| The Definitive Ad Industry Overview Maybe you’re an English major whose friends are all getting job offers from consulting firms and insurance companies, and you’re wondering just what the heck the business world has to offer you. Maybe you’re a banker, frustrated with the lack of creativity and popular culture in your job. Then one day you flip on the television, pick up a newspaper or magazine, or turn on the radio, and suddenly it hits you: Why not work in advertising? What Ad Agencies Do An advertising agency is a marketing consultant that requires both creative and business-oriented people. It helps the client with all aspects of its marketing efforts—from strategy to concept to execution. Strategy involves helping the client make high-level business decisions, like what new products the client should develop or how the client should define, or “brand,” itself to the world. Concept is how the agency takes the client’s strategy and turns it into specific ideas for advertisements—such as a series of ads featuring extreme athletes for a soft drink maker whose strategy is to make inroads in the teen market. Execution is how the agency turns the concept into reality—the production of the actual ads: the print layout, the film shoot, the audio taping. Full-service agencies handle the placement of the ads in newspapers, magazines, and radio; they may also perform the duties of a marketing department. The industry as a whole includes everything from PR agencies (which try to place news items about clients in the media) and direct marketers (who send out all that annoying junk mail) to Internet advertising and design firms (which design websites or logos for clients). Many of the biggest and most successful agencies have units that focus on each area. Who Works in Advertising? Advertising attracts all types. Many writers and artists are drawn to creative and production departments because the salaries are higher in the ad game than in freelance marketplace. For business types, advertising offers exciting proximity to the creative process. Most importantly, everyone in the industry gets to spend their days with hip, culturally aware coworkers—and play a role in shaping the ads that shape our culture. The Job Market Hard times for advertising clients mean hard times for ad agencies. Competition for jobs is stiffer than ever these days. Additionally, it’s exceedingly difficult to start in the industry at anything but an entry-level position, which means a lot of competition for relatively few low-paying jobs. If you’re a creative, you can’t get a job in advertising without a book of your work, which may mean designing and producing mock advertisements. While a few of the bigger agencies do recruit on campus for entry-level account-management hires, be prepared to start at the bottom and use your contacts to work your way up. |
