How 1,500 advertising minds feel �about their jobs and their careers in 2025
The
Share this deck: link
Feelings�Check-In�Survey 2025
Get your ticket here
Ad Break
Table of contents
New YouTube Channel
In this 3-part series, Mark Pollard speaks with friends and shares stories from his 13 years in NYC.
We touch on:
1. American individualism
2. How competitive New York is
3. How much money matters
4. Feeling gaslit in companies
5. Leaving jobs
The series features:
Julian Cole�Jack Appleby
Jason Murray
Becky Wang
Rosie Siman
Joe Burns�Justine Armour
Lindsey Wehking
At this pivotal moment, strategists are in the middle of a fight between their passion for their craft and the intense pressures of the industry.
They’re driven by a love for the strategic game, exhilarated by the challenge of transforming insight into impactful action. However, this drive is often countered by the weight of expectations—to perform, to innovate, and to continuously prove your worth in environments that might not fully recognize your contributions.
Strategists Are In A Fight Between Their Passion and Pressure
Our hunch is this:
Hence, this survey. We hope you see yourself in it.
Methodology
Mostly full-time employees in advertising agencies.
Who Responded
Company Type
Job Title
Respondents were, on average,
quite senior.
Who Responded
Strategy Level
64% are Directors, Heads of Planning, CSOs and Senior Strategists�52.7% of respondents manage a team
More than half of the respondents manage a team
Who Responded
Do you manage a team?
86% countries were represented:
Who Responded
20.7% USA�11% UK�6.4% India�5.4% Australia�4.5% Indonesia�4.3% Canada�3.2% Germany�2.9% Brazil�2.9% Philippines
And more…
Hold a group session to discuss these findings
Ask how you’d interpret the data here
Host a workshop to address the issues raised
Establish your own internal check-in surveys
Speak to your team in one-on-ones about the issues
How Your Team Might Use This Deck
So, how do 1,500 strategists feel about their jobs and their careers in 2025?
The Industry
Section 1:
Let’s start with mood:
The mood is down but motivation isn’t.
After seeing the mood rise in 2021 and 2022 as people felt they were emerging from the pandemic and had power in the workforce (remember the Great Resignation), 2023-2024 saw rounds of layoffs and reorgs, the rise of artificial intelligence, the merging of agencies, war and more war, and elections with vitriol.
Now, even though respondents feel more competent than before, many are still dragging themselves out of the pandemic or through their own country’s turbulence into a future which feels volatile and uncertain.
What is your mood compared to the previous year?
Better
The mood of the respondents has decreased considerably compared to the previous years.
The Industry
I have more responsibilities than my title acknowledges.
With all the layoffs and reorgs,
teams have inherited more responsibilities than their titles and remuneration acknowledge.
For what I do, my salary is fair.
The Industry
When Coworkers Got Laid Off — But You Didn’t…
“The colossal wave of downsizing in the last few years is dividing the workplace in two, between the leavers and the survivors. Business has traditionally emphasized the consequences of downsizing on the leavers, sometimes putting in place severance pay, outplacement programs, and extended health benefits to ease their transition. However, the negative impacts of change are frequently felt just as strongly by those who remain following major layoffs…”
by Alyson Meister, professor of leadership and organizational behavior at IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Victoria Kemanian, senior advisor at IMD Business School and a lecturer at the University of Lausanne.
The Industry
Most days, I feel motivated in my work.
Despite all of this stress, respondents are motivated and confident and are finding their work meaningful.
I find my work meaningful.
The Industry
I enjoy working in advertising.
The clear majority of respondents even enjoy working in advertising
while feeling conflicted
about working in the industry.
I feel conflicted about working in advertising.
The Industry
The outside pressures of the world are making life worse, but their internal motivation is burning bright.
The Industry
Career and Company
Section 2:
People want more from their companies because their companies are wanting more from them.
I’ve bounced around different companies more than I should have
Yet, we suspect, the state of the job market - ghost jobs, layoffs, etc - has made people less confident about seeking a new job.
Competence
Section 3:
People are confident and hungry right now (despite research showing that managers are frustrated with the lack of fundamental skills in the workforce).
Compared to other people in similar roles, I really know what I’m doing.
When a new project comes in, I know what to do.
I have enough skills for a promotion.
Here’s how confident they are feeling right now…
Competence
You
Section 4:
This year, people feel better about themselves and they’re taking care of themselves more.
I feel good about most of my career decisions.
I am a well-adjusted person–I usually feel good about
myself and my life.
I need to achieve in my career to feel good about myself.
Despite being obsessed with achievement and their own thoughts.
I think too much.
You
Relationships
Section 5:
People’s work relationships seem to be okay.
I have someone I can talk to when things aren’t going well in life.
At work, I have somebody I can bounce ideas off.
It’s harder than I expected to have good relationships with creative teams.
But…
Nearly half of the respondents find it hard to have a good relationship with creative teams
Relationships
I spend more time alone than I’d like
I feel like my work is important but few people that I work with make it feel important.
And…
if you’re managing a team, make sure your team doesn’t feel sidelined or unvalued.
I often feel sidelined in my work.
Relationships
My boss coaches me more than they order me around.
My boss checks in on me in a way I like.
More than half of the respondents say their bosses do a good job at managing their work. However, there is a lot of space for improvement.
Relationships
Truth Bombs
Section 6:
Have you ever felt these things?
People I work with think research is just Googling stuff.
