Here’s to the families.

Every year at the Academy Awards, winners take 15 minutes thanking everyone from their agent to the pool cleaner. What about a list for our significant others? Those of the ad and marketing grunts of the world?

This is a business like no other. Freelance. Staff. Out of work. Back to freelance. Extra weekends. Late nights that too often become early mornings. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

We’re used to it. But the other half hates it. Hates the uncertainty of what we seem to wear as a badge of honor.

Like driving seven hours to Rochester. For a presscheck. In August. In a Honda Civic. With AC that works as long as you don’t go over 60. Yeah, right. If you’ve ever driven the NY state thruway up that far, you know you can’t drive it fast enough. Ever. 300 miles of cows.

In August.

After 105 mph, the AC morphs into ‘wisps’ from the vents that create a dilemma: drive fast and sweat, or go slow, watch cows – and not sweat as much. All because the agency didn’t book a flight.

Speaking of great meals... the same old Chinese place delivering every night. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to have been somewhere that bought their peeps a late meal. I have, and I haven’t.

As bad as this can be for us though, families put up with the worst part of it all: the absences. Does a bonus say thanks? Only if it’s actually handed out. Do thank-you posts on blogs have any effect? Do company barbeques on weekends do enough? Doubtful, especially when you’d rather be home chilling with family.

(Unless Los Lobos was playing, then maybe, ok, that would be cool.)

Do awards make it better? For us maybe. Not them. Not unless they attend the show and hopefully hear their name mentioned. Odds are low. I’ll tell ya’ when I’m one day lucky enough to win a Clio though.

Or how about that call where you’re trying to convince The Better Logo that you have to stay late and that “this will lead to something, I know it!”? Pure joy. An Xbox under the tree for the kids might ease the sting for them.

Not for us however.

Not when you’re thousands of miles away and it’s Sunday. Father’s Day. Your nine-year old son is pitching in Little League for the first time ever. And all you can do is work the freakin’ event you were sent to Reno for, hoping to convince a buyer to carry (insert product name of choice here) after plying him with free barbeque and Tequila.

Families think cool, Dad’s traveling. What a party. Bring me back something. Like Chris Rock says: Hold on.

Even the truely cool-as-hell moments on photoshoots in exotic locals are tempered. Tempered by the fact that I was the only one benefiting from the moment, and that nobody from home could be there to enjoy it as well.

Yep. Glamour alright.

So for all the significant others who suffer, soldier on and still manage to smile, here’s to you. I was going to buy you something nice on the way home, but none of us got bonuses, and I have to work late tonight.

Tags: advertising, brands, viral