Lean, Not Mean: Uncrunching Lives & Numbers
Is it time for the ad industry to heal its own? Maybe some advertisers and holding companies should think about it.
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Lean, Not Mean: Uncrunching Lives & Numbers Is it time for the ad industry to heal its own? Maybe some By Bob Samuel
Go back and read that again. Those statistics are beyond stunning. That is the equivalent to the population of Santa Clarita, CA. The equivalent of an entire city’s population have lost their livelihoods in marketing and advertising-related fields. I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve been able to scratch out a living as a freelancer for three years. Some combination of luck, relationships, skills and aggressiveness acquired before 2006 prepared me to establish myself as a resource. I was “branded” before the big crash threw huge numbers of ad people into the ranks of the unemployed. In hindsight, I’ve come to appreciate the head start. My family has sacrificed in many ways, as we no longer enjoy the benefits of a staff position. Vacations, great health care coverage and adding to the savings account are but a few of the things we've given up. But we’re fortunate. What about the unlucky ones? What are they doing? How are their families? I suspect that a large number of those laid off were the more expensive, senior assets these companies felt obliged to slash. They might have gotten some stock money, severance pay and COBRA entitlements, and some might even have gotten a pension. Then again, I donullt know many people who could have been at one job long enough in the ad world to qualify. But the ‘unAdployed’ are diverse in age, experience and outlook. Thousands have no extended benefits. None of the lay-off benefits last as long as you'd think. There is no doubt that financial stress and its effect is growing alarmingly among this army of ad refugees. What’s being done for these people? I see no evidence of any organized effort by anyone to re-employ or re-train the 163,000-plus who’ve lost their jobs in the ad industry. There are no unions that have relief funds for advertising workers. There are no re-education programs to re-tool skills for the few growth industries that are out there. OK, the problems are pretty easy to identify, you say to yourself. But is there a solution? Well, if the "recovery" ever filters down from the banks, there may be jobs, and so there needs to be a way to get some of us back to work soon. Recently Marie Perry (guest-blogging for Epoch’s Jerry Solomon on his Producer Posts blog) made some points that I found inspiring. She wrote: "What if advertisers decided to help put people back to work? Think people would notice? I think consumers would notice. I know I would. Especially if the advertiser were one of the many companies who have received help from us, the taxpayers, the consumers. In an ever-changing business, advertisers are desperately looking for ways to capture the public's attention. What if a little smart marketing could actually help put people to work?” I couldnullt agree more. So I’d like to propose a small, finite first step, one in which the corporations can help re-engineer a sense of community in our industry. A sense that has been shattered. I am calling for an Advertising & Marketing Job Fair, one to be held in New York and one in Los Angeles, to start. These will be events where advertisers, holding companies, media companies, ad agencies, design and film companies and others will be encouraged to man booths to meet and identify candidates for current or future positions. Unemployed professionals will be encouraged to attend with resumes, portfolios etc. It will take one major advertiser and one holding company to get the ball-rolling. If nothing else, as Marie said, it’s great P.R. and marketing for them. How Do We Do It? Here are some ways we might be able to get this off the ground: Funding: Federal, state and city governments will be approached for funds to pay for facilities and perhaps allow the use of convention or other space for the event. (Hey, Cablevision, how about loaning us Madison Square Garden for New York?) Staffing: Facilities workers and security will all have to be paid. The rest will be staffed by corporate and agency employee volunteers. Each participating company will have a booth with HR and other executives who’ll be there to meet candidates. Event organization will also be run by volunteers. The ANA, AAAA, AICP and others could be vital helping here. The industry trade media could contribute a lot, and give back to the people on whom they have built their own businesses. Food, Drink, Internet, etc.: Corporations can donate these services and products. Think Coke, Pepsi, Verizon, AT&T, Kraft, Microsoft, Apple, McDonald’s, Amex—all of them could be brought in. We built those brands. Let them give back. Education, Training, Coaching: Head hunters, professional coaches and other personnel-related and professional development services and companies have taken huge hits in this economy. They can benefit from reviewing candidate materials; interacting with participating corporations has to be good for their business too. Perhaps universities with continuing education programs would be recruited to attend as well. Immediate Relief: Departments of Labor, the Freelancers Union, and yes, even banks, could all offer insights and strategies on coping with loss of income and increased debt, and offer solutions with information on available public relief funds and health care. Long Term Relief: This event MUST include new media companies, digital agencies and other representatives from the tech sector. It would be a real coup to get Apple, Google, Yahoo, Facebook and others to attend and recruit from talented and worthy candidates. What Defines Success? We live in a time of great skepticism and stress. People will scoff at the effectiveness and the results such events could produce. I have a different view. Here's what I believe will result from these efforts: Hope: The jobless and under-employed are often isolated and confused. Knowing there are others in the same boat is a comfort. Meaningful interaction with those who employed and then terminated them can be a source of comfort and opportunity. Showing an industry cares makes the bitter pill of joblessness a little easier. Community: Re-building the ad community could re-ignite a spirit and purpose that has disappeared, energizing a progressive and caring industry that has always been at the forefront of social responsibility and innovation. We can re-generate just by caring for our own. Corporations, ad agencies, small businesses may get tax write-offs for their contributions, but the P.R. and marketing value of their association and participation in these Ad Job Fairs will pay them back ten-fold. Jobs: Putting people back to work is the primary goal. Jobs created at these Advertising & Marketing Job Fairs are enormously important, whether it’s five, 50 or 500 families we put back on the payroll immediately, and however many more in the months to come. We restore pride though employment. We relieve financial and emotional hardship. We safeguard education and the health of children. We put money back into our cities by stopping the drain on tax rolls. Our industry takes a leading role in jump-starting the economy. And a re-invigorated workforce could inspire this industry to the innovation and re-building it so desperately needs. Lofty? Yes. Possible? Absolutely. Email me at bobsamuel@mac.com if you think this is a good idea. Send me a better one if you donullt. Tell me if you or people you know want to work, donate or help in any way. Pass this idea on to others. I’ll start the effort by donating time to produce it. Better yet: email your agency, your client and move them to action. We can do something good here. We can be our brothers' and sisters' keepers in a time when they really, really need it. Let's do it in the next quarter and make 2010 the year we turn the tide. Special thanks to Marie Perry of the Skouras Agency and Jerry Solomon of Epoch Films. Bob Samuel is a producer and consultant who tries not to take himself, or the industry, too seriously. He often fails miserably at both. Check out his blog here. |
Since the beginning of the current recession, ad agencies and holding companies in the US alone have cut 37,415 positions. If you factor in fields related to advertising and marketing, the figure becomes more frightening, with at least 163,400 reported jobs eliminated.
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