Advertising
Advertising
--- Employing In Advertising: An Introduction ---
The advertising industry is rich in career and growth opportunities, varying from art direction to client relations. We begin with an analysis of the three main departments which comprise almost all advertising agencies: the account management (also known as client service) department, the creative department, and the media department.
Definitions
Sample Job Titles
Education and Skills Profile
Advertising Links
Definitions
Account Management (Client Service)
Members of the account management or client service department plan advertising strategies in collaboration with clients, mainly the marketing department of the client. They supervise the progress and completion of ad campaigns based on client needs. They are responsible for maintaining the relationship between the client and the agency, and liase between the client and the art and production departments.
Creative
The creative department is responsible for the conceptualization and creation of advertising material, from print ads to billboards to television and radio commercials. In the creative process from conceptualization to design and execution, the creative team translates the needs of the client into visual and/or audio representation.
Media
The media department determines a media plan for the client and buys advertising space in magazines, newspapers, and other print media as well as airtime in television and radio media based on the client's advertising strategy and needs.
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Sample Job Titles
Asst. Account Executive Account Executive / Sr. Account Executive Account Supervisor / Account Manager / Account Director
These members of the account management or client service team are responsible for managing the firm's relationship with the client, developing advertising strategies, and ensuring that the client's campaigns and strategies are conducted according to the clients' needs and achieved within the desired time plan. They are in constant contact with the agency's clients, determining the clients' advertising needs and conveying this information to the art and production departments. They are known to be the link between the agency as a while and the client.
Junior Copywriter / Copywriter / Senior Copywriter
Copywriters are responsible for writing and editing the copy in advertisements. As members of the creative team, they collaborate with art directors in the conceptualization of advertising campaigns and the development of ideas for ad content.
Graphic Designer / Sr. Graphic Designer / Asst. Art Director / Jr. Art Director / Art Director / Sr. Art Director
These members of the creative department develop artistic content for print and broadcast advertising. Art directors recommend strategies for ad campaigns, often presenting several creative options for client approval. They often work with copywriters developing both the visual and verbal content of advertisements. Art directors are responsible for supervising ad campaigns from their beginning to final production.
Asst. Media Planner / Media Planner / Media Buyer / Media Director / Media Manager
Members of the media department manage the purchase of print space in newspapers and magazines, and broadcast time on radio and television for the clients of the advertising agency. Using statistical models, they determine the best media plan for the client, based on maximum media effectiveness for the client. They deal with media sales representatives and determine where to place ads based on the client's objectives and budgets.
Traffic Controller
Many agencies hire a traffic controller to manage jobs given by the client management to the art and/or production departments. They are responsible for coordinating the internal flow of active jobs and work closely with both ends to meet deadlines. In some major advertising agencies, it is the traffic controller's job to contact the production team to determine price quotations for required jobs and communiate them to the account management team to get a client's approval and feedback.
Production Manager
The production manager supervises the production of print ads and promotional materials, the filming of commercials, and the recording of radio ads. They are responsible for dealing with production agencies and for meeting deadlines for ad production. Depending on the structure of the advertising agency, the production manager may be a part of the creative department.
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Education and Skills Profile
Education Required
Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Mass Communication, Journalism, English Literature, Business, Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, or Applied Art (for a position in the creative department). A background in psychology is considered a plus.
Education Enhancement and Certificates
Masters degree in Business, Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Journalism, Mass Communication, English Literature, or Master of Fine Arts in Art Direction (for creative professionals).
Computer Skills
For creative department positions, knowledge of desktop publishing and graphic design software is essential. Examples of this software include Macromedia Freehand, QuarkXpress, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. Client service department members need to be familiar with Microsoft Powerpoint and other presentation software, and all departments require good Microsoft Office (especially Word and Excel) skills.
Experience Required
Many advertising jobs, especially those related to client service or graphics, do not require extensive previous experience, as many fresh graduates are hired. In general, a career in account management requires some background experience in marketing, advertising, public relations or sales. Designers and art directors should present a portfolio of previous work and campaigns, in addition to experience in using design software. Media personnel are preferred to have experience in statistics and tabulation. Production managers are required to be highly experienced in pre-press, printing and/or TV and radio production techniques.
