Working in advertising has many advantages. I always know the who, what, where & when on new products. I get to chat (& email! I email a lot!) too loads of lovely people which always puts me in good form. I get to be some what creative despite not being in anyway artistic. The odd Spa Day doesn't hurt either. However, like most things in life it has one or two pit falls as well. Copy deadline of course is the worst. Further down the list is the fact that picking up a magazine or Newspaper just isn't the same for me now. I loved my newspapers esp. on a Sunday. Reading Eoghan Harris with some tea and a cat on my lap. Then I started in The Daily Mail (aka first advertising job). That's when the joy got sucked out of it.
On Mail Mondays you spent the first two hours literally tearing through the weekend papers searching for new advertising clients or campaigns to claim as your own to chase/ steal. This meant you were always covered in ink, suffering from paper cuts and had clippings of adverts stuffed everywhere from your pockets, your desk (more piled then stuffed), to even scattered about your house. Do this for long enough your conditioned to see only advertising and printing costs.
Nothing wrecks your Sunday/ day off like flipping through your paper in the shop (like I'd ever buy the Mail?) to see your advert is on a left not as requested on a right or worst in black & bleedin' white. Maybe thats a horror only advertising executives understand but anyway I was banned by loved ones from buying newspapers after too many out bursts of "they said they'd no budget?", and of course "I wonder how much they paid for that".
Now I'm working for a Glossy publication I am slowly tipping my toe back into newspapers.
Working for a Glossy has opened my eyes to the world of magazines. Unlike newspapers I rarely invested much time or energy in them. I got Smash Hits if they featured Boyzone, I bought F1 Racing and Empire hardly Cosmo or Glamour. I was never really a girly girl so articles on clothes I can't afford or prob. fit in too along with make up looks I could never replicate didn't exactly excite me. I wonder what TGI & JRNS would think of me? Kiss had changed my view entirely. I know it's aimed at a teenage market but thats probably why I like it. I'm playing catch up. For example, I never realised if you tug on your eyelid pencil goes on smoothly (I'm telling everyone) It's so bright and colorful and well I'm a frickin' magpie. Also pic's of Edward in Twilight? YES PLEASE!
It's a bit of cheat to say Kiss is my favorite magazine (even though it is) because I spend a lot of time just being happy with my adverts! (I coo over them like a protective Mother) So my plan is to try some standard UK glossies like Company , Glamour and Cosmo to see if I can get into this glossy magazine habit that will no doubt cost me an arm and a leg if successful. I know it's a bit harsh switching to UK Magazines but seeing the Littlewoods Ireland opening DPS I want so much in Stellar makes me cry as much as I enjoy the content.
Not that there isn't adverts I want in UK Magazines but it softens the blow. I'm going to do a post on each but honestly so far I've read two magazines neither left any sort of impact. I can only remember the perfume adverts in one and the other was sex, sex, sex (which I don't mind but having shown Chris the article he feels a lot of their ideas are "unrealistic")
One thing is for sure I won't being reading The Lady. Having watched the Lady & the Revamp documentary on Channel 4 a few weeks ago. I was shocked not by the carry on (its very common esp. in sales) but by the fact they were so stupid as to film themselves being so horrid and clearly bullying members of staff. I think Rachel Johnson had watched The Devil Wears Prada a bit too many times before she took on the job. She even states she doesn't even like the magazine at a point in the documentary. Also, if your circulation is failing maybe try a circulation manager or PR agency before you gut a magazine and it's staff? The most obvious fault I could find was how can The Lady be edited by someone who is so clearly not a lady?
Anyway enough of my ranting - I must go read some Magazines!
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