Life Within the Gilded Cage

A door closes

Yesterday the CEO of our company called all 130 of us into the big meeting room. We've all known for months that the contract with our largest client, AARP, is up this year, and if AARP does not renew, most of us will lose our jobs. Our firm handles all of AARP's marketing, and I work in the Creative Services department as a writer.

Right away, by the look on Don's usually jovial face, I knew the news was not good. If it were, he would have smiled and let us know immediately. Instead, he hemmed and hawed, and finally let us know: AARP did not renew. Instead they had chosen a Madison Avenue advertising firm to do the work. The decision had been made by two women in AARP's Washington DC office. Two women that know none of us. Two women who simply wanted to fly to Manhattan to conduct business, rather than take the train to Fort Washington, PA. Amazing how business decisions can be made for the most frivolous reasons.

According to Don, for these two women flying to Manhattan is just a lot "sexier." Just so these two women can shop and dine in NYC, 130 people will be put out of work. One hundred and thirty families will be affected.

The irony to the whole situation is AARP's image. They like to portray themselves as a benevolent, non-profit group that looks after the welfare of retired Americans. Those of us on the inside, know better. AARP is just a front. Our real client was A.S.I, AARP Services Incorporated - the profit side of AARP. And like most businesses A.S.I. has no real interest in the people they employ or serve. It's just a business. Amazingly, our company always beat A.S.I.'s sales projections. Our advertising and marketing efforts brought in millions of dollars for them. We never once missed a projection. And yet we're being fired, just so two snooty women can conduct business on Madison Avenue.

Don, who is a good man, said "When one door closes, another one opens." I believe that. Most of us were tired of working on AARP's account anyway. Time and time again we'd give A.S.I. exactly what they asked for, only to be told they wanted something else. Dealing with them reminded me of dealing with spoiled little children. Saddam Hussein probably had more compassion.

Even though I look forward to moving on to working for better clients, I will miss working here. Although the people here were not good enough for AARP, they are among the best and the brightest that I've ever met. It's a shame to see such a wonderful work enviroment close up its doors.