How Working in Advertising Made Me a More Conscious Consumer

Power is in the hands of us (conscious) consumers!

Does your work or profession affect your world view? I think it's pretty much inevitable. Stuff on the news stands out, you identify with characters in TV series and movies, you get a bit jaded at times when people mention developments in your field...

In my case, working in advertising/marketing has, I think, made me more conscious of the stuff I buy.

I can sometimes tell when something looks too good to be true, or if something is "trendy" or being promoted because of some other current event. I'm not saying I'm omnipotent - I'm not - but I think work just made me a teensy bit more sensitive to stuff I see.

As a rather thrifty person ever since I was a kid, and as an environmental advocate, I consider myself to be the exact opposite of my ideal target market:

I don't give in to impulse buying.

It takes me days to decide whether I want to buy something I saw in a store.

If there's a more value-for-money option, I'll take that over something that's just x% less or trendy.

If it's a want and not a need, I want to justify why I need one (or another one).

And if there's a way for me to get it with less plastic packaging involved, I'll find that way.

At the same time, as someone whose job is to be the "voice" of a brand, I know that as a consumer, I can make a dent in the way things are done.

I'll sign and share petitions for stores like Lazada and Shopee to redesign their plastic-laden packaging.

I'll take advantage of customer surveys, social media mentions, PR articles, and more to amplify my voice and my cause.

I'll celebrate baby steps and at the same time call out those brands who are just greenwashing aka pretending to be eco-friendly but haven't done the proper R&D or don't have the numbers to back up their "environment-friendly" ideas.

And while my hands may sometimes be tied by the limitations and decisions of the client (since I'm working agency-side, not client-side), I honestly believe that staying on in this profession will help me do better for the planet and the people.

How does your profession affect your world view? Does it tie in with any of your advocacies or personal beliefs, or do you wrestle with what you need to do to put food on the table? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!