There's also the constant opportunity to create an ad that makes a
permanent mark on popular culture. But that's not all there is to
advertising. Behind the bright lights and the glitz are thousands
and thousands of hours of hard work. Ads influence our
minds whether we like to believe it or not, filling
magazines, on billboards lining the road, and appearing at regular
intervals on television.
Their
objective: To market and sell goods and services.
Their effect: They play a significant role in
shaping our culture.
An
advertising agency is a marketing consultant. It helps a
client-a manufacturer of consumer products with its marketing
efforts, from strategy to concept to execution.
Strategy involves helping a client make high-level business
decisions, such as how to brand a new line of suntan lotions. The
agency takes a client's strategy and turns it into a specific
concept for advertisements.
Execution is where an agency turns a concept into reality with the
production of actual ads: the print layout, the Web design, the
film shoot, or the audio-taping. Execution also involves placing
the ads-buying space in newspapers, on television, or in subway
stations.
What
You'll Do
You
might go into the business side of account management or account
planning; the creative side, where you'll create ads or work in
media planning or production. Some people interested in advertising
may find they prefer public relations, where
you'll have a similar goal, though your means will be quite
different.
The work you do will be determined partly by the type of agency
you're in and your role within it. Account-driven agencies' ads
usually focus on product benefits, whereas creative agencies' ads
focus on brand image.
Most agencies consist of five main departments: account management,
account planning, media, production, and creative. Some larger
agencies also have traffic departments to handle the flow of
projects between departments; new-business departments, which keep
track of possible new clients and gather resources in preparation
for pitches; and public relations departments, which direct
publicity programs.
Requirements
Most advertising
agencies prefer candidates with bachelor's degrees and a
liberal arts background - preferably in advertising,
journalism, public relations, literature, sociology, philosophy, or
psychology. Obtaining an internship and taking courses in
marketing, statistics, economics, accounting, mathematics, and
creative design will give you an advantage when you enter the job
market. Skills in interactive technology may also make you a more
marketable candidate.
For marketing and sales promotion positions, it's helpful to have a
BA or MBA with a focus in marketing.
Creative jobs require at least a 2-year degree from an art
or design school and top-notch communications skills. For
entry-level copywriting or art direction jobs, a book is
essential-this means designing and producing mock
advertisements.
Midcareer professionals from other industries should be prepared to
start at square one. This is an industry in which people work their
way up from the bottom. It's often necessary to jump from agency to
agency to move ahead. People looking to jump agencies will find
they're judged by the success of the campaigns on which they've
worked.
Compensation
When
it comes to handing out paychecks, the advertising industry is a
lot like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When you first start in
advertising, it's Mr. Hyde: high teens to mid-$20,000s - low
$30,000s at most - depending on your position and your experience.
"It's not very high pay for fairly long
hours," says one insider.
Another says, "The young people in the business do tough jobs for
not a lot of money. It's a classic case of paying your dues." As
you advance in the industry, though, you'll get to know Dr. Jekyll:
into the $80,000s and $90,000s and even into the six figures if you
make VP or director on the business side or if you're a successful
creative.
Image Credits:Sanchome , Charley Marley Qivn , Ormskirk skelmersd aleadvertiser , Jon Cronin
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