Has the Bottom Fallen Out?

“Pitch after pitch, brief after brief… and then one day, silence. That’s when you realise the bottom didn’t fall out… it was never there.”

It’s a sobering thought. But not a negative one.

Marketing has never lacked buzzwords, bravado, or colourcoded decks.

But somewhere along the way, we stopped asking the hard questions. We became masters of noise, but apprentices of impact. And when results stall or a campaign flops, we scramble for spin:

“It drove awareness.”

“Engagement was above benchmark.”

But deep down, we know something is off.

The hard questions.

Are we more obsessed with claiming success than creating it?

Are we letting spreadsheets and cells in Excel speak for ideas we’re too afraid to fight for?

Have to survive another review… hoping the next job will be the one where we finally get to do it right or make real income?

In our world, it’s not just the campaign that matters; it’s the IP, systems and thinking we build.

(Thanks Farrah)

But here’s the catch: once an agency is paid, the client owns the IP. That’s the default.

They can reuse, repurpose and adapt the work freely, while we move on empty-handed, having given it all away lock, stock, and barrel at a bargainbasement price.

That’s the weak link.

Agencies are bound by talent usage contracts with strict expiry dates, yet even those are often ignored until someone kicks up a fuss. And most times, the agencies take the fall. Sakit!

There’s a lot to fix on how we work and how we are valued. But that’s also what makes this moment thrilling.

Because when the bottom falls out, it’s a chance to rebuild – stronger, sharper and with spine.