I wonder how many client-side marketers are out there right now considering taking the leap of faith into the agency world?
As we move further into the digital world, agency and client roles are becoming more closely aligned which makes the transition much less daunting than it perhaps once was.
Of course, there are marketers who ‘switch sides’ throughout their careers (me included). But I am sure there are many who have never really made it across.
From an agency perspective, they understand that marketers within their teams provides ‘the client perspective’. It provides a more in-depth ‘specific’ industry knowledge and brings in marketing expertise; surprisingly not all agency people are marketers.
My career includes spells working in both client and agency roles and so I feel confident in saying this has enhanced my industry knowledge and understanding better than any training course.
Working for an agency such as Napier/Peter Bush Communications (PBC) has been particularly beneficial as it specialises in B2B technology. Taking the ‘specialism’ route can differentiate you and there are agencies and clients out there looking for those specialist talents. Our industry has growing pool of ambitious marketing professionals to choose from.
B2B and specifically the Technology industry is an important and growing sector and marketers who want to progress through the ranks within this industry should consider broadening their knowledge base by taking both the client and agency route.
A very important point to note, agency life has quite a unique working dynamic. There’s a tendency to work hard, play hard and most agencies include ‘fun’ in the job description – Napier/PBC is no exception.
You will ‘plate balance’. You’ll work on multiple brands and multiple projects for multiple individuals. This is not the career for someone who likes to finish one job before starting another. But this can be hugely satisfying as you see results. It’s a cliché but you can really make a difference.
I would say to all you client-side marketers wondering about your next career move – why not try working for an agency? You won’t know till you’ve tried!
Antony’s Story
Early in my career I worked in a large Marketing Dept at a bank.
A graduate joined our team. He was bright, enthusiastic, creative, bored and disheartened. This was not what he thought a career in marketing was going to be.
I introduced him to our creative agency and unsurprisingly, he quickly moved across into an account handling role. His career blossomed. Within five years he was holding a senior position in a London based agency and when I last heard, was successfully running his own design agency.
The moral of the story. Our industry has a huge spectrum of roles, from analytics to creative, you just need to choose what’s right for you.
If you are creative, full of ideas and enjoy plate balancing, agency world might just be for you.
If you’d like to talk to PBC about careers, please contact us.
