What's your job?

Do you know what you want to be? I still don’t know and so are numerous other people that are about to graduate from college, or people that are looking for jobs… Well, at least if you know that you want to be in “advertising” field, here is a list of types of jobs related to advertising and you might find what you want to be!

Here are four main types of jobs at an ad agency…

Account Executive

Acoount represent the agency to clients, and clients to agency. They are link between the client and agency. Account identifies what clients needs and with agency, they figure out a campaign that would work with ideas and budget. Then they would present ideas to clients, and when idea gets approved by the client, Accounts make sure budget and time is on track.

Nutshell: Communication, communication, organization, communication

Account Planner

Once Planners identify the need of the client, they start a very in-depth research about the market and consumers. After quantitative and qualitative research, Planners write creative briefs, giving a general guideline for Creatives to develop ideas. The creative briefs include information such as the subject that needs advertising and its current position in market share and perception. Also, the brief would state kinds of media and target audience.

Nutshell: search, google, interview, analyze, brief

Art Director (a.k.a “Creative”)

Once art directors receive the creative brief from Account Planners, Art Directors and copywriters to develop ideas for clients (usually have a copywriter partner). Once a “big idea” is generated, they would produce storyboards, sketches, or script for presentation to the creative team and the client. Once the idea is approved, art directors would collect a production team to produce the final product. Art Directors oversees the entire production process.

Nutshell: IDEAS IDEAS MORE IDEAS, production... next, IDEAS IDEAS….

Copywriter

Generally same with the descriptions for Art Director, but more in charge of the “writing” part and maybe proof reading. Art Directors and Copywriters work very close hand to hand, which means because you are a “copywriter” that does not mean you cannot come with visual ideas and vise-versa! However, Copywriters would have more weigh on scripts for TV, Radio or any types of copy for an ad.

Nutshell: IDEAS, Writing, writing writing IDEAS, more writing

Still not what you were looking for…? How about these?

Market Researcher

Marketing Executive

Media Buyer

Media Planner

Public Affairs Consultant

Public Relations Account Executive

Public Relations Officer

Sales Promotion AE

New Era of Advertising

In order for numerous ad agencies to be running, there are holding companies. As of July 28^th of 2013, as Publicis and Omnicom finalized its merger, Publicis Omnicom Group became the biggest advertising company in the world! Their revenue is 35.1 billion with over 130,000 employees all over the world. Making rival brands to work under one roof, this merge pushed down the once the biggest company for many years, WPP Group to second place, where they have $15.6 billion revenue.

Now you may question, what kind of agencies are within these “holding companies” ?

Publicis : Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi

Omnicom: BBDO, TBWA and DDB

PepsiCo-TBWA\Chiat\Day (Omnicom)

Coca-Cola: Leo Burnett (Publicis)

AT&T: Omnicom

Verizon: Publicis

To have these kinds of competitors, (especially Coca-Cola & PepsiCo who made several ads making fun of the other) it would be interesting to see how the clients will react, and if the tight competition will continue on….

Here is an example of what Coke & Pepsi were doing before.