And some of them had spent time on what might considered pro bono work offering feedback on portfolios - which was clearly a self-interested way to recruit, but seemed more effort than the usual interview round.

The justification for placements was that it gave the 'employee' a chance to learn the jargon and rhythms of the workplace. Whereas those arrived fresh from college needed to have everything spelled out for them.

I'm not sure how long it would take to put together jargon buster, or how much paper it would need. Not long, and not much, at a guess.

Pervasive "creativity" is not a perequisite of revenue generation.

Being able to massage client egos - and, occasionally, other body parts - seems to be a more useful talent.

The relationship is Renaissance client-patron, with the patron showering boutiques with largesse in return for praise and confirmation of the patron's significance - and hopefully a few sales.

Studios don't understand their own power in this relationship. They seem to assume that corporate benediction is the ultimate reward.

But if the entire ad industry downed pencils tomorrow, clients would be truly fucked.