Advertising

  Not many people cheer when the ads appear on TV. Advertisers prey on our worst fears and insecurities, interrupt our viewing pleasure and make us all believe that we need a thigh-master with a built-in radio, which most of us don’t really need at all. However, as a career, advertising can be very rewarding. Advertising people tend to be inventive and hard working, and the job can involve meeting with clients, supervising photoshoots, coming up with new ideas and driving hard business deals. Anyone looking for a career that combines creativity with business acumen might find advertising worth considering. Education There is no specific advertising course in the CAO system. However, Marketing, Business, Economics, Languages, Psychology, Art, Media and General Arts are all useful for getting into the business. At postgraduate level, there is the option of taking the Masters in Advertising at DIT, for specialisation in either business or creative areas. Subjects include Marketing, Communications, Consumer Behaviour, Copywriting, Research Methods, Legal Considerations, Campaign Management and Promotional Strategies. Options After Qualification Even university graduates tend to enter the advertising industry at entry-level and work their way up to more illustrious positions. Flair and talent are vital, and promotion within the industry can be rapid. There are a number of professional qualifications available for graduates, with some accredited by the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland. For specific jobs within advertising, a qualification in a particular subject can be necessary, or at least, useful. For example, art directors may have a degree in Fine Art or Design and copywriters will have studied English at college, while media buyers might have a business qualification. Given the range of careers in the advertising profession, there is no single perfect route to success. The Work There are lots of different roles in the advertising business. Account executives provide a link between the clients and the agency. They create a ‘brief’ by finding out what clients want from their campaign, and decide how the agency can meet their needs. The account executive coordinates those working on the account, including the creative and media teams, and then presents the finished proposals to clients. The creative team are the ‘ideas people’ – copywriters and art directors. Copywriters write advertising and promotional copy and develop concepts for campaigns. Art directors design advertising posters, leaflets and brochures; they produce material and display film and television advertisements. Copywriters and artistic directors often 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 test the ideas, and examine how they will work with audiences and consumers. Production staff – such as radio and TV producers, or printers and graphic designers – may be needed to gather ideas and produce the final ads. Media buyers and planners manage advertising budgets and work out where the money would be best spent: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines or the Internet.   Personal Qualities & Work Environment To be successful in advertising, personal qualities can be just as important as professional qualifications. Advertising is a business that relies on ideas, and can be a rewarding career, but there is plenty of hard work and dedication involved. Enthusiasm, the ability to interact well with people, and effective communication skills are important qualities. Creativity 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 and deskbound, although advertisers generally work from an office. Neat dress and businesslike attitudes are expected. The Money If you are successful in advertising, you will be well rewarded. Entry-level copywriter, account executive and media buyer positions start at approximately €23,000 and rise quickly. Experienced account executives and art directors can earn between €40,000 and €55,000, and much more if they are at the top of their field. Senior managers can earn over €100,000 a year. Jargon Brief: An outline of the advertising project including the intended audience, the message and the methods of communication Copy: The content (typically text) of an advert Pitch: A proposal put together by an ad agency to win a client’s business Job Titles Account Executive/Director Artistic Director Copywriter Creative Director Market Researcher Media Buyer/Planner Strategic Planner