I come from a strong unionist family.
You see, my dad worked his way to the top of the civil servant's unions. I’ve seen firsthand how he and his mates really helped civil servants; they didn’t just fight for themselves, they fought for the wellbeing of others.
I've seen him go through tough times, but he and his compatriots always fought on. I’ve seen pickets and protests, and my own father threatened by politicians and gangsters wielding parangs outside our home. It wasn’t a tough childhood at all, but it was a very colourful one.
As the son of a unionist, I rarely saw him at home because most of the time he was in meetings and giving talks. When I was a little older, I would go with him and we would meet other civil servants in coffee shops. They would walk up to my dad and thank him and his other union mates for doing what they can to help out.
And I felt proud. Proud of what my dad fought for, because I finally understood what he was doing and how he was helping his community.
Which brings me to my point.
I know the private sector is very different, and I’m not sure if you have the same feeling, but I feel like no one really looks out for us advertising folks. I’ve never seen anyone fight over anything for us. In fact, the only thing we fight about is award shows. Are we so blinded by them that we can't seem to address a bigger issue?
As for the 4A’s, though I’m pretty young in the industry, as far as I've dealt with them, the only thing I see them busy with is the awards. And by gosh, they have done a mighty fine job in rewarding the industry, but it feels like we need someone to actually look out for us.
I'm not sure if you feel the same.
Sure, they set pitch fee rules, which no one really follows. Sure, they have been trying to help with getting younger people into the industry, but I feel we can do more.
Maybe it’s not their job to fight for us in the industry. Maybe we're a bit jaded and simply fight for the wrong things.
But personally, I really feel no one is looking out for us ad folks, or our industry.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policy of the agency.
