The Just One Project: altruism in advertising
Tags: economy, job loss, lay offs, recession, unemployed
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My faith in people has just been given a significant boost. Even in advertising people, who I may have unfairly maligned at times.
A Toronto ad agency has started an initiative to help others in the industry who are out of work. It’s called the Just One Project. The idea is to give recently laid-off advertising pros some freelance work by asking advertisers to give “just one project” over to the cause. If large brands each gave one assignment – anything from a design project or digital campaign to a new brand strategy or research assignment – it could really help out those who recently lost their jobs and are staring into the future, freaking out about mortgages and day care fees and rent and groceries.
The agency behind the project is Huxley Quale von Bismark and as partner Andy Shortt explained, HQB will not make a profit from the initiative. Freelancers will be paid $100 an hour, with an additional $25 per hour to cover operational costs for HQB who will quarterback the projects.
I’m assuming this is all charged at straight pass-through to the client (no mark up), which can represent a significant savings. A typical blended hourly agency rate is $175 so a client can conceivably both cut costs on a project and do a good thing for the industry by signing on. They may even find they get a positive injection of new thinking on their brand.
It’s not surprising the ad industry has been hit hard by the economic collapse. When large companies cut costs, one of the first places they take a hatchet to is the marketing budget. And over the last two months, thousands in advertising agencies have been called into meetings and told the bad news: you’re laid off.
These include account managers and copywriters and art directors and media planners and flash developers and designers and strategists and producers and project managers and data analysts and information architects and so on. And because of the Just One Project, this wealth of talent could get a reprieve.
Some agencies have reportedly called no fair, accusing the Just One Project of undermining work and bottom lines from other agencies who have ongoing client relationships. That’s unfortunate for it represents a small-minded backlash born of primitive self-interest — I don’t expect one project will determine the future of these companies. But neither is it unexpected when fear becomes so omnipresent.
Frequently throughout the past two months, I’ve questioned whether the harshness of this recession will make us more compassionate as a society or if it will trigger the ugly side of self-interest and protectionism. The Just One Project is a fabulous example of a group of people in an industry trying to take care of its own – and I’m so happy that it’s a signal we may actually be veering towards compassion.
Tags: economy, job loss, lay offs, recession, unemployed
PW said:
Jan 31, 09 at 6:25 pmHey “fired” - the advertising biz like the marketing biz like the whatever biz is made up of people. Some of the people are able to, however briefly, to rise above their own needs and self interests and do something “noble” for someone else. Then there are the others, who guard what they have, because they are worried that the next drop off in work means less revenue and a move to the other side of the fence. When push comes to shove, most people will look after themselves and their families but up to that point, will agree to work less and earn less so that a colleague could keep their job. I’d do that, wouldn’t you?
fired said:
Feb 01, 09 at 6:40 amYes, I would. This may be a melodramatic example, but it came to mind when I learned of those who had voiced complaints about The One Project: they wel may be the very ones who would push a fellow Jew out of a hiding place during the Holocaust claiming there’s not enough room or food.