Who would have thought that job vacancies for the most well known advertising agencies would be going unfilled or under-filled? Employers must be wondering where all the exceptional creative talent has gone...
WHAT IS A CONSCIOUS CREATIVE?
A conscious creative is someone in the creative industry (writers, designers, art directors and content creators) who recognise their own culpability in creating neat, insight informed solutions to creative briefs provided by unethical clients.
Unethical clients would be distinguished as those who sugar coat, green wash, mislead, miss-sell, offset or over promise and under deliver. These clients may have good intentions but a conscious creative will have a gut feeling that the end may not justify the means or that their client may talk the talk but be unable to walk the walk.
A business's inability to change, adapt or do better could be down to industry or brand culture, customer expectations, budget or simply old fashioned views. But a conscious creative will want to leave a positive mark and will follow purpose over pounds (£).
WHERE HAS ALL THE TALENT GONE?
It is no longer attractive to work for an agency that represents FMCG or Fortune 500 brands, it is common knowledge that these are the biggest polluters in the world, so the most prestigious agencies are finding themselves in a talent deficit. They are unable to find the best creatives to work on their clients' campaigns but also lack the financial independence from such clients to be able to represent new brands who are doing things right.
Many of the London agencies have seen swathes of creatives resigning over the last five years in favour of more purposeful, independent work. In an era where we are looking at our mental health closer than ever, it is now proven that working on projects with meaning to us is more rewarding than the jobs offering financial benefits.
We creatives are at our best when in an environment that keeps our juices flowing, with positive, likeminded creators who help to bring out the best in us. Most of us who practice what we preach belong to Creatives for Climate, a community of creatives collaborating and sharing projects, knowledge and advice.
C4C welcomes all who want to be part of something that matters and for those who wish to use our creative powers for evil instead of good, we have an active Greenwash watch to call them out.