About
Dear Jane Sample: \’dir -’jān – ’sam-pəl\ A generic salutation that is used in addressed Direct Mail to represent the fictitious female of Any Street, Any City and Any Country.
Dear Jane Sample is my advertising inspired pseudonym for Jane Doe or Jane Smith. When I originally started the blog, “Dear Jane Sample” was my super secret advertising blogger identity that allowed me to write about the craziness of working in advertising and to release my daily frustrations. I wanted to share with young and unsuspecting wanna-be Advertising Accounts people what it REALLY was like to work in Advertising, because no one ever tells you what “working in advertising” actually entails. Oh and yes, I hated my job.
Since that time of unbridled blogging youth, I have moved onto a different agency and the blog has evolved into a mixture of :
- Intelligent commentary on the advertising industry
- Poop jokes
- Survival tips for working in advertising
- Posts on “evil pigeons” (To be clear the pigeons are not evil, nor dead. They just annoy me.)
- Insightful analysis on advertising campaigns
- Rants and raves on my life, the TTC, current events
- The small realities of working in advertising
- Book reviews
- And posts on things that I find funny
To contact Jane Sample:
dearjanesample@gmail.com
November 30, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Interesting perspective. Although I have chosen to steer away from large agencies for many of the reasons you outline in this blog, I haven’t actually worked at one. So kudos for providing evidence that I made the right choice.
Also thanks for the link to The Ad-Vocate
Cheers
December 23, 2007 at 12:20 am
I agree with Jane. I worked at the #2 largest interactive ad agency.
I was bored out of my mind, constantly had to deal with politics, totally uninspired, and really couldn’t figure out how to get excited about any of the work.
People were scared of new ideas. Convention ruled. The worst place possible for so many talented designers and creatives out there.
December 23, 2007 at 11:14 am
Hi joedesigner! I have a theory about large companies in general – they are so comfortable in their current positions that they are paralyzed with fear of any change. They stopped thinking about being creative or cutting edge or inventing anything because they are too busy thinking about their profits. God forbid their profits should suffer 0.07% because of a contraversial ad they made that “upset” the mini-van majority.
December 29, 2007 at 10:24 am
[...] creativity and collaboration like this is not encouraged at the BDA’s. Joedesigner even pointed out that he was bored and uninspired working at a big agency – too much politics and convention. I very [...]
February 6, 2008 at 9:04 am
You had me until that last sentence.
Why is it that you (and so many in advertising) believe that being creative or cutting edge automatically means controversial ads that upset people…especially the “mini-van majority”??
With all do respect, I’ve always wondered why there often seems to be a subtle sense of hostility toward the generic demographic group you chose to pick out. Hence, you use that as a foundation to make your point.
It would seem to me that most companies usually don’t want to offend large groups of people. They’re called customers. Not only that, but a lot of ads already seem to offend anyway. Many are over sexualized. I’m not necessarily offended by them, but I do think that’s the case.
My own feeling toward the alleged lack of creativity in advertising is that so many ad campaigns are hard to decipher from one another. Beer ads with stupid young slackers and big breasted women. Car ads on the salt flats or the upper Hudson Valley roads. And it also seems agencies are reluctant to THINK differently. Not much integration with the digital arena, etc.
Just sayin’.
February 6, 2008 at 10:10 am
Jonathan Trenn, thank you for your comment! No really I love it when people question me, it gets my creative juices all flowing.
Just to clarify I do not have a dislike for the generic demographic. In my ways I am the generic demographic and there is a specific way in which you advertise to the generic demographic and it is hard. Because advertising to the generic demographic is not about being controversial and “selling sex”, it is about finding that one common human factor/characteristic/fear and speaking to THAT and doing it well.
I should also clarify what I mean by the “mini-van majority” (now would be a good time to add that terms and definitions page I have been thinking about doing). To me the “mini-van Marjory” is the mindless masses of our society. The people who never question anything around them, the ones who do not want change, the ones who mindlessly consume everything, the ones who do not like anyone who is not “like them”. I’m not saying that everyone should be out protesting, but I do believe everyone should be aware of the world around them and should be education themselves about that world
February 6, 2008 at 10:29 am
We, my DearJaneSample, will be developing a dialogue. ; )
My own view is that there are plenty of “masses” out there that don’t think for themselves. Hell, I’ve been in politics. Masses on both sides.
