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Life as an Account Executive (Advertising)

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:58:56 +0000

A day in the life as an account executive (advertising)…Advertising account executives work within advertising or multi-service agencies, acting as a link between the clients and the agency. They are responsible for liaising between the client and other agency staff to coordinate the advertising campaigns. Advertising account executives liaise closely with their clients throughout campaigns, often on an every-day basis. They manage administrative and campaign work, ensuring that this is all completed on time and on budget.There are several characteristics or traits that indicate a competent account executive.

One of the most important factors in providing proper customer care is proper training and credentials. Advertising professionals combine creativity with sound business sense to market a product based on financial, sociological, and psychological research. To ensure this complicated process works smoothly (and many we surveyed mentioned that you have to be prepared when it doesn’t happen smoothly), you’ll spend a lot of time in the office (a six-day week is not unusual). Most of your time is spent brainstorming, creative blockbusting, and sifting through demographic research; less time is spent meeting with clients or pitching advertising campaigns.

Fluidity of daily activity marks the life of the advertising executive who jumps from project to project, but it can’t happen at the expense of attention to detail, and it doesn’t. It takes a very disciplined person to handle both the creative end and the detail-oriented side and live a life as an account executive (advertising). Advertising executives work in teams on projects, so working with others is crucial; those who are successful have the ability to add to other people’s ideas and help them grow. “You can’t have an ego in this business,” mentioned one executive, “but be aware that everybody…has one.” The need to be flexible can not be emphasized enough.

As a number of large players in the industry move toward “computer-based brainstorming,”-a way in which creative ideas are kept in a fluid database without regard to account specificity-computer skills will become more valuable. Like most project-oriented careers, you can expect periods of intense activity during which you have little, if any, free time. At other times, the work load is light and mundane. A number of people say that their favorite part of the profession is that “you get recognized when you have a good idea.”

The ability to work on a team is one of the most important skills a successful advertising executive has; however, camaraderie and a sense of community beyond any given project is not why people enter advertising.

Life as an Account Executive

Life in an Advertising Agency

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My Life in an Advertising Agency

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:44:01 +0000

Advertising agencies are great places to work. The jobs are creative in nature, the people are interesting, and the challenge of meeting the needs of the ever-evolving world of advertising keeps you on your toes. People who work in advertising are often asked how to get into the business. The answer is fairly simple: develop an understanding of the job, make connections within the industry, and demonstrate to those connections that you’re the person to hire. An advertising agency is made up of seven distinct departments: Account, Strategy, Media, Creative, Interactive, Production and Administrative.

Here’s a basic picture of what each does: Account Department – Account Managers are the client’s day-to-day liaison. They work with the agency’s clients to write briefs that detail the advertising that’s needed, work with the creative department to develop campaigns, and work with the other departments to get the campaign produced, shipped and paid for. Account Managers are people-oriented and enjoy splitting their time between the client and the agency. They enjoy solving business challenges and building relationships. The best Account Managers have a thorough understanding of business and advertising.

Strategy Department – Strategists, or Account Planners as they are also known, research the facts needed for creating advertising, and strategize the best messages and methods to use to reach their target audience. Strategists are generally people who enjoy research and understand how to turn data into an actionable plan for advertising. Strategists spend the majority of their time working alone and with other agency personnel.

Media Department – The media department plans, coordinates and purchases media space to run advertising that the agency has created. Media Planners and Buyers have a deep knowledge of magazines, newspapers, TV shows, cable channels and Internet sites, and understand the audience for each of these mediums. Media Planners spend less time with clients and more time with agency personnel.

Creative Department – Creatives include Copywriters, Art Directors and Production Artists. They are the people responsible for writing and designing advertising campaigns. The best Creatives can continually think of fresh approaches to advertise a product or service and are equally adept at selling their ideas to clients. Creatives spend less time with clients, but the time they do spend with them is crucial to the agency’s sales process.

