I still remember the first time I walked into an ad agency as if it was yesterday; it was the legendary CDP back in 1986 (showing my age!)

My eyes were out on storks, in wonderment like Charlie’s first moments in the chocolate factory, it was the coolest place I’d ever seen.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago at BBH where we were hosting one of the IPA’s Ad Unlocked days; the look on the student’s faces brought me back to my 17-year-old self. There was no doubt in my mind that they all wanted in so it’s not all doom and gloom.

The last couple of years have been tough for advertising as it has been for all professional sectors. I do understand and appreciate there is a big short term squeeze on talent, as most agencies cut hard and deep in an understandable but short term reaction to the pandemic hitting revenues. However, I strongly believe that advertising will recover well and remain a highly sought after career choice.

Our industry has quite rightly taken a long look in the mirror and is making great strides to create more diverse and inclusive cultures. The most progressive agencies are working hard to source and attract talent from different places and backgrounds either through their own programmes or with strategic alliances with organisations like The Brixton Finishing School, Creative Equals, The Media Trust, The Ideas Foundation and many more besides.

It is now widely established that these are no longer ‘good things to do’, (shameful I know) but absolutely fundamental talent strategies for future success and if you haven’t got a well funded plan by now, write it before it’s too late.

The competition for talent from brands, consultancies, tech businesses and platforms remain but I believe agency life delivers a breadth of work and the opportunity to work on multiple brands and businesses that will continue to attract the best strategic and creative minds.

We just need to be more proactive and confident about what a career in advertising looks and feels like and create the right working culture to retain the talent.

Last but not least and apologies if this sounds a bit trite but agency life is FUN, we might have forgotten this through COVID and endless ‘work from home’ edicts from that bumbling idiot but it’s coming back and I can’t wait to see it.

My long time partner at BBH, Joe Da Silva put it best:

‘Isn’t fun just the best thing to have’