Bennett B. Bennett is a copywriter at BBDO worldwide, an advertising agency. In addition, Bennett serves as an advisory board member for ADCOLOR, an organization dedicated to diversity within the creative industry. A graduate of The City College of New York, Bennett is the subject of the latest in a series of profiles on agency professionals who can provide insights on how they entered into their careers along with career advice for those involved at CO*OP.
What does your daily role entail? As a creative, there’s no set “daily role”. You can find yourself brainstorming (or ideating) for your set client, putting together ideas with your partner (in my case, an art director), pitching ideas to creative directors, account people, or your client. Even better, you can be on a shoot, or executing approved ideas! If you’re not creating, you’re thinking about what you can create.
How did you get to your career? My cliffs notes’ version of my journey’s now perfected: A friend from high school knew I loved to write and told me to try advertising. I tried. I transferred schools. I took any internship that’d give me a shot. And a few magical twists and turns later, I made it. My road in had a lot of crazy things happen, all worth talking about if you want to ask.
What skills do you think are most important for anyone interested in working at an agency? The intangibles? People break in without a formal advertising or marketing degree. A lot of the technical aspects can be taught. What you can’t teach is curiosity. Or a willingness to push. Or teamwork. This is a team sport that we work in. Be that person that your coworkers want to spend late nights and early mornings with.
How important should diversity play a part in the workforce, especially at an agency? It’s crucial. It makes sense. And it’s proven to deliver results. And logically, it goes both ways: the same way that you don’t want a whole room full of white guys with the same private school education, you won’t want to be in the same room with all your boys from the same hood. You may feel comfortable, but nothing done will be great, nothing will be game-changing, nothing will change the way the world thinks.
Any advice for those involved at CO*OP who want to work in an agency? Patience is underrated, and the cure for having to wait is doing. It is not easy to break in, but don’t be afraid to do things that not only highlight you, but are unique ways to sell yourself to any agency. That way, when you do break in, you’ll be that much more equipped. Also, your CO*OPers are your first family in the industry. Hold each other close, hold each other accountable for greatness, and hold each other down. This industry will eat the wrong people alive. You’re going to need each other.