Administrative Department – Handles all of the internal business of an advertising agency, like finances and human resources. Administrative jobs within an advertising agency are similar in scope to the same jobs in other industries, but have the added challenge of needing to understand and service clients and the distinctly different groups of agency personnel.

Hopefully my life in an advertising agency has been helpful!

Life in an Advertising Agency

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Life in an Advertising Agency

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:41:34 +0000

These days, it seems as though advertising is the ‘it’ field. This information comes from movies and television shows. Though the life in an advertising agency is indeed fun, exciting and has a lot of opportunity, it is also stressful, difficult and requires long hours.

Advertising teams are usually small, except in large companies. For the most part they act as liaisons between the firm and the advertising or promotion agency to which many advertising or promotional functions are contracted out.

Though many view those in advertising negatively sometimes, seeing them as tricksters or somehow shady characters just because their job is to come up with ways to sell somebody a certain product. This is obviously not true, it is a very worthwhile and respected profession, oftentimes calling for more creative and intelligent minds.

To get started in advertising, one must find an internship at an advertising firm. As an intern, life in an advertising agency will prove to be very educational. Interns learn how the business works from inside the company, working with those who are experienced. Interns get to know the market and understand the standard of ideas they need to bring to the profession.

Also, another misconception people have about advertising is that they assume everyone in advertising makes a lot of money. Well, while many can and do make money, it is a long and difficult road. First, you have to intern, then get a job as an assistant, work your way up to make it onto a team, and if you are lucky, a management position.

Life in an advertising agency can be extremely difficult. Those who are creative souls looking to enter advertising because they want to put their innovative ideas to use have to remember that advertising is still a professional business. Before any given campaign you will work on, there will be dozens of meeting, talks with bosses, managers and CEOs. Your creative ideas will be put to the test, you will have to change your ideas to better suit the market and make others happy.

Advertising is not just a glamorous, fun-filled career. In fact, life in an advertising agency is unlike anything the media portrays. It is a mix of everything you see and hear. It is a rewarding career, though you must put in a lot of hours in order for it to be this way. It can allow for a lot of travel, but you must pay your dues.

My Life in an Advertising Agency

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Life as an Account Executive

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:29:46 +0000

Are you excited by the world of advertising? Would you like to be in the boardroom, making pitches? Do you see yourself working with the creative department and giving the go-ahead to major ad campaigns? Then it’s possible that life as an account executive could be the career you’re looking for.

Advertising account executives work internally within ad agencies. Generally they act as a liaison between the agency and the client. By working closely with the client and members of the agency staff, they are able to oversee the advertising campaign in accordance with the client’s wishes.

Advertising account executives can have enormous responsibilities. Account exec are the ones who make sure an ad campaign or single advertisement, is delivered on time, on budget and meets with the clients approval. Account executives often work with up to four different clients at the same time. Although in larger agencies, they may only work with one or two clients at a time.

Life as an account executive involves working with practically everyone involved in the advertising process. In addition to the clients, account executives interact with creative staff, account managers, account planners and media personnel. Account executives are responsible for making sure everyone does their job and works to create advertising content that meets the client’s satisfaction.

A big part of an account executive’s job is making pitches to clients, in order to sell the services of the agency.

Being an advertising account executive can be a very lucrative career. Median salary for an account exec is around $40K a year. However being an ad exec is also a very popular career choice. Job competition can be stiff. Generally a 4-year degree is required to gain an entry-level position.

Mentoring programs can also be a good way to gain a competitive edge over the competition. Mentoring programs provide students with the opportunity to learn the ropes of being an ad account executive while working in the atmosphere of a real ad agency, under the tutelage of real, working ad execs.

Beyond that mentoring programs give students the chance to make the contacts and connections that will prove so vital to gaining a foothold in the advertising industry.

Working as an ad account exec gives one the opportunity to contribute to all levels of an ad campaign. Ad execs liaison with clients, creative staff and other members of the team and are responsible for keeping the project on course on a day-to-day basis.

