AboutPeter Gabany Expertise Strategic planning:
Objective based advertising, Ad creative, Writing, Photography - buying and making, Illustration - buying, Print, Outdoor, Event, Media, Media Planning, Broadcast, How to select an agency, What the client must provide, Pitching a client / being pitched
Experience Over 25 years in the business - 22 years operating an agency. Creative direction and agency management.
Question QUESTION: Peter, I doubt you remember but you offered advice to me a few months ago about contacting a local agency and I followed through, so first I'd like to say thank you. Now I have an application and am in need of more advice. The first page of the application is standard, biographical info. The next 8 pages are rigorous creative tests such as mad libs and drawing exercises. I want to be an AE so I'm not sure how to go about completing the artistic/creative elements (I'm not even sure why its required) as I am a horrific drawer and I find myself only thinking "what do they want me to put?" instead of a flood of good ideas. This is a major agency and I want to impress them, should I just go for broke and try to be super creative (colors, pictures, graphics, etc.)? Should I just take the questions at face value and write honest answers? I was even thinking of handing copies of the application to my friends like a small focus group to field ideas, would you consider that cheating? Sorry for the barrage of questions but this is a comprehensive topic. Hope to hear from you soon.
ANSWER: Seth,
I just received a notice that I did not respond to this question but I know that I posted an involved answer when it was first posted. I don't have the original and would rather check if you already received it so I don't do this again.
Please advise,
Pete
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Peter,
I never received your answer, it must have been technical difficulties. If you could resend your answer I'd appreciate it. Thank you.
Answer I will try and re-answer this - my answer the last time was very good - only if I say so myself.
1st off I wish to say that any agency worth their salt has got to be creative with all aspects of their agency. This means hiring creative people for each and every position. You have got to consider yourself creative if only a fan of creativity.
But here's the rub. People, in general, believe that creative only refers to art. My accountant has been known to be highly creative. as has been my lawyer. But you are sweating over drawing. Well here is my creative approach. Agencies hire the best, they try and get the right people on the bus. If the assignment is to draw something then draw it - very rough - show sketches of layouts and alterations - show your creativity with you ability to look at different ways to execute - and I mean rough ideas. (You do know that most Art Directors can't draw right?) Then with your best idea, hire a designer to show creative approaches to your concepts. This is what an AE does in real life.
Don't go in with status quo, bend the rules and look for creative solutions.
