BANGING THE SAME OLD DRUM
Remember 2020? Remember the height of the global pandemic, lockdowns, clapping for the NHS, baking endless loaves of sourdough bread and becoming so bored that you started Couch to 5K? OK, so maybe that was just me. Remember everyone packing up their laptops and working from home and how we were told that this was the start of a radical new way of working, where people wouldn’t have to sit in offices all day to get shit done?
2020 feels like a very long time ago now, even if I am sitting at the same desk now, doing the exact same work as I did back then. The only thing that’s really changed in my freelance life is clients suddenly requesting that I work from their offices (at least) one day a week. Offices that tend to be in London.
Yes, I know. Here I go again, banging on about remote work that’s not really remote. I know it’s really tedious, but hear me out. Over the past year, I’ve noticed more and more freelance gigs with these requirements. In my opinion, it defeats the purpose of being freelance. I’m doing a job for your company, with absolutely no benefits or security, but you want me to play at being a team member? On one recent contract I was told in no uncertain terms that I had to be in a client’s office one day every single week. For the last two weeks of the role, I would walk into their (extremely expensive and fancy) office to discover I was the only person from my team present. I’ll bet that I was also the only person who had spent over £350 to get there.
Don’t get me wrong; I love London. I used to live there, most of my friends live there, I consider it my third home after Liverpool and Manchester. But it is getting increasingly expensive just to visit. An advance ticket between Liverpool Lime Street and London Euston costs at least £70, more if you’re asking me to be in the office by 9am. If - as has happened on more than one occasion recently - I’m given less than 24 hours notice, an open return costs £109. But don’t worry, maybe you’ll get lucky and get some of that sweet, sweet Delay Repay money from Avanti because the train service you’re relying on to get you home for a decent hour so you can spend some quality time with your partner is invariably delayed or cancelled.
Now you’ve got your train ticket, you need to find somewhere to stay. Hotel rooms in London cost at least £150 per night - more in the summer or when there’s a big event on. And this is before you include food and the costs of getting around the city. My day rate is £300 - £350. When you add it all up, you’ve practically lost an entire day’s pay before you’ve even left the house.
I know there are social media agencies in other cities but it’s still the case that most of my work is bottlenecked in London. I’ve had a few roles in Manchester, which have been great if we don’t mention the hell of trying to get a train between Liverpool and Manchester that actually runs on time - these are few and far between. Manchester agencies often have lower day rates because, of course, living in the North of England means you’re worth less, even if living in Manchester is increasingly becoming as expensive as it is in London.
I’m tired of reading editorials from senior people in advertising moaning and wringing their hands about how they can get a more diverse range of people into the industry, when the answers are simple. Raise our wages and stop making it a requirement that we have to be in the office. You do not have to do a social media job from a hot desk somewhere in central London just because the international conglomerate that owns the ad agency you’re freelancing for needs to justify the staggeringly huge rent it’s paying.
You will get a much wider range of people - with all the creativity, cultural nous and incredible talent they have to offer - if you make it more attractive for us to work for you. People in this industry always talk about authenticity but we cannot create authentic content that speaks to people if creators are restricted to those who can afford to do it.
I shouldn’t have to live in London to do my job. Neither should you.
JOBS BOARD
Freelance: Major Players have a role available for a freelance German speaking Social Media Manager
Freelance: Truffle Talent would like to speak to any freelance Social Media Strategists who currently have availability
Freelance: Major Players require a Senior Social Media Manager for a East London social agency
Full Time: BBC Radio 3 are looking for a Social Media Manager and a Social Media Executive. You can be based out of either Salford or London for these.
Full Time: Britvic need a Senior Social Media Manager
BRAND POST OF THE WEEK: TINY FOOTBALL CAR
I’m very sad that we won’t see the return of the tiny football car at Euro 2024 over the next few weeks, but I am glad that they’ll be continuing to post on TikTok throughout the tournament! It’s a great way to keep for VW to keep their brand relevant, even if they won’t actually be seen on the pitch.
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IN THE NEWS
Instagram is trialling new ‘promoted’ prompts that will appear on user Stories, directing viewers to sponsored apps (Social Media Today)
Despite what a viral copypasta may tell you, no, you can’t opt out of Meta using your posts for AI training (Social Media Today)
X is beginning to hide Likes because…oh who even cares anymore (The Verge)
Speaking of X, it’s still used as a major news source, despite users seeing more news on all social platforms that seems inaccurate (Pew Research Centre)
THINGS I LIKE
How the fridge changed flavour (The New Yorker)
The weird and wonderful world of crisp flavours (The Guardian)
The food that makes you gay. Happy Pride month! (Eater)
Rachel Roddy’s latest recipe for her weekly column involves a lot of pasta, a lot of red wine and a touch of marmite. I’m a fan (The Guardian)
I’m very late to this party, but I’ve been listening to “The Missing Cryptoqueen” podcast recently and it’s absolutely fascinating (BBC Sounds)
TIKTOK OF THE WEEK
I hate how accurate this is
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