Does the advertising industry need more generalists or specialists?
Should the advertising be hiring more specialists or generalists? Mumbrella’s Abigail Dawson speaks to senior creatives and strategists to find out what the advertising industry really needs.
The advertising industry has fought a long battle between the specialist and generalist, with different agencies choosing to weight one heavier than the other.
Elsewhere, both are equally as important, with generalists and jacks of all trades being hired into agencies at a rapid rate.
So which is a more valuable player within an advertising agency? A specialist or a generalist?
I don’t believe these skill sets are mutually exclusive.
There are many generalists whom have a base knowledge on a wide range of subjects, whilst also having a deep and specialised understanding of a certain subject or skill.
Agree. It is brief dependent. There are people who are both very experienced and deeply niched in certain skills but can also hold their own in other areas, there are some that only do one thing and do it to perfection and others who are generalists able to handle a wide range. This is like saying multi-culturalism is about individuals from difference races hanging out together, but the truth is we’re sometimes that, but sometimes a mix of all sorts and different percentages.
I think the real story here is in the resourcing. The needs of the clients that the businesses service is the driver for what permanent hires a creative agency takes on, or in some cases the brands are served the work that the agency wants to do or has the capability to do. I prefer a model where there is no temptation to shoehorn the talent into the brand and it goes the other way with integrity and independence, where the right fit talent is pulled in to service the real needs of the client whether that is specialised or generalist. Let’s hope along the way that it is actually the best talent for the brief. That’s a must in my book.
The problem being a “hybrid” is that recruiters or agencies (who like to pigeon-hole things) have little idea how to position you for new roles.
Generally speaking, more specialists.