HOW TO MAKE IT AS AN ADVERTISING CREATIVE
This book is aimed at anyone who is considering becoming an advertising creative, is studying to become one, or already is an advertising creative but would like to become a better one.
The difference between this and other advertising books is that this book will not teach you how to have ideas or write advertisements.
There are books already in existence that deal with the craft side of things; it is also taught extensively in colleges. What is never taught, however, is the collection of skills that you need to make it as an advertising creative above and beyond the ability to write good adverts.
This book will teach you how to get the best out of the people you work with, such as account planners, photographers and directors. It will teach you how to be successful at getting creative directors to buy into your ideas and how to present your work to clients. There’s lighter stuff too, like a discussion on whether what you wear is important, and how to argue with your partner.
Getting a job as an advertising creative is not easy. When I started at Watford College, our tutor told us solemnly that not all of us would get jobs. We thought he was trying to knock our confidence, before building it back up again, like at Marine Camp. Actually, he was telling the truth. Only two-thirds of us ended up getting jobs in advertising.
Not only is it difficult to get a job, it’s also hard to keep your job in this highly competitive industry. Five years out of college, only half of us still had jobs. After 15 years, we’re down to a handful. However, those of us who are still in advertising are now creative directors, some even contemplating their own agency start-ups.
And that’s why I believe this book is necessary. I’m convinced that those of us who went on to succeed in advertising aren’t necessarily the ones who were the most talented, but the ones who combine some talent with what you might call “savvy.” This book aims to teach you that savvy.
This book will teach you the intangible skills that are essential if you are to get a job, survive, thrive and ultimately make it big in one of the most exciting industries on the planet.
P.S. After reading this book, you might assume all creatives are male. That’s incorrect. Although I’ve written “he” throughout, this is purely to avoid the cumbersome “he or she” phrase.