The typically fast-paced world of digital media slows drastically in summer. Ad budgets are already allocated for summer campaigns, and everyone’s taking a breather before Q4 planning begins. Half the industry’s on vacation, and the other half might as well be. This is how the industry often feels in August:
There are 9 emails in your inbox every morning instead of 109.

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60 percent of the emails you receive are out-of-office messages.

Photo by davida3
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Half your agency’s office is at vendor summer houses in the Hamptons by Friday afternoon.

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But even sales reps tone down the emails and cold calls.

Photo by Scott Garner
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Management spends Fridays and Mondays working from “the Hamptons office.”

Photo by Giorgio Montersino
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Happy hour on Friday is deserted.

Photo by avlxyz
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But the beer fridge is always near-empty.

Photo by Alan Levine
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There are the same number of dogs in the office as people.

Photo by Sean Hagen
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But no interns to dump your work on.

Photo by Michael Duxbury
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“Lunch hour” becomes more of a suggestion than a rule.

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Even the developers leave the office at lunch time.

Photo by slworking2
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Even the New York Times publishes listicles

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