggling in in-house, and this thing seems to fit my personality way more. It's a lot less dry for sure. Best of luck with yours as well ❤

[@heydahye]

Yes, it's a super dynamic environment... no time for dry! I'm glad your switch was a good one. All the best to you too!!

[@jamesloder8652]

Thank you for this video! As someone who is trying to transition into advertising, do you have any recommendations to facilitate making this transition?

[@carlafrias6770]

thanks for sharing!

[@MrVeton123]

pretty profesional video, bigup!

[@napsolo22]

you presented a brief but very insighful diorama of an ad agency.... kudos to you

[@heydahye]

thank you, and thank you for watching!

[@Shaheer7X]

I plan to major in graphic design for uni next year, and every uni website I look at has a degree that leads to graphic design under a different name- fine arts, studio arts, design, and so on- could you help and explain what I should be looking for when trying to find a degree that can put me on the graphic design career path?

[@DesmondHolt]

I love how u said "Still taking care of yourself. " yea ok u got me. I need to do better. They have run me ragged 😭🤷‍♂️🤝

[@VictoriaFedorova-sj7wg]

Great video

[@ViewFrameOfficial]

What is the workload per day at design agency?

[@DallySkyeAnims]

I've always dreamed of becoming a part of an ad agency. But my designs and creativity haven't been the best since I graduated from my graohic design program...

[@djan71]

what happened?

[@DallySkyeAnims]

@@djan71 The same story as everyone else; job rejection after rejection. My job experience weren't enough nor were my portfolio pieces sadly. :(

[@gunterchen359]

​@@DallySkyeAnims Try some different countries and accumulate some work by the network.

[@jasminecontreras7341]

@cozy wizard thank you for commenting this

[@jasminecontreras7341]

@cozy wizard that makes sense. What’s your job title if you don’t mind me asking? I actually don’t know much about advertising careers. I’ve just been exploring different types of careers on KZbin

[@garrettplekenpol]

thank you! What do you think of the Company, Thrive LA?

[@mohamedakram1183]

Awesom

[@liabarnes255]

I was just wondering how to achieve such career? I was thinking about going into consumer psychology ( masters in applied sciences with consumer and IO psychology) and then the advertising agency route. However if I need to I could also get a marketing degree masters. What are you thoughts?

[@TheArthurAlien]

go to school for advertising or graphic design or maybe even communications etc. Or instead just learn from youtube and books and network with people. You could make friends on LinkedIn and instagram with people in the industry and with some luck you could possibly get a job.

[@DancingDeity]

You would be a highly valuable candidate with educational background in consumer psychology. Much more valuable than a marketing degree by itself. A lot of big agencies have research departments. Search around see what type of candidates they may be looking for.

[@tmoon80]

I've spend almost 15 years in the agency space in NYC and in Hong Kong. My main advice would be don't let knowledge outpace execution. Just jump into it. I know its easier when you have a step by step guide but the process is different for everyone. Some rely on their network and others get lucky. Feel free to ping me. More than happy to chat and provided any type of advice if needed.

[@BlakeMitchell1]

good vid

[@robbob6143]

I feel like the companies that talk the most about inklusivity and Not beeing toxic are the most toxic ones.

[@sydrichardson7114]

I’ve been a production designer in film and television for 8 years. Do you think I have a chance to move into this world? I usually deign my sets off of creative look books from client / agency so i work with you guys often( pre-pro - on set )I do a ton of commercial work. I understand this world well but have no agency experience in particular.

[@chloe-ev3qk]

That sounds like a very interesting career. How do you like it? What did you study in school and how did you get there? I’m a college student trying to figure out what I want to do.

[@mikeasrat2063]

I am general manager in advertising agency ,can you help me how to create workflow for video production

[@Mariahzls]

Im Currently taking Bachelor's of arts in communication but can i ask you if i can be a creative writer at advertising company or agency?

[@constellation007]

how do i break into this industry

[@ritiksinghal2467]

Does it also gets boring sometimes? Or its always like very interesting in the position you are holding right now?

[@heydahye]

Of course, it ebbs and flows depending on the week but overall I find it very stimulating and not much time to be bored... especially if you are staffed on multiple clients at once!

[@hannahstone8092]

do advertising agencies tend to do pre-hiring drug testing? since it’s a very creative and open field I am curious to know!

[@saldiamond]

In my experience, no :)

[@smilli6415]

How do design agencies get leads ? how many sales reps do you have and what other ways to find leads ?

[@heydahye]

There is usually an entire business development team whose job is to source and build leads/relationships! Some come in organically through contacts, and others and proactive pitching.

[@smilli6415]

@@heydahye thank you... will the business development team make cold calls or mostly visit the businesses to pitch their services, Who is the decesion maker for big companies thats makes the decsion to hire an agency ? thank you

[@cree8vision]

I'm in the creative design area (graphics) but I've had a horrible time trying to get work for years. I regret getting into this field.

[@akiraholland457]

Why has it been so difficult?

[@cree8vision]

@@akiraholland457 I started out in the traditional graphics field. Over time as work shifted, I tried to get work in ad agencies. Eventually I decided to work in the Production area of agencies thinking there was more work there. I spent tons of time applying to ads, I called agencies, I went in person to agencies to get work. It resulted in very little work. I now haven't had any work in that area for a couple of years.

[@Jdgarcia19866]

Any recommendation to hire an agency in seattle wa, For a mx restaurant. Been in business for 22 yrs

[@raulbarriga7416]

Did you find a digital agency to help you out?

[@asykurgama8408]

Hi dahye jung iam from indonesia

[@anthonyraymundo9102]

what did you study for your undergraduate degree and masters (if you did)?

[@shaheenaalam791]

I'm wondering the same

[@heydahye]

I completed a Bachelor of Commerce, in Accounting & marketing!

[@LazyMe832]

​@@heydahye hi sis i did marketing in 12 and BBS in bachelor can i apply for advertising for master and what are its advantage do we get job as soon as course end what about future in advertising

[@MikosMiko]

If you are an introvert and not big on groupthink, I would not recommend working for an ad agency. There is no individual thought at agencies: every decision has to be made as a group, which leads to some pretty toxic behaviors. Ad agencies have a reputation for being toxic and having some pretty aggressive personalities, LOTS of politics, bad leadership and crazy workloads. If you are more independently minded and not big on politics, would steer clear of ad agencies as you will be miserable. Might be bearable if you have a good manager, but overall not a long term space. It’s a young people’s industry, so good to experience for a short while/in your younger years but as you get older ideally you should move in house.