Walking into office, you didn’t get the time for breakfast so you’ve carried your oats and milk. Nothing like a healthy start to your day to get those creative juices flowing.
Now scroll back a few decades, mid – sixties, shall we?
Walking into office, you didn’t get the time for breakfast so you’ve opened your mini bar and poured yourself a couple pegs of whisky and a cigarette to go with that. Nothing like a tipsy start to your day to get those creative juices flowing.
Those are the workings at the Mad Men advertising agencies. Now let’s throw Don Draper, Roger Sterling and the rest from the Mad Men series, as they are, straight into present day, 21st century. Straight into your contemporary digital agency or better still, a digital startup.
(Pssst! Article may contain spoilers, tread carefully)
How would that transformation go? So here are 11 aspects of an average work environment we have picked to draw a comparison between the Mad Men era and the 21st century digital agency era:
1) Start-of-the-Day Refreshments
Knocking back 2 (…or 22?) whiskey sours was how they beat the Monday morning blues, was how they beat everything actually.
No more escapism, men. You either stick to your virgin drinks or start planning a mini vacation with that severance package you’ll be getting by the end of the week.
2) Work Attire
The highest of heels, the tightest of skirts and the reddest of lipsticks is what the lady folk were best known to wear at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Did you know that many corporates (including agencies) today have compulsory full-sleeve-shirts-only-trousers kind of dress code? You’re allowed to roll up your sleeves for Casual Fridays though.
3) Gadgets and Technology
The 60s offices saw only a handful of gadgets; typewriter, telephone, the photo carousel and the Xerox machine.
Cut to a world where the wifi networks have become essential elements of the air we breathe (oxygen just got an update, people!) Lay out the welcome mat for laptops, cellphones, iPads and iPods, scanners and all the screens and metal contraptions you’re using at office.
4) Work Ethic
It seems that the idea of work ethic as we know it today wasn’t taken quite as seriously during the Mad Men era. Think of every bad ‘ism’ you know and assign a couple to each employee. Let’s help you with a few, racism, sexism, nepotism…
There’s a strict rule against each of the above mentioned ‘isms’ and most of what Don and Roger pulled at SCDP would face an outright no-no in the contemporary office environment.
5) Social Interactions
Interactions with friends, co-workers, spouses or clients were all either face to face or over the phone. You’ll find nobody hiding behind the confines of a chat room to make friends and communicate.
Welcome, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Who else thinks Pete Campbell’s tweeting would be A LOT like Kamaal R Khan’s?
6) Current Events
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Vietnam War.
Barack Obama elected president of the United States of America and then there’s the a 21st Century synonym for war; terrorism, that makes news horrifyingly too often.
7) Work Relationships
Torrid affairs with the founders, seniors, clients and co-workers. At Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce everyone was in heat.
Today, you can hardly date a colleague without having to sign an agreement peppered with stipulations of all sorts. And yes, most are keeping their work and love lives absolutely separate.
8) Client Relationships
They did the most unspeakable things for their clients. From holding outrageous parties (… among other things) to extravagant liquor drenched dinner meetings where, usually both parties went home together. Kinda makes you wonder if there was an invisible ‘Screw Morals’ clause in the agreement.
It’s all most sternly professional with clients. The 21st century seems to have brought with it an invisible “No Screwing Around” clause. Get in, do your thing, get out.
9) Office Space
Most offices had the liberty to be spacious with large eccentric paintings and Japanese room dividers (shoes off in Bert Cooper’s office for a reason, people!)
The concept of a personal office is close to becoming nonexistent. Unless you’re a Tata or a Zuckerberg you sit in you cubicle or at your desk and be happy.
10) Sexism
I mentioned it earlier, but this issue deserves its own point. One could watch Mad Men simply to research the thick layer of sexism that outlined the lives of the people in the show and time period.
It’s not even news anymore that women have begun rising to top positions, we as a generation seem to have evolved past sexism. Maybe not completely, but we’ve made some pretty substantial progress and I doubt we’d tolerate jokes “putting a woman in her place”.
11) Cigarettes!
Cigarettes were it. The men did it, the women did it. The workplace, the elevators, the hospital, you name the place; there was a thick blanket of cigarette smoke that surrounded said place.
Today, you name the place; there’s a thick board with ‘NO SMOKING’ somewhere on a wall. (And probably an annoying 18 year old standing next to it, smoking, with his best friend taking a picture of his “rebellion”). Smoking at workplaces today is for balconies and terraces, just anywhere outside the premise.
[/sociallocker]If you notice that we’ve missed out on a few points, do let us know in the comments section.
And if you’re a modern digital agency let us help you hire a Don Draper or Peggy Olson for your company! Give me a call on +91 922 221 3196 or send me a quick mail at buzz [at} sutrahr dot com.
Yep, it’s 9 months later and I still suffer withdrawal symptoms from arguably one of the best TV shows ever made, “Breaking Bad”. The Emmy award winning storyline follows the life of an overqualified high school chemistry teacher with inoperable lung cancer and consequently two years to live who then turns into a masterly drug lord, manufacturing and selling the world’s purest Crystal Meth. All of this just to provide for his family.
Singapore has been titled the friendliest country to conduct business in for six consecutive years. Yet, startups and medium size businesses budding in the country have often thirsted for funding and developing venture capital within the country has been no mean feat. This has even compelled Singaporean entrepreneurs to set base outside the nation’s boundaries. Recently though, the scene has reversed. With the government initiating programs like the “Technology Incubation Scheme” in 2010, Singapore is all geared up to be the world’s next Silicon Valley.
The Singaporean economy is rapidly growing. This growth spurt has been reflected in its various industries. Singapore is a financial hub for the rest of the world and has emerged as a global cradle for startups and small-scale industries. In an effort to celebrate the country’s dynamic spirit, we present to you a list of 15 digital agencies that have been initiated in Singapore and have contributed to the country’s excellence.
1. Arcade
Founded: 2010
Key People: Nick Marret (CEO)
This creative 4 year old has been creating quite some noise with its work. Its collaborative business model enables the formation and dilution of teams in accordance to the job at hand. The agency has its footprints stamped over Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan. Its client list flashes high profile names like Google, MTV, Clear, Closeup, Cornetto, and Ben & Jerry. CEO Nick Marret and Group CEDs—Matt Cullen, Mark Taylor, and Gary Tranter—must really be proud!
The Middle East has been a centre of world affairs all through its history. Major brands and MNCs look to avail from its rich markets and turn to retailers (master franchises) for assistance. These retailers (or retail groups) from the Middle East do more than merely assist. They establish and flourish the brand while paying attention to the smaller details.
Singapore is the second freest economy in the world. The Lion City’s competitive, innovative, and business-friendly culture has made it the center of all entrepreneurial activity in Southeast Asia. Small wonder numerous startups roar within its boundaries each year! We added our bit to the startup ecosystem through the 
“I am sorry, but I can’t join this firm. My wife isn’t comfortable with relocating”. Does that line strike a chord with you? Fallouts for jobs that require relocation have proven to be a constant headache, whether it is an HR firm or a startup.
After the great response we received for our last article — 
Companies that sell eCommerce platforms have been doing good businesses, as more and more businesses are taking the online retail route. Now