Advertising

There are those amongst us that can sell anything, as well as those amongst us who will buy anything. Advertising is a creative and rewarding career. If you’re looking for a career that combines creativity along with business intellect might find this career worth considering.

Education

There isn’t a specific Advertising course in the CAO system. However, Marketing, Business, Economics, Languages, Psychology, Art and Media, as well as General Arts are very useful for getting into the business.  For example: at postgraduate level, you can take the Masters in Advertising at DIT, for specialisation in either business or creative areas. Subjects of this course include Marketing, Communications, Consumer Behaviour, Copywriting, Research Methods, Legal Considerations, Campaign Management, and Promotional Strategies.

There are a large number of professional qualifications available for graduates, with many of them accredited by the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland. For particualr jobs within advertising, a qualification in a specific subject can be necessary. For example, many art directors have a degree in Fine Art or Design whereas many copywriters will have studied English at college,and media buyers might have a business qualification. A range of careers in the advertising profession exist, therefore there is no single perfect route to success.

The Work

Advertising Accounts executives provide a link between the clients and the agency. They create a ‘brief’ by learning what clients want from their campaign, and can decide how the agency can meet their needs. The account executive will coordinate the people working on the account, including the creative and media teams, and presents the finished proposals to clients.

Then you have the creative team who are the ‘ideas people’ – copywriters and art directors. Copywriters are responsible for writing advertising and promotional copy and the development of concepts for campaigns. Art directors are the ones who design advertising posters, leaflets and brochures; they will produce material and display film and television advertisements.

Copywriters and artistic directors will generally work together as a team, brainstorming visual and written content to come up with innovative ideas to sell anything from insurance to cheese. Strategic planners and market researchers have the role of testing the ideas, and examining how they will work with audiences and consumers. Production staff – like radio and TV producers, or printers and graphic designers –  all produce the final ad copies. Media buyers and planners are the ones who manage advertising budgets and work out where the money will be best spent.

Personal Qualities & Work Environment

An Advertising Executive’s personal qualities can be just as important as professional qualifications in advertising circles. It is an area of business that is constantly evolving and relies on ideas; success is only measured by the last job and so consistency is vital. An enthusiastic and vivacious personality will be invaluable to succeed in the industry; other important qualities would include the ability to interact well with people and effective communication skills. Creativity and foresight is necessary for roles as art directors or copywriters. Decent business and negotiation skills are useful for media buying and planning positions. Advertising jobs are not strictly nine-to-five or deskbound, although advertisers generally work from an office.

The Jargon

Target market: The group that an advertiser is trying to reach
Rushes: Rough, unedited prints of a commercial to be used for editing purposes
Brand manager: Person who has marketing responsibilities for a specific brand
Advocacy advertising: Advertising used to promote a political or social issue