David T. Jones has been creating these insidery Ad Land cartoons seemingly since before I was born. He is a long-time ad guy who pretty much nails the culture of advertising, though he is not nearly mean enough for my taste.
Take the above panel, for example.
Let me add some notes gleaned from my 20-year career of working with these various douchebags creative thought leaders.
Top Left: If this guy walks into your conference room, before he sits down, tell him you've got something very important to show him in the lobby. Take him back downstairs, and throw him out on the pavement.
Top Right: This is a creative director you can bully, my marketing honcho friend. His "I'm cooler than you" veneer is very thin, and can be easily punctured with pointed criticism of his mildly interesting, but hackneyed ideas. Keep pushing him; make him bring back about 10 rounds of creative, and you might actually get some breakthrough work.
Middle Left: Do NOT immediately dismiss the hoodie guy. There is a 50/50 chance that he will bring you some executions that are actually WOW-worthy. There is also a 50/50 chance that he will relentlessly try to push you into doing a horrendous commercial featuring this band you, and everybody else in the room (and the world), has never heard of.
Middle Right: Also, do not immediately dismiss nerd glasses woman. She has had to fight through a patriarchy that, yes, still exists (BELIEVE ME) in ad creative departments. And fighting, whether with your colleagues or your brain, is how great ideas are born.
Bottom Left: Pavement.
Bottom Right: Despite the fact that every synapse in your brain is screaming 'ASSHOLE," again, give this guy at least one chance to show you stuff. Because, he, not so secretly knows he is an asshole, and will try to prove otherwise with his work.
David T. Jones is the creator of Ad Land and chief creative officer at Third Street, an agency that he co-founded in 2009 after a long career at FCB Chicago. Ad Land was a long-time feature in AdWeek magazine, and now appears regularly on the Yahoo advertising blog.