Nothing really changed in the last 4 years…
Truth Bombs
One reason I’ve stayed in this industry is because
I’m not sure what else I’d do.
Truth Bombs
My mind loves strategy work but I don’t know if strategy work is good for my mind.
Truth Bombs
Creative teams have ignored my strategies more than I’m comfortable with.
Truth Bombs
I use frameworks to mask my lack of confidence in my strategy work.
Truth Bombs
I dislike how social media channels keep changing but it keeps me in a job.
Truth Bombs
My boss has presented my work without giving me credit.
Truth Bombs
Sometimes, I use big words because I’m not sure what to say.
Truth Bombs
I’ll probably lose my job to artificial intelligence.
Truth Bombs
I have hidden in my strategy work to avoid
people in my life.
Truth Bombs
What Strategists Need Right Now
Section 7:
Strategic influence & �application of their ideas
Strategists want to apply their thinking in more impactful ways, but many feel their expertise isn’t being fully utilized.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Strategic influence & application of their ideas
Recommendation for strategy bosses and managers:
“I wish my work had more real impact instead of just making another deck that no one reads.”
“Strategy is treated as a ‘nice to have’ rather than an essential driver of business success.”
What Strategists Need Right Now
Strategic influence & application of their ideas
Career Growth & Skill Development
Many strategists feel stagnant and seek new skills, training, and mentorship to stay competitive and grow.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Recommendation for strategy bosses and managers:
Invest in professional development—whether through formal training, mentorship programs, or structured career progression. Give strategists time and space to upskill.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Career Growth & Skill Development
“I feel like I need to keep learning, but my company doesn’t invest in training or even acknowledge that we need it.”
“I have to self-fund all my learning. There’s no structured career path for strategists here.”
What Strategists Need Right Now
Career Growth & Skill Development
Client & Work Alignment
Many strategists feel disconnected from their clients or misaligned with the type of work they are doing.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Help strategists to work with clients that match their values and expertise. Set clearer expectations on the role of strategy in client engagements.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Client & Work Alignment
Recommendation for strategy bosses and managers:
“I wish I had clients who actually valued strategy rather than just wanting someone to validate their decisions.”
“I spend too much time selling the idea of strategy instead of actually doing it.”
What Strategists Need Right Now
Client & Work Alignment
Better Work Environment & Culture
Toxic work environments, poor leadership, and chaotic organizations are major sources of frustration for strategists.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Recommendation for managers:
Improve team culture by fostering collaboration, setting clear expectations, and ensuring leadership values strategy’s role.
Encourage open communication.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Better Work Environment & Culture
“The dysfunction in my agency makes doing good strategy impossible.”
“I wish leadership actually understood strategy instead of just using it as a buzzword.”
What Strategists Need Right Now
Better Work Environment & Culture
Mental Health Support
Many responses touched on burnout, work-life balance, imposter syndrome, and career uncertainty.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Be proactive in checking on your strategists' well-being.
Offer flexible working conditions, mental health support, and help them feel valued for the good work they provide.
What Strategists Need Right Now
Mental Health Support
Recommendation for strategy bosses and managers:
“I don’t know how much longer I can do this—it’s mentally exhausting.”
“I feel like I’ve hit a wall. Do I even want to be a strategist anymore?”
What Strategists Need Right Now
Mental Health Support
Overall
Recommendations�For Strategy Bosses and Managers
Section 8:
Recognition and Value: Enhance the visibility and appreciation of strategists' contributions within the company and in client interactions.
Professional Development: Invest in continuous learning and clear career paths to boost strategists' skills and job satisfaction.
Client and Project Alignment: Match strategists with clients and projects that align with their values and strengths to increase engagement and effectiveness.
Better Work Environment: Foster a collaborative and supportive culture that acknowledges and leverages strategic input across all organizational levels.
Mental Health Support: Actively support strategists' well-being through flexible work arrangements and accessible mental health resources.
Questions To Discuss With Your Team:
What are the biggest challenges you currently face in your role?
How can we better align our strategy projects with the overall business goals?
What tools or resources would help you perform your job more effectively?
In what ways can we improve communication and collaboration within the team?
Are there any recent successes in our strategy approaches that we can learn from or replicate?
What skills do you think are critical for our team’s success that we currently lack or need to develop further?
How do you feel about the current feedback process, and what changes would make it more effective for you?
Looking forward, what emerging trends should we prepare for to keep our strategy relevant and proactive?
Conclusion
Despite industry shifts like layoffs and the integration of new technologies adding complexity to their roles, strategists remain motivated and seek meaningful work. They advocate for opportunities to apply their thinking more dynamically, moving beyond mere strategy decks to creating significant impact.
Looking ahead, there is optimism for a future where strategists are supported and valued, allowing them to not only succeed professionally but also achieve personal fulfillment.
As we analyze the Sweathead Feelings Check-In Survey 2025, it’s evident that advertising strategists are in a fight between their passion for their craft and the external pressures of a challenging work environment.
Observations from 1,500 strategists reveal their enthusiasm for transforming ideas into impactful actions, yet they face ongoing pressures related to performance, recognition, and innovation in environments that often don't fully value their contributions.
Memberships
Make the most of your mind �with our online strategy classes, conferences, and accelerators.
Ad break
Get your ticket here
Ad Break
Sweathead exists to bring strategists together and we do everything we can to help you make the most of your masterminds.
Whether you’re brand new to strategy, exploring a career shift, or ready to push your thinking to the next level, we’re here to support you.
Stay connected with us: