Advertising
[one_half][ads1][/one_half]How many of us remember the Ad of Parry’s Coffee Byte (coffee/ toffee) or an PEPSI Ad while we forget some of the most important events of our own life ?. We move across our town, city, state, country finding thousands of hoardings which show larger than life people who are selling some thing to us.Does it really make a difference to us. Yes!. Today Advertising has become a Multi Billion Industry which has made each & every
company, industry, Political Party, Educational Institution, Hospital, all most all to let the common man know who they are, but through Advertising. Lets have a quick look at a career in Advertising.
Current Trends
Advertising mainly aims at creating demand, promote marketing, establish a direct contact between manufacturers & consumers. The whole purpose of Advertising is to inform & influence public to buy products & services . Today advertising is done through almost all mediums. We see it in TV, Internet, Newspapers, magazines, outdoor hoardings, boards on cars, buses, trucks, posters, etc.. Its about selling or marketing a idea which makes a customer buy the product.
Advertising Industry – An overview
Be it a small agency or a big name in Advertising, there are 2 sections which hold the entire responsibility of completing a client’s job.
Creative Section : Here are the people who are responsible to fill the flesh & blood of an Ad. They are the visualizers, copywriters, Art directors, graphic designers, creative designers, illustrators.
Client Servicing Section : It consists of people who hold meetings with clients & act as interface between the client and the agency. Here we have people who are Client Service Executives who study the client, product & the market. They also do analysis of consumer behavior & Market Trends. It also consists of media executives who do the planning, scheduling , purchase & booking of space in Newspapers, Magazines, Hoardings, Sign boards, etc..
The Job profiles in Advertising Industry
Account Executive : Being an account Executive, it involves lots on study & research about the client’s need, products, business & future projections. The accounts executive is also responsible for setting up meetings between the client & the Creative Ad Team.
Account Planner : The role of an account planner is to identify critical areas for advertising based on market trends, consumer attitude & clients competitors. They give vital inputs to the creative team to develop the quality Ad work.
Copywriter : This involves the job of creating leaflets, journals, punch lines, company slogan. Its about writing the blue print for an ad with clear specifications from the accounts executives.
Media Executive : Involves in Planning, scheduling, booking, and purchasing of space and time (in newspapers, magazines, television and outdoor hoardings)
Production Team : This team takes care of all technical processes of turning the final ad copy and art work into a real ad for print, TV or radio
Administration : This department is responsible for the smooth functioning of the Ad Agency. The big responsibility is handling multiple people, maintain correct billings, handling clients, meeting deadlines, etc..
Personality requirements
To be a competent person in Advertising industry, one must have the following qualities. These are just a few, with the most important being the burning desire to do something different.
- Excellent Communication Skills & Interpersonal Skills.
- The desire to deliver the best & achieve utmost Customer Satisfaction
- Hardworking, stress resistant & ability to work under pressure & meet deadlines.
- Mental Strength to face competition & maintain the edge over others.
- Creativity & Innovation is a must. One cannot survive without this.
Courses available
There are a variety of courses at Diploma, UG & PG levels. The eligibility criteria also varies based on the course, university & duration. The basic qualification is graduation. Many courses offered are along with other important sections of Advertising i.e. – Sales, Marketing & Public relations. Some Commonly offered courses.
- Diploma / PG Diploma in Advertising.
- Diploma / PG Diploma in Advertising & Photography.
- PG Diploma in Advertising & Marketing Communication.
- PG Diploma in Marketing Communications Management.
- Integrated BA in Advertising, Sales Promotion & Sales Management (after 10+2).
- MBA – Advertising, Public Relations, Sales Marketing.
Reputed Colleges
- Indian Institute of Mass Communication, JNU Campus, New Delhi.
- Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, Mehta Sadan, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi.
- Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi.
- Xaviers Institute of Communications, Mumbai.
- School of Communication and Management Studies, Thevar House, Cochin.
- Advertising Club, Carex Center, Anna Salai, Chennai.
- Center for Image Management Studies, Noida.
- Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communications, Pune.
- Karnataka University, Dharwad.
and many more..
Universities offering courses through Distance mode.
- Annamalai University, Chennai (www.annamalaiuniversity.ac.in).
- Gurujambeshwar University, Haryana (www.gju.ernet.in).
- Kurukshetra University, Haryana (www.kuk.ernet.in).
- Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai (www.mkuniversity.org).
- Punjabi University, Patiala (www.universitypunjabi.org).
and many more….
Jobs in Advertising
After successful completion of a course, one can start his/her career through entry level openings in the Industry. Here the most important factor is having the edge over other candidates. One must prove his/ her skills, abilities & worthiness to be a part of any big company. All openings are based on performance & the level of expertise. But getting a job is certainly not that difficult.
Salaries
In this industry, the crucial factors for making money is the size & annual turnover of the company / agency. While Big names employee many people, the smaller players hire multipurpose people to save time & money. So if you are in a well set agency / company, your salary will match the best in Industry along with other perks.
Future in Advertising
Indian Consumer Market has bounced many leaps ahead. All players in today’s economy, have realized that “ Their success & financial gains depend largely on their Advertising, Marketing & Sales”. Today advertising is not about “selling a product”, its about “making people buy”. This has given many opportunities for young & talented graduates to choose Advertising as their Career. Looking forward, the Industry is expected to make huge gains with increasing commercials on TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazines and Internet
Originally Written by Mr. Ameen-E-Mudassar for the Milli Gazette, Dated On 1 November 2005.
