"So, why do you want to work in advertising?"
I can see how people stumble over this if they've never heard it before. It could easily be one of those "Uhh...wow I never thought about it before" situations. I do know the answer, however.
I want to work in advertising because I believe in advertising.
That's the silly, long-story-short answer. What I mean by that:
You don't have to know me for more than 5 minutes to know I'm nuts about sports. A professor once told me, "I don't know how you have room in your brain for all that extra information," referring to my sports knowledge. I'm a rabid and oft disappointed fan of Buffalo and Syracuse sports.
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| Celebrating mediocrity at the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
What you may not know is that my first love was basketball. Strange because I didn't grow up with a team - Buffalo hasn't had one since 1978. I adopted the Chicago Bulls partially because they were really, really good, but also because the only player I knew anything about was His Airness, Michael Jordan.
I first learned who MJ was through a certain commercial you may remember:
Sorry if it's stuck in your head now.
I was mesmerized. I wanted to be like Mike. And so I drank Gatorade, I asked mom for Nike sneakers and Hanes underwear, and yes, I watched Space Jam about 126 times.
It wasn't until later that I realized that this thing that I cared so deeply about was all because of advertising. Sure, I was affected in a very specific way, but it dawned on me that advertising can have a profound effect on anyone. When done correctly (and honestly), it really works.
The industry is absolutely fascinating. It's not because it's paid communication to convince consumers of blah blah blah, or whatever the textbook definition is. It's because advertising at its core is the perfect blend of art and science which can show any person a slightly better way of life. It manages to solve the problems of consumers and of companies and brands at the same time, often in a captivating way.
And it's the only thing I can imagine myself doing for a living.
And for the record: I got into advertising long before I got into watching Mad Men - that isn't the case for everyone. But since you asked, I see myself more as a Ken Cosgrove than a Pete Campbell.
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