I was the guy that wrote that post on Marketing Conversation that pointed out Agency Spy’s anonymity who then reached out to DailyBiz where I then saw your comment about your own anonymity. If you can understand that.
Here’s a post that my friend Ernie, a CD wrote a day or so ago:
http://erniemosteller.typepad.com/tangeloideas/2008/02/what-do-you-thi.html
Have to head out now Jane. Enjoy your day!
February 17, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Jane… Jane… You mustn’t encourage wankers like Jonathan… He’s been in politics!!! And he doesn’t like big breasted women… He sounds fucking dangerous to me. Be carefull, you may be forced to flee back to Transylvanian. He may even send his Second Life avatar to hunt you down… Then you would be fucked… Again! Be careful, your American audience of one would miss you if he gets you.
Your concerned American fan/George
February 17, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Jane… Jane… He also has a friend who’s a CD… Jesus, that’s fucking scary!!!
Be careful/George
February 19, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I have been struggling with the notion that I may be empathizing with my captors. Our CD does not drive, cook or clean. Came in one day wearing at least $40,000 dollars of diamonds. Interrupts everyone’s conversation without saying excuse me. Goes around the office looking for someone with food, sticks her hands in your Doritos asking if she could have some, AFTER a handful has been pilfered. Makes a quarter mil, yet has never brought in so much as a stale scone for anyone else. Takes credit for others work. And I serve this person? Who is the idiot? Me.
February 27, 2008 at 7:15 am
Have a nice day !
February 29, 2008 at 2:43 pm
hey ‘jane sample’!
big fan of your blog..its like th 3rd page i open up wen i get to work:P…recommended ur blog to a few wannabe ‘ad’men/’women’ here in india..me included..keep up th gr8 wrk…n keep em comin!!!
March 1, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Thank you for all the love :)
June 1, 2008 at 8:34 am
[...] Seperti kata si empunya blog itu (yang sepengertian saya bekerja di bidang periklanan), coba hitung berapa banyak merk dagang yang [...]
June 20, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Hi Jane Sample,
I am currently a college student with an Ad major and I love checking out your blog. Gives me the real deal and a heads up for whats in store for me lol.
June 29, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Hi Jane,
This blig rocks! I am here with 2 offers on the table with a small agency lots of creative juices flow in the office, and a large broadcasting company with same mediocre campaigns…I was having a hard time deciding which job to choose, but thanks to the blog…
Keep up the good work…
PS–I love sour cream and gummi bears(not at the same time)
July 16, 2008 at 9:21 am
I love your blog! great work
September 29, 2008 at 11:44 am
Dear JS,
This is a great blog. Maybe I don’t know what I’m getting into, but I desperately want to work in advertising when I graduate next year. This is despite the fact I am not creative, cool and don’t even like watching TV. Well I don’t like any other career option so I might as choose the one with the parties. Keep up the good work, you now have another regular reader.
Cheers,
Winston.
September 30, 2008 at 6:59 am
[...] jealous. Not only does her cool sounding blog title actually have a meaning (Dear Jane Sample is A generic salutation that is used in addressed Direct Mail to represent the fictitious female of Any…) but she actually works in advertising and blogs about her experience in it. Contrast this to me [...]
May 19, 2009 at 5:51 am
You should link your blog rss to your twitter, your twitter is pretty dead ;) the power of linking :)
how: (it actually explains itself)
1. go to twitterfeed.com
2. create a login (and an open-id if you dont have one yet)
3. login on twitter
4. create new rss, link it to your twitter, make the right settings and press O.K
5. that’s all :-)
i apologize for my poor english :-)
http://lentebriesje.wordpress.com/ <- little advertising for my blog ;) delete it if you dont want it ;)
have a nice day :) loved the http://dearjanesample.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/wow/ !