I’m a senior level marketer and spent most of my 15+ years part of in-house marketing teams

Anonymous

July 29,2022 at 6:27PM UTC

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I’m a senior level marketer and spent most of my 15+ years part of in-house marketing teams

Ive been fortunate enough to be promoted through the ranks and gathered tactical and EQ skills to help me lead. But I’ve recently had a revelation that my heart is really on the creative storytelling side. I started my career in copy and comms, and I’ve directed successful campaigns from the in-house perspective.

My questions are:

For those who have made the shift from in-house to agency at this point in their careers - any tips?
How can you go from senior marketer level (where you spin a lot of plates), to focusing on the creative side in agency?

Anything else I should consider or be aware of before I take this leap?

Thanks!

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JJJuly 31,2022 at 10:27PM UTC
I think agencies like in-house folks because you think like the client and can bring that insight to the agency.
AnonymousAugust 3,2022 at 2:28PM UTC
I agree with the other commenter, I think your skill set will be highly valued on the agency side!
Kate Bishop, Career Confidence & Wellbeing Specialist, Coach & TrainerAugust 4,2022 at 3:31PM UTC
I don't have any specific tips, however, what is the worst that would happen if you tried agency life for a while?
If it didn't work out how easy would it be for you to go back in-house?
It sounds like your experience in-house would really benefit agencies
Cyndy TrivellaAugust 4,2022 at 6:02PM UTC
I made the transition from in-house to the agency world in a very specific niche of marketing called HR marketing and communications. I found that the transition was easy and welcoming in my case, but there were a few things that were definitely different.
The one thing that is very important for anyone to understand about moving from in-house to an agency is the pace. If you are client-facing, you will likely, work with a variety of clients (potentially in different industries with which you must familiarize yourself), their specific needs, meeting hardcore deadlines, maintaining relationships, and doing it all error-free.
I found agency life to be more interesting than in-house because of the variety of work and the variety of clients. The people in Creative were brilliant, but I saw some become frustrated because their vision for the client didn't meet with the client's brand standards or tone, so being able to strike the right balance is essential in a creative role in an agency.
If you're currently spinning a lot of plates, as you say here, you should be able to adjust to the pace of agency life without any hiccups. The only difference (I can see) is the adjustment to working with different companies.
Good luck, and I do hope you enjoy it if you decide to move in this direction.