• by Joe Mandese , June 17, 2009

Ed Montes, the head of Havas Digital acknowledged that there probably is a lack of training in the digital media departments these days, but he said a bigger problem among the junior digital staffers inside big agencies, may simply be “generational.”

“There is a different attitude among Millennials in terms of how they work, vs. how boomers work,” Montes told publishers at OMMA Publish, recommending that they understand where the Young Turks are coming from, and figure out a way to build relationships with them.

“At the end of the day, it’s a relationship based business,” he said, suggesting, “Take the perspective of an assistant buyer/buyer. They’re probably underpaid, and over work, and you’re harassing them.”

Um, that may be true of Millennials, but it doesn’t sound all that different from the Boomers I knew back in the 80s, who were being overworked and overpaid at Grey, Y&R, and JWT, and the complaints I used to hear from traditional media sales reps back then too.