Career Fast Forward

China is a market developing at breakneck speed, with both international and transnational companies burgeoning, resulting in a  constant need to seek new innovative products, services, routes to market and creative ideas to reach and engage their perspective audiences.

As a result both clients and agencies are fast-tracking creative talent to keep up with this pace.

My concern is the development of young creatives - the future of our creative industry. It's scary to see how fast these young ‘boys and girls' move up the ladder to be a creative director - a creative leader.

They are chasing (sprinting to be precise) after lost time it seems.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not against promoting young talents and fully understand that some are more talented than the others, and will take shorter time than their colleagues to learn the array of skills required to be an effective creative director.  But I ask, what is the long-term cost for both agencies and clients in our haste to push these designers up the career ladder, at such speed that they do not even have the time to master the essential skills needed to fulfil the role before moving on to the next level?

The role of a creative director has more dimension than just being a talented creative who can do great work and win awards.

To me, a good creative director must combine creative strength, leadership, presentation skills, personal and job discipline, interpersonal skills people management etc. Each of these skillsets take time to master; it's time investment.

"Good things come to those who wait". And my point is that it takes time to shape good things.

The issue we face is that, as an industry, we are building career ladders without foundation as young talent are head-hunted or job hop to progress more swiftly to the roles they desire.

When I get CVs I see short-cut career routes that take only 3.5 - 4 years to become a creative director:

• DESIGNER/VISUALISER (9MTHS)
• ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR (6 MTHS)
• ART DIRECTOR (6 - 9 MTHS)
• SENIOR ART DIRECTOR (9 - 12 MTHS)
• ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR (1 YEAR)
• CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Or

• COPYWRITER (1 YEAR)
• SENIOR COPYWRITER (1 YEAR)
• ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR (1 - 1.5 YEARS)
• CREATIVE DIRECTOR

It's extremely fast isn't it? Too fast! I truly believe that this has become a serious problem in China and Asia in general.

The problem is that even when I don't offer them the post, someone else will. I can foresee many problems that they will face down the road if they are not yet ready to lead and I worry about what this means for advertising and marketing agencies, as well as clients, as the market matures.

If advertising is a battleground, it's definitely not for the weak. When we nurture the young talents of tomorrow, we need to help them build a strong foundation. Prepare them; train them well, so that they can survive the battle without much difficulty.

It used to be, a good creative is hired base on good experience plus good creative reputation equated to the title and money.

At the moment hiring has become much more difficult. Hiring someone with good creative reputation will mean paying big money and big title, irrespective of experience.

These talented people who are hopping around for big money and big title, are not entirely to be blame, the people hiring them are.

At EURO RSCG, we don't believe in ‘throwing money' to attract talents.

If they are good talent with the right experience, they will be rewarded accordingly with good money and title. And of course the opportunity to do great work.

Eddie Wong

Executive Creative Director

Euro RSCG China