Do agency culture and purpose really matter? As a long-time employee of VMLY&R South Africa, Natalie Pool says: ‘hell yes’. ‘Culture’ and ‘purpose’. Two buzzwords essential for any good TED talk, company website, pitch presentation and recruitment process.
But as these words continue to gain prominence in agency word clouds, their meaning is often reduced to lip service, with most employees and clients feeling conned by deceptive job interviews and slick PowerPoint presentations.
I can honestly say that VMLY&R is the exception, in my opinion and in my almost eight years’ there. Of course, an agency is run by humans and not robots (something our CEO Jarred Cinman is still disappointed by) and no office environment is perfect. There are tough days, decisions I disagree with and people frustrations. But that’s life. This is not a holiday camp. It’s a place of business. And one I still belong to because of culture, purpose, and people.