Working in Marketing - Agency vs In-House

Working for an Agency can be a very different experience compared to joining an in-house marketing team at a company.

Rich Higham has a wealth of experience in the Marketing industry, having worked first hand across various disciplines and built strong Marketing teams of his own. Now he shares some of his best advice when it comes to understanding the differences in the sector, and what might be best for you if you’re looking for a job in Marketing.

Agency vs In-House

Working for prestigious GroupM agencies as well as familiar brands, I have first hand experience in what the differences are working for an agency compared to a stand alone company. This is really helpful in understanding which setting you might work best in.

Agency

When working for an agency, you gain experience on multiple brands and briefs and get to focus on specific areas of marketing, such as PPC for example. In my opinion, this is great for someone in their early career, as you’re able to work with reputable brands, and begin developing a specialist knowledge. However, agencies tend to have a very high and intense workload, so the right candidate must be determined and enthusiastic – the plus side to this is that benefits tend to be high too! It's a “work-hard play-hard” lifestyle. Some of the major Marketing/Ad Agencies in the UK are McCann, Mediacom, Havas, Open… and there are so many others!

In-House

On the other hand, working for a specific brand gives you a lot broader knowledge base, as you have to take into account every type of marketing activity instead of a specialist area. However, this can mean doing smaller everyday tasks which have a less significant impact. It is a more practical role which gives you increased responsibility, and moves at a typically slower pace as you don’t have to juggle multiple brands and projects. But again, the pay off may be smaller than it is in an agency due to smaller budgets and less well-known brands (in general).

Candidate Tips

Consistency – try not to hop around from job to job; even if its not your dream role, aim to stick it out somewhere for 12 months to show perseverance and learn important skills.
Cost – it’s not all about the money! A pay rise is always nice, but make sure the role itself justifies you making the move.
Credit – value your time and skillset, you’ve worked hard to build up your experience! Know your worth and act accordingly.
Care – presenteeism is something to be avoided at all costs. Don’t stay late to look dedicated and then spend hours wasting your (and the company’s) time. Making a difference is more important.
Critique – be honest with yourself and others regarding what you can improve on, and areas of your work you’d like to change – especially before you decide to find another job. Most of the time they can help! Also, your reputation proceeds you, so being honest and open is always the best policy.
Connections - Early career relationships are vital! I was able to advance in the industry because of connections made in some of my first jobs in marketing. My advice on fostering these relationships is to take advantage of every opportunity presented to you – don’t be afraid of failure; sometimes we learn the most from our mistakes! Swapping between agency to client-side is something you may wish to explore, gaining contacts and experience along the way, as well as finding out which approach suits you best.