The Dark Side of Agency Life

Recently, I watched a talk from a well-known agency CEO addressing university students. He stood there, confidently stating that if you want to break into advertising, you should take for granted a few things: unpaid internships, endless working hours, little sleep, constantly chasing KPIs, and proving that you’re worthy of joining the industry. That “If you want to work with big brands,” he said, “you’ll need to hustle hard.”

And everyone clapped.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: this narrative isn’t inspiring. It’s outdated. And it’s doing damage.

Because behind the “fun” team-building events, the late-night drinks, the award-winning work, and the LinkedIn posts filled with glitter, there’s a darker, more exhausting reality: burnout, anxiety, overwork, and an industry still refusing to evolve where it matters most ➔ human wellbeing.

Let’s be honest. Νot everyone wants to spend all day (and sometimes weekends) with the team, talking about company values or brainstorming over beers. Some people want to go home. To meet their friends. Hug their partner. Talk about their feelings. Watch a film without checking Slack.

And that doesn’t make them less committed. It makes them human.

Burnout in Agencies Isn’t Just Real. It’s Getting Worse

Let’s stop pretending otherwise. The pressure is real and growing. In creative agencies, late-nizght calls, weekend pitch prep, and unrealistic expectations have become the norm, not the exception.

According to Campaign’s multi-year investigation into agency life, little progress has been made since their first report on burnout in 2019. In this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Campaign revisited the burnout crisis in advertising. Sue Todd, CEO of the advertising and media charity NABS, and David Eakins, former art director turned workplace wellbeing advocate, shared a brutally honest conversation about the state of the industry.

One moment stuck with me.

Eakins was asked:

“Would you let your own son enter this industry the way it is right now?”

And without hesitation, he replied:

“No.”

That answer says everything.

We still hear the same old messaging: “You need to earn your place.” “We all went through it.” “This is the only way to build a career.” But behind those lines are people who are tired. People who stay silent because they’re scared to seem weak or “not committed enough.” People who sacrifice weekends, personal time, and emotional wellbeing, just to keep up.

In Greece, a recent survey by ICAP People Solutions (2024) showed that 58% of marketing and communication professionals reported feeling emotionally exhausted, while 31% said they were considering leaving the industry altogether. Globally, a 2023 Deloitte study found that more than 1 in 2 advertising professionals experience chronic stress or burnout, and 42% of Gen Z workers say they feel anxious all or most of the time.

Advertising Industry: Evolving Demands, Human Limits

The world of digital marketing and advertising is evolving faster than ever. Today, it’s not just about the idea, it’s about how fast it’s generated, how many versions are produced, how quickly you can adapt.

Campaigns now require 10x the deliverables, personalized for platforms, audiences, formats, and devices. Creative and digital agencies are expected to operate in real time. Meanwhile, the rise of AI tools, capable of generating hundreds of variations in seconds, has dramatically increased expectations.

Clients now want results faster, feedback faster, reports faster. Data must be optimized on the go, performance checked moment-to-moment, and every cent of ad spend justified. The margin for error has all but vanished.

The result? A culture of hyper-responsiveness. Always on. Always tracking. Always adjusting. And no room for failure, because even one underperforming asset could mean lost trust or lost business.

This isn’t just pressure. It’s sustained, chronic stress. The kind that doesn’t go away with Friday drinks or a yoga class.

The Culture of Always-On is Broken

Working 60+ hours per week should not be a badge of honor. And yet, in many advertising agencies, it still is. Especially for younger professionals who are taught that long hours and sacrifice are the only path in.

I’ve heard it too many times: “You have to earn your stripes.” “The late nights are part of the job.” “We all did it.”

But just because it’s been this way doesn’t mean it should stay this way.

In fact, most of the industry’s brightest minds are already cracking under the pressure of unrealistic deadlines, never-ending Slack threads, and clients who expect brilliance in 12 hours or less. And when you add real-life struggles (e.g. family issues, health challenges, personal grief) the system simply breaks down.

Wellness-Washing Is Not a Strategy

We’ve entered an era of “wellness-washing.” During Mental Health Awareness Week, you might get smoothies or desk massages. But come Monday? It’s back to 60-hour weeks, midnight pings, and “one more round” before logging off.

A ping on Teams. A metric that dropped. A deadline that moved up. A last-minute client request.

And suddenly, your brain is back in survival mode.

This isn't care. It's camouflage.

True wellbeing at a digital or creative agency isn’t about perks. It’s about boundaries. People need systems that protect their time, leaders who are trained to manage humans, and cultures where psychological safety is non-negotiable.

Resilience Is Built Through Care

Let’s be clear: resilience is not about pushing through everything alone. It’s built through recovery, through being seen and supported, through spaces that allow people to slow down when they need to and return stronger.

I truly believe anyone struggling should feel safe enough to say it. You don’t have to overshare—but even a quiet “I’m not okay” should be enough to activate support.It can give someone the time and space to regroup, recharge, and bounce back.

Unfortunately, the industry still clings to the myth of the flawless high performer. You’re told to attend every seminar, say yes to every opportunity, go beyond expectations while pretending everything’s fine.

But being “on top of things” can easily turn into a mask. And masks break.

Talking about how you feel is a strength. And in a healthy workplace, especially in a fast-paced advertising environment, honesty should be encouraged.

The strongest teams are the ones where vulnerability is safe and respected.

A Story That Still Sits With Me

A few years ago, I was doing my Master’s while working full-time at Ruler Digital Agency. I’d travel every weekend for classes and try to stay on top of everything at work. Then, just before a major exam period, my grandmother passed away.

I was emotionally wrecked. Struggling to keep up. And what helped wasn’t a perk. It was people. My team took over responsibilities. They gave me room to breathe. It made all the difference.

Sometimes, compassion is the only strategy that works.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

1. Track hours worked and actual productive hours. Output ≠ effort.
2. Train your managers. Leadership is a skill.
3. Let go of perfection culture. People aren’t robots.
4. Normalize emotional honesty. Create space for vulnerability.
5. Set KPIs for performance and wellbeing.
6. Define availability boundaries. Being reachable 24/7 is not sustainable.
7. Audit your culture honestly. Ask what’s really working and what isn’t. Do people feel safe? Supported? Heard?

This industry asks people to be top performers, all day, every day, even when life happens. But burnout doesn’t wait for campaign delivery. Anxiety doesn’t care about your KPIs. And your nervous system? It doesn’t differentiate between “junior” and “executive.”

My Final Thoughts

We live in a time where brands demand personalization, performance, and perfection instantly. But if we don’t invest in people’s mental health, all we’ll get is high turnover, shallow work, and teams constantly on the edge of burnout.

Ambition is great. Awards are great. But none of it matters if the people creating the work are breaking down in silence.

Talk about mental health openly. Build resilient teams. Empower people to speak up, even if all they can say is, “I’m not okay.” Respect their limits. Give them the tools to lead and the space to rest.

Because the wellbeing of your people is the wellbeing of your business. Don’t just say it. Prove it.

After all, great work doesn’t come from pressure, it comes from people who feel safe, seen, and supported.