“What you call love was invented by guys like me to sell nylons.”

The advertising world is a crazy place. In the heydays of advertising, it was very much a boys club. If anyone has watched AMC’s Mad Men, it’ll give you a sense of how Madison Avenue was run back in the 60s (though the show is not completely correct given that it’s meant to entertain and not document).

It seems like that mentality hasn’t completely disappeared. Steve Biegel, a former Dentsu USA Creative Director, has filed a complaint against his old boss for raunchy behavior. Seems like advertising people are still just as sex-crazed as investment bankers or entertainment media moguls.

The ad industry has calmed down a bit since regulators started cracking down on it, but each company still has its own story, its own history. Each company also has its own culture. And now I’m going to use this chance to segue into the real reason why I wrote this post – to talk about the different company cultures.

I feel like I’ve been researching the industry long enough to know what’s going on with what industry. I’ve had close interactions with many companies, especially this past summer. I’ve talked to many people who’ve worked for each. I have impressions, both good and bad, of most of the major players in the industry, and on some of the minor players too. While it’s probably not a good idea to post what I would like to say here (never know who’s actually reading this thing), I’ll be happy to share what I know with anyone thinking of getting into the industry and would like some opinions about it. Feel free to email me at sarah.hu@stern.nyu.edu. Or go to redbooks.com to get very detailed information about the industry.

Oh Advertising, why are you so glamorous to the public?

Source: http://adage.com/article?article_id=121698

Sarah