After years wondering what’s wrong with the ad industry, I realized what’s right with it

Even a recent opinion article highlighted a friend and incredibly talented former colleague, Andy Pearson, fleeing agency life because it became too much of a swirl of creating soulless work. I too once pondered the existential ‘what the actual heck are we doing’ and questioned the meaning of life–or at least, the point of another TV spot.

That was indeed why I had left the ‘traditional agency’ side years ago. I was tired of seeing great ideas get left to die in ditches again and again.

So, why am I back at Crispin and not continuing to live in client-side “serenity”?

Because, amid the flashbacks, I remembered beyond just the grind in my early 20s–life-long friendships forged in the fires of tight deadlines, the constant push for the best ideas and many refreshments at Scotty’s Landing.

It wasn’t for everyone, but it was for me.

Crispin hadn’t been just another notch on my resume. It was where I learned that making a difference and making a living weren’t mutually exclusive. Crispin had undeniable swagger.

The Best Idea is Boss.

Good Enough Sucks.

Stay Scrappy.

I have memories of working on amazing brands with clear purpose alongside the best in the business (shoutouts to Keller, Tiff, Rob and many more). I discovered that real learning comes from diving deep across different brands, not just wading in the shallow end of one.

In my subsequent roles in media and entertainment, my passion for crafting great creative never wavered. In fact, by learning more about the entire business of growing and marketing a brand, from audience research and subscriber churn to even EBITDA (ugh) and shareholder impact, I emerged with a much wider respect for our agency partners and their impact on people.

Now, returning to Crispin and our clients, we believe that the best ad folks are problem solvers. We want our brand partners to approach us with creative and business dilemmas - whether a desire to develop new products to creating comprehensive marketing campaigns, confident that we understand the bigger picture - blending business with creativity.

Advertising agencies are the boot camps of the marketing world, where we hone our skills, learn the value of strategy and teamwork, and develop a resilience that benefits us throughout our lives. When work gave us lemons, we juiced the -ish out of them and disrupted lemonade markets everywhere.

Let’s not dismiss the ad world as a mere “hellscape of soulless endeavors.”

The agency world has evolved for those who build the right environment with the right people. Gone are the days of sacrificing your social life on the altar of deadlines. Today, balance can be found alongside great creativity. It’s a diverse industry where one can thrive alongside a kickass female CEO who proves daily that you can ‘save the world’ and still have a good laugh.

Let’s not overlook the transformative power of advertising.

The ad world isn’t just about selling; it’s about sparking conversations, challenging norms, and making some pretty awesome things. Like the Wall Street Fearless Girl, we’re here to shake things up and help solve actual business or cultural problems. And I confess, the Domino’s pizza tracker has saved my 10pm hangry more times than I care to admit.

You could back then, and still should today, make ads.

Sometimes, we forget we’re in the business of doing that. Crispin had (and still does) so much fun making ads. Our campaigns for baby carrots, aimed at marketing healthy food like junk food or 19 Crimes wine with Martha Stewart, perhaps inspire some satirical ethos for other brands. Ads are meant to entertain and be an enhancement, not a disruption. I’m excited to make more fun ads that effectively drive impact for brands.

So, to the disillusioned, remember and respect the roots from which you grew. Look to those seeds that were planted in the past to remember what was originally built for the future. For all its flaws, the ad world is a vibrant ecosystem that teaches us so much. Behind every client campaign, a team of dreamers is dedicated to making something meaningful for many brands.

To the younger creative, embrace the madness. It’s in the mayhem that you’ll find your voice and maybe, just maybe, leave a mark on the world that your mom would brag about even if she still can’t quite grasp what you do for a living.

And finally, to my fellow OG CPBers - Crispin has always been more than just an agency. It’s a brand itself and cool enough to wear on a T-shirt. I’m really looking forward to the late nights and creative fights again. Who’s with me to boomerang back?

Liz Levy is an alum of Hulu and Complex and a three-time Crispin boomerang from intern to chief marketing officer.