People in advertising are _always_ scared. It's the norm. And the strippers, old boy network, kick backs, executive pecking order, etc. date back deep into the

People in advertising are _always_ scared. It's the norm. And the strippers, old boy network, kick backs, executive pecking order, etc. date back deep into the last century, and probably earlier. None of that is new. If you want a superficial, but entertaining look at the ad biz, watch a season or two of Madmen. While the glamours aspects are showcased, the back stabbing, deal making, personnel dance is right on. I've been in and out of advertising for nearly 30 years and it hasn't changed noticeably in my experience. What's new is the general over all drop in revenue. In the past agencies and clients danced around and slept with each other, deals passing from one group to another. People moving between agencies, partnerships forming, dissolving, and recombining. The game required quick wits, but no new science or theory. The old scared people made the deals, and the young scared people did the work. New media here and there, and changes in technology could impact a round or two, but nothing like what has been going on the last 10-15 years. And the last 4 or so years have been calamitous. The old well is drying up, the old dances no longer work, so the people just dance the old dances and try to pretend its business as usual; turn the crank and hope there's still some water in the bottom of the bucket. But no one seems to be interested in doing the work to dig a new well.