Understand Advertising and its career options

Advertising and its career options

23/03/2018

Every product or service that you buy is more or less a result of an advertisement. Advertisements are everywhere. In the websites you browse, the newspapers you read, billboards you see. It’s hard to escape them. Persuasion is an art that has been used since the olden times, and an advertisement is nothing but that. Persuading the potential customers to buy their products. Don’t you sometimes see a very exciting ad and it almost makes you want to buy the product? That’s the power of advertising. And if all of this excites and enthrals you, then you’re are meant to be in the advertising business.

What is Advertising?

It is a practice of convincing the potential customers to buy the products or services being offered by the business. The idea is to get the message to the masses, that will persuade them to buy the product.

Ads can also be about political agendas, social issues and even environmental issues. Ads are also used to persuade someone about a certain issue. Or even to spread ideas to the public. For example, politicians also use the power of advertising to sell their ideas to the public, so that they vote for them.

Another great aspect of advertising is to spread the message in a manner where the public can recall the ad. Sometimes ads do fail to deliver the message as well, and in this scenario, due to the lack of planning and the use of bad ideas, ads fail. A good ad is one which people remember, which evokes emotions in people. Think about an ad right now. In most cases that ad must have evoked a certain emotion in you which is why you remember the ad and the brand. That’s the power of a great ad.

How to start a profession in Advertising?

Advertising firms employ people with a variety of backgrounds. Though you might think that you will need a degree in Mass Communications or a particular field when applying to advertising firms, that’s not the case! The advertising industry is open to people with varying degrees and backgrounds. If you’re good with the language and have a flair for writing, then you can have a higher chance to succeed in the industry. It’s particularly great for people who have a creative bent of mind. If you love graphic design, writing and brainstorming ideas; then advertising is a great profession for you. It constantly challenges you to think out of the box.

A Graduate degree is important if you want to get into advertising. If you have a postgraduate degree in Advertising or Mass communication or even Design, then advertising you should consider a career in Advertising. even after a Postgraduate course, you will start at the bottom rung (like in any other career). In order to understand the ins and outs of this industry, you have to experience everything first hand.

Some great Advertising Universities in India are Delhi University and Chandigarh Group of Colleges. Apart from that, you can also try Xavier’s College in Mumbai, MICA and Symbiosis Media and Communication, Pune. They offer some great courses in Advertising, journalism and offer great campus placements as well. You can pursue an MA in Mass Communication or PG Diploma in Journalism.

One of the best Universities to study advertising is the University of Wroclaw, situated in Poland. Graduates of the program get an acquired theoretical knowledge and practical competencies in the areas of specific aspects of communication. You can also try ESIC Business Marketing School located in Madrid, Spain. The Master in Communication and Advertising Managemen, is formed by two higher postgraduate courses, which can be studied independently.

What skills are beneficial in Advertising?

Even if you have one or more of these skills, then you are fit to be in the advertising industry. Some skills that you must possess are copywriting, content management, SEO, strong communication skills, being able to work in groups, being able to work under tight deadlines, decision making.

Advertising is a very fast paced industry, and if you’re here then you must expect to work at a fast pace and being able to deliver the results quickly. Understand that you will be hounded by clients and your bosses too. So, be ready to work under that kind of pressure. If such pressure scares you, then this industry might not be the best fit for you.

What are some Career options in Advertising?

There are two kinds of roles in the advertising industry: Executive and Creative.

The executive department is the one who is in touch with the client. They understand the requirements and seek new business opportunities. They are also responsible for client retention. If you’re great at interpersonal skills, this could be your path. Here the kind of roles you can see are Client Servicing,  Market Research, Media planning and Media Research.

If you’re more on the creative side, then you are suited for the creative roles. This team is built with copywriters, scriptwriters, visualisers, creative directors, photographers, typographers, animators, and so on. They are the ones responsible for understanding the clients’ requirements and creating the actual ad. They brainstorm ideas, write the copy and create the visuals which are then shown to the clients.

There are different kinds of advertising agencies as well, and they are grouped in two categories: Offline and online. Offline is media- print newspapers, magazines, billboards etc. While online is based on websites, social media etc. There are broadcast ads as well, which are for radio and TV. You can choose the ones you´ll like to work in and try to get into that industry.

To Conclude

If you think you have a future in advertising, go for it. An excellent way to get into this industry is by doing internships. You will eventually find a way to be employed as well by the companies. Have any more questions? Let us know in comments below!

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Written by
Nikita
Nikita is one of the main authors at EDUopinions, specialised in Higher Education and focused on business studies analysis. She is a digital nomad who works while travelling.

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