Hello Future Stars,
If you are joining or even considering a career in advertising, you are in a much better place than I was when I entered the field. Forget about my parents; even I didn’t have a clue that advertising could be a career option! I just happened to chance upon an opportunity in advertising.
You are way more fortunate.
You have access to a plethora of mediums to read and learn about advertising. This is contrary to my early days.
Having said that, I think reading books and watching programmes on the subject is just a little trailer of what the field really has to offer. If you want to prepare for entering into the advertising arena, then start appreciating life around you! Interact with people from all walks of life (and not just advertising). Talk about what they do, about what gives them and their family and friends joy. The more people you meet, the more you will acquire insights that are at the core of any piece of communication.
Enjoy a journey in a train. Chat with your barber, gardener and milkman. No written piece can make you richer than these conversations. Even to date, when I go back to my hometown in Jaipur, my school friends, armed with curiosity, nudge me with, “You probably know all the top supermodels, and the entire film fraternity! What a glamourous life you lead.” Let me break that myth for you. Advertising is very much like the film industry, my friend.
It makes you work very, very hard. Glamour is the output; you won’t find it in the day-to-day routine. However, both these industries give you a lot of opportunities to chase your passion. If you are a writer, you can write on so many subjects; if you have a thing for art, then you can use a plethora of brands as an outlet for it.
Advertising gives you the opportunity of living a life less monotonous.
No, you don’t need any degree if you are a creative person. It is your storytelling ability which will do the talking. On the other hand, if you are seeking a career in client servicing, media or the digital world, you, of course, need knowledge which will come in handy when you start converting your learnings into effective communication.
This is an open letter. So, come to the world of advertising with an open mind and heart. You will not only enjoy the journey but also be paid handsomely once you have proven yourself. Starting salaries in advertising do not seem attractive, but if you are good, you will catch up with anybody else and probably overtake them in five-six years.
Let me tell you my story. When I was in college, my very good friend Arun Lal and I had decided that we would work together no matter where it was. He was a year senior to me, and found himself a job as a tea taster in Kolkata. When I finished my Masters, I joined the same firm —TM & MC — as a tea taster too. After two-and-a-half years, I was getting bored of the job. We then ran into a friend from college who worked in advertising. On seeing some of his art work and print ads, Arun and his wife Reena observed that I tended to crack these types of lines, 10 a day! They nudged me into taking a shot at the business. But there was the catch: since I would be three years late into the job than people my age, I decided I would not make Kolkata my base. I thought I must go to the place where it is practised the best — Mumbai.
So, I left my company accommodation and car behind. I shared a room with my two-year-old niece in my sister’s house and travelled in local trains. My initial salary at Ogilvy was one-third that of my Kolkata job! But I took it on, because I thought this was something that I would love.
Take up something that you love! Want a high salary on Day One? Then, this is not the place for you. Want to earn it through your work? Then you have knocked on the right door.
There is this certain feeling amongst people that winning awards is the goal to greater effectiveness. I don’t argue with that. The greatest award is when your work is loved by the people on the street, your family and the people your advertising is aimed at. The biggest award is when a client tells you that you have played a role in making the brand’s objective come alive. If your work has achieved all this, then winning a trophy is just a bonus — which should never be the end in itself.
Also, don’t look for a quickie. Stick around. And then you will find this to be a truly sexy career. In addition, you will also love the opportunity of impacting society through power-packed communication. Nothing gives me more joy than the work on the Polio campaign with Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. The biggest award of my life came last year, when India was declared Polio-free.
Don’t you think it is things like these that make life more meaningful? Give it a thought.
Here’s wishing you all the very best!
Get out there. Make a difference.
Regards,
Piyush Pandey (Executive Chairman and Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather India and South Asia)