Additional Skills
Advertising people, from art directors to media buyers, should be highly creative and innovative. Copywriters need to have strong writing and language skills (fluency in all three prominent languages of the Middle East -Arabic, English, and French- is a big plus). Designers and art directors must have strong visual communication skills, preferably with an educational background in art. Account executives, media buyers, and production managers must possess strong interpersonal, negotiation, and communications skills, as well as knowledge of advertising trends. the account team and the traffic controller must be highly organized and efficient in meeting set deadlines for delivery of art work.
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Advertising Links
Ad Relevance
Track and analyze online advertising. Download data into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, or import graphs or the data into your own database to perform your own analyses.
Advertising Age
A main source for news and information on the advertising industry worldwide, including special features on multinational agencies, a job bank for advertising professionals, and statistics on advertising around the globe.
Advertising World
A directory of advertising and marketing resources on the web. You can find information on virtually any subject relating to advertising, from account planning and job hunting to software for advertising and web site promotion.
Zenith Media's Advertising Resources
Find information on advertising associations, current news & publications, online directories, and research on the advertising industry.
Disclaimer
These articles and guides have been compiled from internet research and interviews conducted with specialists in the field of advertising. It is meant to be an introduction into the field, for HR personnel and others interested in recruiting or developing careers in it, and not a definitive and exhaustive source on the subject.
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--- Advertising Careers ---
"The truth isn't the truth until people believe you, and they can't believe you if they don't know what you're saying, and they can't know what you're saying if they don't listen to you, and they won't listen to you if you're not interesting, and you won't be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly."
Bill Bernbach - DDB Worldwide.
This is the essence of advertising.
Below, insight is given to the world of advertising, in addition to some guidelines on how the whole process works and what it takes to become a successful advertising professional.
Advertising is a glamorous field that many young graduates aspire to become part of. That is not only because of its diverse nature and dynamic environment, but also because advertising is often thought of as a casual, fun workplace and home to many creative souls. However, along with the fun come extended hours of brainstorming, hard work, struggles to satisfy clients and catching up with fierce competition. The outcome is often a brilliant idea that really works!
What is Advertising and Why is it Important Today?
How Advertising Works
Is Advertising the Right Career for Me?
What is Advertising and Why is it Important Today?
"We read advertisements to discover and enlarge our desires. We are always ready -- even eager -- to discover, from the announcement of a new product, what we have all along wanted without really knowing it."
This quotation by Daniel J. Boorstin, a famous advertising figure, sums up what the magical word of advertising means: It is the art of constantly creating a need or want in people's minds. It is that skillful art of selling ideas to consumers and building those ideas to turn them into successful brands. As many professionals observe, consumers tend to purchase "brands" rather than "products." In other words, effective advertising and successful branding is what really makes or breaks a product or service. Business history is full of many good products that lost their place under the sun because their advertising and marketing plans were not good enough.
Today, advertising has grown to become a crucial supporting industry to the success of all businesses worldwide. It is created to cater to the needs of an increasingly competitive market and takes every possible form: consumers are bombarded daily with advertising through television, newspapers, billboards, flyers, packaging, moving vehicles, t-shirts, email, interactive online banners, direct mail brochures, posters and everything else imaginable.
How Advertising Works
Advertising is one of the most important marketing tools used for building brands. Whether print or broadcast, an advertising campaign usually has one goal: to sell a product or service. With a marketing vision, advertising helps you get there.
Creative advertising cannot be effective without the selling goal in mind. Words and visuals are mixed to support the selling idea and make up the main concept of an advertising campaign. People in the advertising business don't just sit there and create ideas from scratch. They take time to study the product, research competition, understand consumer behavior and lifestyle and all what is needed to create an edge for the brand. Every single word, image, sound or special effect in an ad is tailored to achieve a specific effect to influence the receiver.
In advertising, as a senior art director describes, "the creative team must excel on two levels: conceptual and executional. They have to be able to work their brains to come up with different creative methods to formulate a message. And then again to come up with different ways to communicate it. The concept is usually an idea that can be translated into several executions each holding part of the message. The ability to come up with such an idea that will both appeal to consumers and match the marketing objective is very challenging and difficult."
Remarkable work in advertising is a form of art that is appreciated and challenged. Annual prizes are given to successful campaigns done by major agencies worldwide. Check the International Clio Award website, one of the world's most prominent advertising awards and learn more about winning campaigns and the brains behind them!
