Spend five minutes on LinkedIn and you’ll see that most of the posts are self promotional, ego-driven chest beating. As one of the long-standing advertising agencies in San Francisco, yep, been here since 2010, we at Division of Labor felt like holding up a mirror so we could all have a look. Of course, the irony is that we used the opportunity to get attention for the agency, in order to maximize exposure and attract clients, which is a prime example of the very self promotional, ego-driven chest beating we’re making fun of. But based on the comments from across the interwebs, people see the difference and appreciate the self-depricating humor.

We learned a long time ago the power of letting the viewer connect the dots themselves. “Don’t tell them everything,” Goodby and Silverstein used to say, “let the viewer figure it.” That keeps them engaged and makes them more a part of your messages as oppossed to simply being the recipient of those messages. Division of Labor is an advertising agency that works with a lot of startups, tech companies and innovative thinkers so our clients understand the importance of engaging an audience this way and letting them in on the joke, so to speak.

The point is promote the agency i the same way we encourage our clients to promote themselves; using wit, humor and an undeniable piece of human truth that can be the centerpiece of communications. We all post too much about ourselves, our accomplishments. We all post “Look at me moments” because we are proud. But just because you say you’re humble doesn’t mean other will agree with you.

Some of the people featured in the #ProudAndHumbled Series are indeed real. Some are industry veterans who have run some the biggest and best ad agencies in the world. And some of them are family, friends and unsuspecting accomplices.

Of course! Some of our favorites from the #ProudAndHumbled series are suggestions from others. Please send us any ideas HERE and we’ll for sure give credit.