From Mad Men to Buhay Ahensya: How the Series Stacks Up to Ad Agency Life in the Philippines Today
How does Don Draper's world compare to working in advertising in the Philippines in 2024?
As a starry-eyed junior copywriter almost a decade ago, I was always jumping at the chance to absorb some new life learning or movie/series/book recommendation from my boss. So when he told me to go watch Mad Men, I immediately looked for a way to get my hands on all seven seasons.
I found myself immersed in the fab world of 1960s NYC, with the fashion and hairdos I’d see in my grandparents’ photos, and the music my mom grew up listening to.
Don was, of course, irresistible and compelling. But I fancied myself a Peggy Olson, new to career life, eager for mentorship, and a writer.
Fast-forward to 2024. I’ve seen Mad Men twice in full. And I rewatch various clips and video essays about it, even today. And despite the time and geographic differences between 1960s America and 2010s-2020s Philippines, I would still recommend this show to anyone in advertising. In a heartbeat.
What I wanted to talk about today was how similar and how different those two contexts are. At least, based on what I’ve experienced. Because though times may change, and technology evolves, people are pretty much the same, at their core.
That said, spoilers ahead!
How is Mad Men similar to Philippine ad agency life today?
We still say that advertising is about happiness. Time and again you’ll hear the client or creative director say they want to show something “aspirational”, that the headline must sound “positive” (even if others will argue that saying “No [bad thing here]” is perfectly okay). Check out these quotable quotes from Don’s Lucky Strike meeting in the pilot episode, and his conversation about love with Rachel Menken.
Advertising is still about all things new. Ah, the tried-and-tested marketing of “new formula” “new and improved”.
But, advertising is also about nostalgia. Ever wonder why nostalgic music from the 80s to 00s makes some ads just *chef’s kiss*? It’s nostalgia.
The Carousel pitch is one of my favorite clips, and it’s what I use to introduce colleagues to the show. Don’s presentation skills are #goals here.
We still have a sense of fear/awe when it comes to new tech. With Mad Men, it was IBM computers. Nowadays, it’s AI.
The industry is a meritocracy. In Mad Men, we see Don and Peggy work their way to the top. He never finished school, but he had an amazing gift for understanding the human psyche (even if he couldn’t seem to apply it to his personal life). And she was on her way to becoming a secretary until Freddy Rumsen discovered her knack for words. Today, I get to work with dozens of people who didn’t necessarily finish a communications or marketing course. Some are even career shifters. With hard work and a good mentor, you really can go a long way in advertising.
Humans will always be humans, and their emotional needs as portrayed then are the same as they are now. Some great examples of these are:
Don’s nostalgia (and regret) in The Carousel pitch
Don’s loneliness and longing for true acceptance and understanding that brought about that Hershey pitch.
Paul’s tendency to write to impress peers plus Don’s reminder to Peggy to write for the customer to trigger a feeling - both in the Mohawk Airlines episode.
People craving a way to truly connect, as seen in the Burger Chef pitch (also, I love how Peggy referenced a recent event, the Moon Landing, as proof of this craving for connection)
The strategic/creative limitations based on what a product is or isn’t, and what the competitive landscape is, has always been a struggle. Don’s take on it for Lucky Strike is, I think, very much in line with what agencies do today!
Sometimes, the most creative or strategic move isn’t the one that’ll get you the client. There are still those “just give them what they want” types.
Knowing your client well (as a brand, as people) is key. Research is still key.
Both in Mad Men and for advertising creatives today, the subconscious is a big help. Don says that to get his ideas, he “thinks about it deeply, then forgets it.” This helped Peggy during her brilliant moments later in the series, and during her Belle Jolie moment, since she understood the products deeply but wasn’t pressuring herself to get that perfect headline.
Mentorship. Well, ideally this should be present everywhere, regardless of the context. I just love how Don gracefully turns the audience over to Peggy, and Peggy has a calm, confident air about her - not shying away at the compliments, instead, she knows that she is good at what she does and is grateful that her mentor is there to watch her.
Back then and even now - you win some, you lose some. The Heinz pitch was brilliant, and the part where client is insistent on seeing their product (is just too accurate. For sure, they’d want a BIG logo, too. But hey, this was so culturally impactful that the real Heinz did make it into an ad!
Of course, the fictional 1960s USA advertising context is worlds away from the Philippine advertising landscape of today - even if I think advertising is introduced and taught in a very Americanized way (e.g. pegs for commercials shared with me, books recommended to me). Also, a lot of the companies mentioned in Mad Men have local offices in the Philippines today. There’s a McCann here, Wunderman Thompson (merger between Wunderman and JWT), and VMLY&R (merger between VML and Y&R).
If you’re applying for an agency job in the Philippines and have seen Mad Men, here are some of the differences to expect:
There are different ways to do research now. Mad Men is heavy on showing focus group discussions (FGDs), but thanks to technology, you can even do some informal backyard research with Google Forms! Today, advertising is becoming even more data-powered. As they say, data is the new oil.
Women in advertising (non-administrative roles) is commonplace now. I have yet to work in a place that’s so big that every boss has their own secretary or personal assistant, but all the ad agencies I’ve worked in are women-led and have a lot of women working in Accounts, Creatives, etc.
The number of departments can vary depending on the size and scope of the agency. You can find yourself working with specialized media agencies, production houses, and agencies that offer only creative services. Bigger agencies will also have a strategy department, though smaller ones will divide the strategy role between the Creative Director and Accounts, the way it’s done in the show.
We don’t use easels anymore when we present. The “storyboards” today are slides on a deck. But back in the early 00s, my boss got to experience piling into a taxi with a bunch of actual illustration boards that served as storyboards!
You won’t find that much time to nap, drink, or do shenanigans. One thing that amazed me in the show was that there was so much drinking, Don spent a lot of time napping, and he’d slip out for his affairs quite often!
The glamor of it all. One thing I learned from Ma’am Irma Mutuc (creative director and college instructor) was that advertising isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Sure, Mad Men portrays the late nights, and weekend work, but all those long lunches and fancy dinners? Not a thing. At least from what I’ve seen.
Lastly, as pointed out by this Redditor, the rate at which Don and his team would get Version 1 of the pitch approved was….unrealistic, to say the least. Nowadays, I consider it a blessing already to get a signed contract or a go-signal to create by Version 3!
All in all, I think Mad Men did a spectacular job of portraying ad agency life for the benefit of those working in the industry today. As to its accuracy for the period and location, I’d leave that to experts in that area.
Have you seen Mad Men? What do you think of it as a series and as an intro for aspiring advertising folk?
Or if you haven’t yet, have I convinced you to check it out? 😉
I’d love to chat with you in the comments below!
*All video materials and Mad Men references in this post belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Buhay Copywriter by Regina Peralta is free today.
But if you enjoyed this post, I’d love it if you would:
- Share this post with a friend or two. It helps grow our little community, plus your friends get all the cool insights and lessons you got from this newsletter, too!
- Send a tip via my Ko-fi account or my Buy Me a Coffee account. While writing in itself motivates me, bills are a pretty good motivator, too!