“Welcome to the Age of Austerity” is the mega-headline on the front page of this week’s AdAge.  The article details cutbacks at GM, Nissan, Coca-Cola and others: cutbacks that reflect not only fewer dollars (billions) in the marketplace, but also painfull lay-offs.

And so - Mad Men notwithstanding - it was an unfortunate editorial choice to devote an entire page in the same issue to ad agencies’ in-house bars.  The Latest Happy Hour Hotspot:  The Office highlights Arnold’s “roving keg party,” the ping pong table in the bar area at Rivet and the cheap drink tickets at BBDO.  Look at us drink and wear sombreros!  We’re wacky ad people!

I certainly don’t believe this says anything bad about AdAge’s grasp of the recession or its effects, but I do think the last image any of us wants to send is that of a drunken line of agency people doing the bunny hop.  It’s just - dumb.  And even if agencies do have bars (and - in my experience - it’s better than it sounds, most never have time to have a drink at work and it’s no big deal), why show it? 

Maybe I’m alone, but when I turned the page, I cringed.  Poor timing, bad taste.