Research
Research is a major step in the advertising process because it provides useful insight on the influence and strength of the idea being advertised and how it is advertised. Research brings the advertisement into focus, in terms of consumer perception and their reaction to the ad. Testing how a certain advertising campaign has affected sales.
Learning from the Masters of the Craft
To get a better understanding of advertising, it is necessary that candidates be aware of some of the field's most internationally recognized names. Advertising, as we know it today, has passed through various stages of development and transformation in order to become the way it is. To many specialists, a lot of the success of modern advertising owes a lot to its pioneers in the United States.
For example, the word "Advertising" is hardly ever mentioned on a global level without the name David Ogilvy around it. Dubbed by many specialists in the field as the Father of Modern Advertising, Ogilvy is known to have set the standards for advertising as we know it today.
A Word From David Ogilvy
"First you should study the product to be advertised. Your next chore is to find out what kind of advertising your competitors have been doing for similar products, and with what success. Carry out research among the consumers. Find out what they think about your kind of product, what language they use when they discuss the subject, what attributes are important to them, and what promise would be most likely to make them buy the brand."
Is Advertising the Right Career for Me?
How do candidates get into the field is a common question. Many people enter the advertising industry straight from college with bachelor's degrees. Coursework in advertising, marketing and writing are helpful, but internships may be the most important factor in penetrating the marketplace. A lot of professionals in the creative department come from a background in art or theater.
Recipe for Success
It takes a lot of hard work, working for long hours and being a flexible individual to really succeed in this business, says one account director at a Cairo-based multinational advertising agency.
Plenty of multinational agencies are represented in various major cities in the Middle East such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Cairo. They are representative and/or affiliate offices for those global agencies and hence, apply the same school and approach in advertising.
After having spent seven years in advertising for many brands in the Middle East, a senior art director in a Cairo-based multinational advertising agency said, "The most important thing for anybody wanting to get into the creative market in the Middle East is to try and get as much experience as possible (summer training, internship...etc).
The demand on advertising is so high that most companies want ready creatives. They do not want or rather can't afford to train someone only to discover later on that he doesn't meet their standards. This is where training and internships come in handy," he explained. He added, "Although there are a lot of jobs out there for Creatives, most of them are not that great. In smaller agencies, the kind of businesses they deal with is dry and unchallenging for most. But that shouldn't dissuade people from getting into advertising. There are a lot of good jobs out there but you just have to get your foot in the door and build up a portfolio of your previous work in order to secure a better opportunity."
On the account management level, an account executive from another prominent regional agency suggests that most advertising staff should be organized, punctual and honest with the client to establish credibility. However, she stressed that getting the work done on time requires one to be a little 'nasty.' After all, meeting your deadline with quality work should be your ultimate goal.
Another account supervisor mentioned, "You have to have integrity and good people skills; not many people in this business do. This isn't a job for shy people; you have to work the room. The business is based on personal relationships - when you apply for a job at certain agencies they want you to list who you know in the industry, you have to be able to bring them clients."
From the point of view of a media planner from one of the region's largest media-buying entities, "The media plays an important role in the success or failure of any campaign. Doing the right media booking, at the right time and the right spot makes the whole difference," she said, adding that members of the media department are expected to be creative, good with numbers and pay a special attention to detail. "They will have to deal with the TV, newspapers, web sites and other mediums to sell the ad spots and coordinate the execution of the campaign," she explained.
What else can make someone in this field successful, especially if you're on the creative team?
As one copywriter put it, "Unless you're having a good time, you're not going to be good at it. You can't take yourself too seriously as a copywriter and be successful." When asked how does he like working in the advertising world, he said, "There's a lot of freedom in it. It's fun. Sometimes I don't want to go home," the copywriter explained.
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--- Recruiting ---
Employing in this field differs according to specialization. To conform to this, we have divided this section accordingly.
Please choose the one most appropriate for the position you want to recruit for:
Client Service Positions (Account Executives):
This is for recruiting client service (account executives) positions at different levels. Click here.
Creative Positions:
This is for recruiting creative positions at different levels. Click here.
Media Positions:
This is for recruiting media positions at different levels. Click here.
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