A commercial firm is responsible for advertising the product or services; the advertising agency is involved in launching the advertising campaign o behalf of the clients. The media (Press, television, radio, cinema) is another mode of promoting the advertisement.
Anyone willing to be a part of this versatile industry has the following positions to take on depending on the work experience and qualification.
- Public relations specialist
- Copy editors/copy writers
- Graphic artists and designers
- Account managers
- Marketing executives
- Media planner
- Researcher, art director
The job responsibilities vary from position to position.
An Account Executive should be adept in managing clients and interact with the customers, maintaining the accounts. For an entry level job in the advertising field, it is suggested to start the career from a lower level and then move on to the higher ranking or post so as to gain sufficient knowledge at every level.
If you want to become a media planner, then you should be able to develop strategy for advertising placement, analyze the target audience and the media budget, should be able to describe and apprise different media.
A copywriter should have a flair for creative writing, analyze the product's uniqueness and present the product in such a way that it attracts buyers.
Being a media buyer, you should have extremely good negotiating skills, willing to work under high pressure etc.
These are a handful of job responsibilities described here. A person in the advertising field should be ever-ready to take up any small-big task to accomplish the task.
Skills
Being creative is a required skill for people aspiring to be a part of the advertising industry. If you think you possess the art of convincing and amazing negotiating skills, this is the place for you. The advertising industry demands strong communication skills both verbal and written.
You should be able to analyze the target audience and develop strategies to promote your product. Having said that, this field requires working extended hours to fulfill the client's needs and therefore you should be prepared to work under high pressure and tight schedule.
Qualification
A bachelor's degree in arts/mass communication or a bachelor's degree in any discipline along with some advertising and marketing courses would be sufficient for the entry level career in advertising.
Media courses are provided by universities which help the students gain industry skills like media planning, media buying etc. These days a management degree in marketing is preferred in the market research, client servicing and media planning departments.
Salary
For an entry level career in the advertising field, the priority is to learn and understand the process. You can not expect high salaries as soon as you join however, your skills, performance and experience will pay heavy benefits subsequently.
Job positions and earnings in vary from company to company. On an average entry level salaries range from $17k to $75k based on the qualification and experience.
Advertising field is certainly a lucrative one and offers vivid career options to choose from. At a later point of time, after gaining mass experience you can choose to be a freelancer as well.
