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Advertising agencies handle a broad range of
marketing tasks requiring people with experience and ability
in overall management and specialized skills. In all agencies,
the jobs usually fall into five categories:
Account Management
Account Planning
Creative
Media
Interactive Marketing
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The responsibility of the account manager is
to be the client’s representative at the agency, and the agency’s
representative at the client’s organization. It is his or
her job to get the best possible work from the agency for
the client-but at a profitable return for the agency. This
means knowing how to handle people at the agency so that they
give the client their best effort without spending more time
than the income from the client’s business justifies.
The effective account manager develops a thorough
knowledge of the client’s business, the consumer, the marketplace
and all aspects of advertising, including creative, media,
research, and commercial production.
As team leader and strategist, the account person
must communicate the client’s needs clearly to the agency
team, plan effectively to maximize staff time and energy,
and present the agency’s recommendations candidly to the client.
In the final analysis, the account person must
be able to foster productive communication between client
and agency staffs, identify common goals, and make sure that
the final product is profitable and effective for the client
and the agency.
Successful candidates have strong general business
skills: the ability to write and speak effectively, demonstrated
leadership experience, a capacity for statistical analysis,
and developed organizational skills.
Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree and,
in some cases, a master of business administration. A degree
in advertising or marketing is not a prerequisite.
An entry-level position in account management
usually leads to account executive and then to more senior
positions, with responsibility for more than one account and
for the work of several account executives.
| Job Title |
Other Possible Title |
Job Description |
| Dir. of Account Services |
Dir. of Client Services |
Responsible for mgmt. of the department. Responsibilities include budgets, costs, resource allocation. Provides strategic leadership. Top level Client contact with usually 20+ years relevant industry and advertising expertise. |
| Account Director |
Group Mgmt. Supervisor |
Responsible for leadership and overall management of the Client relationship on one large or multiple accounts. Drives long-term business building, oversees Account team management. 15+ years of industry and advertising experience. |
| Management Supervisor |
|
Responsible for the overall service and profitability of assigned accounts. Represents the Agency's senior management on a day-to-day basis. Typically reports to the Account Director, with 10+ years experience. |
| Account Supervisor |
|
Provides strategic recommentations and manages all Company/Agency resources to ensure the Client's marketing needs are met. Reports to Account Director, with 7+ years of industry experience. |
| Account Executive |
Sr. Account Executive |
Manages/coordinates Client projects and may take an active role in all disciplines from planning to completion. Effectively executes strategies, problem-solves, and develops solid business relationships, with 3+ years of experience. |
| Assistant Account Exec. |
Jr. Account Executive |
Provides Client service support to ensure that all assignments are executed timely and accurately. Assists in the daily operations of Client projects internally. Essentially an account executive "in training". |
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Essentially, account planners make sure the consumer’s
perspective is fully considered when advertising is developed.
The account planner works to continually focus
and re-focus the agency’s strategic and creative thinking
on the consumer, helping the team—particularly the creatives—understand
what "turns the consumer on". They study how consumers
actually make use of marketing communications. Using that
knowledge, they help the agency "break out" into
new ways of communicating about products and services. They
offer not only consumer insight, but a plan of action for
approaching marketing communications challenges.
The account planner’s primary tool is research:
consumer psychology and behavior, brand-sales history, competitive
sales and customer information, consumer demographics, and
much more. They use this information to determine how the
agency can leverage a brand’s strengths in a strategic and
creative approach.
Most account planners have academic backgrounds in
Liberal Arts, and certainly exposure to such subjects as psychology,
sociology, and cultural anthropology is beneficial. What planners
tend to have in common is the ability to interpret and synthesize
information, generating useful insights that can be readily
understood and acted upon by others.
| Job Title |
Other Possible Title |
Job Description |
| Exec. Account Planning |
Chief Strategy Officer; Dir. Planning & Development |
Responsible for management of the global/national/regional/local account planning department. May be an integral member of new business team, with 15+ years of planning expertise. |
| Dir. Account Planning |
Dir. of Strategic Planning |
Responsible for the management of one or more Client groups. Responsible for developing ad strategy and creative brief and bring a strong consumer focus to all decisions based on 10+ years of expertise. |
| Account Planning Mgr. |
Supervisor Planning |
Oversees day-to-day activity on assigned accounts, may include training and development of staff. 7+ years of experience. |
| Account Planning Supervisor |
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Responsible for applying consumer understanding to creative problems on assigned accounts. Partners with other departments to ensure the quality of the creative brief. 5+ years industry experience. |
| Account Planner |
Strategic Planner; Sr. Account Planner |
Manages all research pertaining to strategy and creative development. Provides insight to Clients regarding consumer preference, with 3+ years of experience. |
| Assistant Account Planner |
Jr. Account Planner |
Responsible for assisting the planners in applying consumer understanding to creative problems. |
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The creative department of an advertising agency
is responsible for developing the ideas, images, and words
that make up commercials and ads. While many people in the
agency contribute to the process, the invention and production
of advertising is mainly the responsibility of copywriters
and art directors.
Junior or Assistant Copywriter
The junior copywriter assists one or more copywriters
in editing and proofreading ad copy, writing body copy for
established print campaigns, and developing merchandising
and sales promotion materials. With proven ability and experience,
assignments might include generating ideas for product or
company names and writing dialogue for TV commercials and
scripts for radio ads.
