Anonymity in advertising is for arseholes.
It’s really making us look bad. And act even worse.
Last week, I wrote a piece for Campaign Brief. I was pretty excited, it’s a reputable publication that has a lot of respect inside the industry. But the comments below the piece reminded me that advertising employs some of the most petty, bitter people on Earth.
I work across 3 industries (music, journalism and advertising) and nobody responds with so much vitriol as consistently and anonymously.
Advertising doesn’t just have a gender problem, it also has a massive fucking attitude problem. Who allows anonymous comments in 2016?
It’s like being in the playground again, except the older kids hide behind keyboards and awards they won 30 years ago.
I’m really sorry that there are younger people in advertising. Really I am. But I won’t be sorry when we take your jobs.
What did all the 45 year olds slinging hate on advertising trade sites do before the Internet? Oh that’s right; smoke indoors and malign women.
I hope everyone takes a leaf out of muMbrella’s book and starts outing the lot of you via your IPs so we can see where you work. I wouldn’t doubt that half of you would be fired on the spot. And the comments on my piece aren’t even bad.
I’ve had colleagues told to ‘go and kill themselves’ because of an ad spot they made that someone didn’t like. Seriously.
Stop focusing on the ‘problems with millennials.’ Fix the cancer festering in your own backyards. Pro-tip: start at a senior level. Because real talk: nobody my age would ever be so stupid as to try and abuse someone in their own industry online.
We understand the importance of respect even as we’re consistently told we don’t, and have come of age with social sharing which inextricably links our name to every opinion we have. Unlike you lot, who never grew up.
I’d like to challenge the trade press, from Campaign Brief to AdNews Australia,Mumbrella and B&T to band together and fix this issue once and for all. You guys seem to be plenty good at putting on lavish awards ceremonies for us every year to let us pat ourselves on the back. How about challenging us to become better as an industry?
Now there’s a news item I’d leave a comment under. With my real goddamn name on it.
