Our Account Executive Charmaine had been working client-side for over two years when she decided to make the leap and join DS.Emotion. Find out why she made the swap and get the inside scoop on the main differences between in-house and agency…
A little bit about me
After a year or so, I decided that university wasn’t for me, so I completed an apprenticeship instead. I was one of the first marketing apprentices at Lloyds Banking Group. I got a really varied experience, working with several different teams within the business. After completion of the programme, I worked within the B2B side of the business until I decided to try something new.
Why I chose an agency
I wanted to know if I was missing something by working client-side. All the agencies I had worked with seemed to have case studies and examples of exciting projects they had tried with various clients. The idea of working on various brands across multiple projects interested me.
The difference between in-house and agency
I’ve enjoyed my experience working both in-house and for an agency.
Working for an agency gives you chance to work for a variety of clients and brands, and the projects vary every day. This also means how each client works varies, and levels of creativity varies too. What is brave for one client is the norm for another, which fascinates me.
When you’re working for an agency, you learn very quickly that clients are different. You have to adapt to their working style. Having said that, if you work for a big in-house brand you have to work for various agencies and specialists. You need to learn to manage them and their working styles too, especially on bigger campaigns!
If you work for one company, you live and breathe the brand. An agency team does sometimes knows its clients’ brand guidelines and business objectives just as much as an internal employee. However, you don’t get to see the ins and outs of everyday life within that business. An agency team has the benefit of varied experience so we can give impartial creative guidance with a breath of knowledge. We help deliver marketing campaigns that are often elements of an overarching business plan. It’s our job as experts to make sure they’re delivered well.
There are, of course, differences between individual companies such as working hours, flexibility, how much control/creativity you have and working environment. However, I think this varies across all businesses rather than whether you’re working client-side or within an agency.
The deciding vote
Both have pros and cons, and I think more people within the marketing industry should expose themselves to both sides. Seeing the client/agency process from a new perspective opens your eyes to internal struggles and frustrations. It shows how the other half live. I’ve equally enjoyed working with agencies in the past as I do currently working with my clients. I think partly this is because I understand things from my clients’ viewpoint and can put myself in their shoes.
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