Sure it’s a tough job being a Marketing Director. Dealing with demanding management, never-ending sales reps and the prima donnas at the agency can really make a self-respecting MD wonder why they didn’t pursue an accounting degree.

But does another sleepless night caused by the sudden realization that the deadline that’s been looming for weeks is now upon you and there is a chance that no one proofed the final art before it got sent to the printer mean that it’s time to head to the shrink – or out for a drink?

Maybe the Marketing Directors in Baltimore are on to something. I stumbled upon The Marketing Directors Support Group today, and after an initial chuckle, I took a deeper look. This group, by keeping membership by invitation only and the events private, have simply eliminated the major reason that keeps marketing folks from being involved in social and professional groups in their industry – overzealous media reps and vendors. The ones that stalk you at networking events.

No MD wants to subject themselves to nonstop sales pitches from The Hunters while they are trying to unwind at an ad club or business-after-hours event in their town. Here in Connecticut, the MDs have all but disappeared from the ad community events. Would you go to events where every telemarketer that ever called your house was there pressing business cards into your palm and pinning you into a corner to make their pitch? That’s what it’s like for MDs who venture outside of the office.

So the title “Support Group” might be a bit dramatic. I first imagined evening meetings in Baltimore with jittery MDs slumping in their seats set in a circle in a smoky room.

“Hi, my name is Janet, and I’m a Marketing Director.”

But it’s possible that the City of Baltimore and its Marketing Directors may have created a model that would work in other cities. They can meet, network, and commiserate with their peers without needing to protect their flank. I’m not sure that it’s working because they won’t let me in to investigate further.

An Agency Support Group might be in my future.