Advertising execs are known for their hard partying. Entertaining those CMOs can give one a bad drinking problem and fast. Lets not even get on the stories of CEOs wandering around Cannes with a bump of coke stuck to the tip of their nose.
However, Australia’s ad biz is taking the cake. A fifth of people who work in Australia’s advertising industry are using and heavy. When asked if they knew co-workers with a drinking problem, only 7 per cent of those working in media agencies were able to answer “No”. According to reports, agency staff are using drugs and alcohol to cope with the long ass hours and creative that gets nixed at the last second. I’m sure you can relate.
In fact, you’re probably thinking just what Matt Baxter founding partner of Naked Communications said:
“I’m surprised the results are as low as they are.”
Still, doesn’t it help explain the wacky and sometimes thoughtless advertising coming out of Australia? Actually, we need to include New Zealand. Remember that whole Flickr dust-up involving Australian agency Host? Or, what about New Zealand agency, Cinderella’s, ode to Hitler? Yeah. Those were classic.