Agencies don’t return emails and phone calls from random young creatives looking for work. They do return emails and phone calls from potential clients.

August Laustsen, a young Danish art director looking for agency work in Sweden, was having no luck in his job search. He had contacted all the big agencies in Stockholm, but didn’t get a single reply.

So, he decided to fake them out a little. He pretended to be a client looking for an agency. (As you can see from the photo above, he’s a multitasker of a client, too.)

Laustsen sent the following letter to a bunch of agencies:

Hi [X],

My name is August and I’m the marketing director of EMERIH. We’re a creative consulting company with our main office in Copenhagen. After big success in Denmark, we’re now planning on expanding to the Swedish market and are looking for a new creative agency in Sweden. We do work for a wide range of clients from small non-profit organizations to giants like Coca-Cola. We really admire the work you’ve done for [X] and would like to talk about the possibilities of a future cooperation.

Since a large part of our business model is based on creativity, it’s important that the creative department have a look at our website before we take it any further. You’ll find it here: emerih.co

Best regards,

August Laustsen

Marketing Director

EMERIH

EMERIH is, of course, “HIRE ME” backwards. The website revealed the ruse, with Laustsen explaining what he had done, and why.

“On this site you’ll find everything you need to know about me,” he wrote. “From cases to clients to what my work philosophy is. Have a look around and let’s set up a meeting. Best regards, the real August.”

Laustsen tells AdFreak that, rather than feeling angry over being duped, all of the creative directors he’s heard from have been “very positive” about his stunt.

“The thing is, when you’re looking for a job in another country, it’s impossible to get through if you don’t have any connections,” he says. “None of the CDs knew me, or any of the work that I had done, so I knew I had to take it a step further to get their attention.”