How to Launch a Successful Career in Advertising: Early Career Tips from Small Army CEO Jeff Freedman
Boston, MA (PRWEB) July 02, 2013 -- As a senior at the University of New Hampshire, Jeff Freedman applied for an internship at Arnold and missed the deadline. Luckily, he noticed the signature the bottom of the rejection letter (his former RA at UNH) and he gave him a call. He was able to get a foot in the door and an internship in the media department at the booming agency. Nearly 25 years later as CEO and Founder of Small Army, Freedman has the following tips for those who wish to launch a successful career in advertising:
1. The hardest part about advertising is getting in.
Getting into this business is the most difficult part. Do whatever it takes to get in the door, even if it means working for free. Once you are in the door, the opportunities are everywhere you make them.
2. “Fun” does not necessarily mean “easy”.
Advertising can (and should) be a fun business to be in – it’s creative, it’s collaborative and every day brings new challenges. However, it is also full of tight deadlines, differing opinions, difficult feedback, long days/nights and big personalities. It takes thick skin to be in this business.
3. It is a small world.
Everyone in the advertising business knows one another (especially in a small city like Boston). We’ve worked at other agencies together, met at industry events (there are quite a few), sat on panels together or even met in the lobby of a new business pitch (that doesn’t only happen on Mad Men). We compete with one another, but we are also friends with one another. Be nice to everyone. You never know what the future will bring.
4. You don’t know it all – and you never will.
To me, this is the beauty of advertising. Every day, we learn. If you think you know it all, you do not belong in this business. Every perspective, every interaction and every experience is a learning opportunity. Take advantage of it, or you will quickly become irrelevant.
5. Relationships are everything.
It’s not just about who you know – it’s about how they know you. Be yourself and take the time to get to know others. More than anything, we all want to work with people we like, trust and can have fun with. Great work follows. And, so does opportunity.
To read more advice from the trenches of advertising, visit http://smallarmyjeff.wordpress.com/.
About Small Army
Recognized as one of the leading advertising agencies in Boston, Small Army works with a range of national and local brands to tell stories that build relationships with audiences. Their stories are told in traditional advertising channels, non-traditional media, social media and any other place that audiences are most apt to engage. At the foundation of each story is a core belief that both the brand and the audience share - the moral to the story. Small Army has been creating successful stories since 2002 for brands such as GE, SolidWorks, Seaport Hotel, Reebok, Emerson Hospital, WGBH, GymIt and DirectTire. The agency is also responsible for the national annual cancer fundraising event, Be Bold, Be Bald!, through its non-profit, Small Army for a Cause. For more information, visit http://www.smallarmy.net.
Rebecca Sullivan, Small Army, http://www.smallarmy.net, 617-501-4010, [email protected]
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