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When you think of working in advertising, maybe Madison Avenue, Google, or the hit TV series, “Mad Men” comes to mind. Once again, the advertising industry is changing fast. So, how do you go about launching your career as an advertising professional?
To get you closer to that dream job, we describe what advertising roles and specialties are out there. We’ll also identify the training and education you’ll need to pursue your passion. Finally, we’ll look at the median salaries for a variety of entry-level and experienced advertising jobs. This will give you a good idea of how you can expect to progress in the field.
The sections in this career guide are:
Advertising Education
Advertising and public relations attract college graduates who majored in the humanities like English, art history and other liberal arts subjects. The allure is a “real” job with upward mobility not easily found elsewhere.
Other degrees with an entrée into advertising include graphic arts, business with an emphasis in marketing, and computer technology with Flash development. Below, we describe the different departments of an advertising agency and what degrees will best help you break into the specialty area you find most appealing.
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Breaking into an Advertising Agency
Given the stiff competition for entry-level positions, internships at an ad agency are how many break in. A way into the marketing or business side of the firm often starts with entry-level media positions and administrative assistant jobs.
Creative roles like designers and copywriters must have a portfolio of their work. If you’re the creative type and don’t have experience working with actual clients, you can pursue a degree in graphic arts or marketing communications and build your book.
Whether you pursue the business or creative side of advertising, be sure to network. Networking can help you land that all-important first job or internship.
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Advertising Positions by Department
The departments of an advertising agency center around account management, account planning, creative, media, and production. For each one, we look briefly at their entry-level positions, skill sets, and career paths.
Account Coordinator in Account Management
Account management acts as a liaison between the client and the different departments of the agency. The account team coordinates the agency’s resources to ensure ads are produced on time, on budget, and according to the client’s needs. In essence, they’re the sales arm of the agency.
People who thrive in this environment know how to multi-task, have strong social skills, and are good at managing others. The entry- level position is usually that of “account coordinator.” Typically, there can be five levels in the department leading up to Director. As Salary.com makes clear, Directors earn well into the six figures.
Junior Account Planner in Account Planning
Account planners seek to “get into the head” of the client’s target demographic. This entails qualitative research like focus groups and quantitative research with statistics on who buys what.
Those who thrive as account planners are analytical, have a strong interest in what makes people tick, and can write clear creative briefs to guide the creative staff.
The entry-level position is usually “junior planner.” Sometimes, landing this role requires a lateral move within the agency or jumping to another one. If you think you’d like to study psychology or study marketing research, this could be the career for you.
Art Director or Copywriter in Creative
The role of creative is to transform the inputs of account management and account planning into concepts for a finished ad. An art director and copywriter usually form the creative team.
People who thrive as creatives are able to accept criticism, have a strong marketing sense, and express their ideas clearly. Art directors typically pursue a graphic design education while copywriters earn a degree in marketing communications or English.
To get into an agency as a junior creative, a portfolio of real ads or strong mockups is a must. The right specialized education can help you build it. As you gain experience in the market, you can make your way into a senior creative position at triple the salary or more.
Media Planner in Media Planning
Media places finished ads where they’ll best reach the client’s target audience. This requires research into the audience’s media habits and negotiating ad time purchases based on the client’s budget.
The media department is where to find many of the entry-level positions in an ad agency. It’s often a good career bridge into account management or account planning.
Media Producer in Production
Production performs the physical tasks that go into making an ad. If it’s a TV ad, the agency may hire an outside director and independent production company. The agency usually handles print ads in-house.
Those inclined towards video production, Flash animation and programming, and digital imagery can obtain a specialized degree and flourish in this environment. Given the production department has regular contact with account management and creative, aspiring graphic artists and others in these roles can get solid advice on what it takes to produce a strong portfolio.
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Advertising Compensation
According to Salary.com, junior graphic artist and copywriter positions range from the low 30s to the low 40s. The median salary for a creative director approaches 100k while that of senior copywriter is close to 90k. For a senior account manager, it’s near 85k. These numbers vary considerably by region with major advertising centers paying higher.
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Advertising Career Resources
Chances are, the education you need is close to where you live and online study options are available too.
Click Here to See a List of Advertising Schools Near You >>
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