If this sounds like the job you are looking for than life as an account executive could be just the career for you.

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Careers in Advertising

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:56:29 +0000

Getting into a career in advertising isn’t easy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 250,000 people work in the advertising industry. In Advertising you will work with all aspects of marketing from strategy to concept to the execution of the strategy. You will find that most jobs on the business side of advertising include Account Management, Account Planners, and Media Buyers.

Account managers act as the liaison between the agency’s various departments and the client. Their job is to manage the execution of ads by making sure that they are created within the allocated schedule and budget. Account Planners focus more on the consumer. Their job is to conduct research on demographics of the targeted consumers. They use that research to get to know what motivates their behavior in the marketplace.

The job of the Media Buyer is to find media to place ads in. They use the demographic study that is done by the Account Planner to decide the best possible place to purchase ad space. Getting into a career in advertising requires a college degree. Internships and related work experience can be helpful.

Retail selling experience is also excellent preparation. Find out as much as possible about the advertising business, what an agency does, and the career area or department in which you would like to work. Read every bit of relevant material you can find – articles, books (see On-Campus for suggestions), and industry trade press such as Advertising Age, and ADWEEK. Talk to people. Track down any contacts or friends you have in the business. Sit down with your college instructors and career counselors. Check professional organizations like the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Advertising Women of New York, the American Advertising Federation, or your local advertising club. Remember, one source of information can lead to ten others. The more you know about your chosen area, the better you can present yourself as a first-rate candidate.

Advertising professionals find jobs in advertising agencies, in-house advertising agencies or departments of large companies, or with mass media as advertising sales representatives. Normally advertising agencies are divided into four departments: account services, media, research, and creative.

Careers in advertising involve variety, compensation based on performance, creativity, travel, satisfaction from seeing ones’ personal accomplishments, and contact with others. Advertising jobs are found in advertising agencies, media organizations, advertising departments in business firms, non profit organizations, and marketing research firms. The four major career paths in advertising are account management, creative, media and research which are all wonderful positions to enjoy a career in advertising.

Advertising Schools

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:42:48 +0000

Advertising schools involve education to earn a career in advertising and public relations and become media planners, creative directors, public-relations specialists and more. The primary goal of most commercial firms is to market and sell their products or services at a profit. Advertising is the mass-market equivalent of the salesperson’s one-on-one approach. Since the first ad agency began in the U.S. in 1841, the goal of advertising has been to inform, persuade and remind consumers of companies’ products. A college degree in advertising generally includes academic training in the creative or visual aspects of selling a product or service, combined with a technical and practical focus on technology and business applications. If you’re creative and a strong communicator, this field might be a good choice for you.

While employment is projected to increase rapidly, competition in advertising careers is expected to be intense which makes advertising schools that much more valuable. The right person – highly motivated, resistant to stress, flexible, and decisive – can expect to receive a high salary, but will travel a lot and put in long hours. You’ll also need tact, good judgment, and the ability to establish and maintain effective personal relationships both with your team and with your clients. Talent, leadership skills, and experience can result in your steady career advancement, but a bachelor’s degree in advertising will improve your chances. The advertising degree provides solid business fundamentals and exposure to the diverse software programs that are used in modern, Internet-based advertising campaigns. Add to this your own creativity and innovative ideas for communicating your client’s message to the intended audience, and you’ve got a recipe for career success.

Your career advancement can also be accelerated by participation in management training programs conducted by many large firms, either in-house, at local colleges and universities or online. Courses can include brand and product management, international marketing, sales management evaluation, telemarketing and direct sales, interactive marketing, promotion, marketing communication, market research, organizational communication, and data processing systems procedures and management. Employers may prefer job applicants with experience in related occupations plus a broad liberal arts education background. Your preparation for advertising management positions should include bachelor’s-level coursework in advertising or journalism topics like marketing, consumer behavior, market research, sales, communication methods and technology, and visual arts such as graphic design, art history or photography.

Any way you slice it, advertising schools are right for you.

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