Although a bachelor’s degree is not required,
most agencies look for candidates with proven intellectual
ability and emotional maturity. Degrees in English, journalism,
or advertising and marketing can be helpful.
The junior art director assists one or more
art directors in preparing paste-ups, rough lettering, and
layouts for print ads and television storyboards, developing
visual concepts and designs, and overseeing photo sessions
and the filming of television commercials.
A successful candidate will have strong visual
concept skills and good basic drawing and design ability.
Career Opportunities
| Job Title |
Other Possible Title |
Job Description |
| Chief Creative Director |
|
Overall responsibility and accountability for the management of the total creative function of the agency. Establishes the 'creative tone' and pace of the agency, based on 15+ years of experience. |
| Creative Director |
Group Creative Dir.; Exec. Creative Dir. |
Responsible for the quality of all creative work produced by the agency for all clients. Maintains standards of creative excellence. Typically has 15+ years of experience. |
| Assoc. Creative Director |
Creative Manager; Creative Group Head |
Supervises and guides the total creative effort of one or more creative groups. Insures creative compliance with clients' goals. Usually has 10+ years of expertise. |
| Creative Supervisor |
Art Supervisor; Copy Supervisor |
Integrates art, copy, and production functions and guiding overall creative effort of assigned general advertising creative groups on one or more accounts. 8+ years of experience. |
| Copywriter |
Sr. Copywriter, Lead Copywriter |
Responsible for generating concepts/ideas and highly targeted copy on one or more accounts. May adapt to changes in format, media and/or Clients' strategies. 2+ years of experience. |
| Art Director |
Creative Artist; Sr. Art Director |
Responsible for the visual creation of general advertising campaigns on one or more accounts. Coordinates the design and reproduction of the copy with the art and production staff. 2+ years of expertise. |
| Illustrator |
Sr. Illustrator |
Prepares a variety of illustrations ofr one or more accounts. May design, select layout materials, prepare interpretive drawings from written plans. 2+ years of experience. |
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The media department of an advertising agency
is responsible for placing advertising where it will reach
the right people at the right time and in the right place…and
do so in a cost-effective way.
Planning and buying media at an advertising
agency is exciting and challenging because ways of communicating
are constantly changing and becoming more complex. Such technological
advances as cable television and the internet, or videotext
make an impact on what media are available for advertising
and how viewership is calculated. A recent increase in the
number of specialty publications enables more precise targeting
of consumers.
It is the responsibility of the media department
to develop a plan that answers the question: how can the greatest
number of people in the target group be reached often enough
to have the advertising message seen and remembered—and, at
the lowest possible cost?
Assistant Media Planner
The typical assistant media planner reports
to a media planner and gathers and studies information about
people’s viewing and reading habits, evaluates editorial content
and programming of various media vehicles, and about media
vehicles, and becomes thoroughly familiar with media data
banks and information sources.
To accomplish these tasks requires the ability
to find and analyze data, apply computer skills, ask innovative
questions, and interpret or explain findings with attention
to quantitative and qualitative considerations.
Career Opportunities
| Job Title |
Other Possible Title |
Job Description |
| Executive Media Director |
Chief Strategic Officer; Client Services Director |
Oversees management of media planning, including budgets, costs, resource allocation and strategic leadership. Plays lead role in new business and acts as a consultant to top corporate officers. 20+ years of expertise. |
| Executive Media Buying Director |
Chief Negotiating Officer; Dir. of National Broadcast |
Responsible for management of the media buying and/or operations. Handles sensitive Company/Agency negotiations. Involved in policy-making decisions, based on 20+ years of media expertise. |
| Group Media Director |
Client Service Dir.; Managing Dir. - Planning; Media Dir. |
Leads overall management of one large and/or multiple Clients setting strategic direction and driving long-term business. Holds accountability for budgets and planning. 15+ years of experience. |
| Media Buying Director |
Associate Director; Media Placement Director |
Represents Company/Agency's senior management on a day-to-day basis and is involved with negotiations. 15+ years of experience. |
| Associate Media Director |
|
Responsible for the overall service of assigned accounts and media teams. Approves the development and execution o fmedia strategy, communications plans while maintaining cost controls. 7+ years expertise. |
| Media Supervisor |
Media Account Manager; Network Supervisor |
Provides strategic recommendations and analysis. Manages media planners to ensure Client's marketing needs are met. 4+ years of media experience. |
| Media Planner |
Sr. Media Planner |
Responsible for developing, executing and managing media plans best suited to meet established Client requirements and objectives. May supervise, train, delegate assistant media planners. 1+ years expertise. |
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If you have ever
visited a company’s web site, you have been part of how interactive
marketing is changing the relationship between advertiser
and the audience.
An important point to understand is to realize
that with traditional marketing vehicles, companies had to
find you to get your attention. In the world of interactive
marketing, the consumer seeks out the company’s web site and
decides how long they will stay. They can tailor the experience
to their own needs. This is why interactive marketing is the
fastest growing phenomena in the media and marketing world.
Opportunities in the interactive marketing field
are exploding and are most plentiful in the areas of design,
marketing, and computer programming. Agencies need computer-based
designers and programmers, as well as strategists who understand
how marketers can use interactive media creatively and effectively.
The advantage in job-hunting in this area is to those who
have a strong knowledge of computers and the digital realm,
and are on top of the daily changes in digital technology
and its capabilities.
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