“Advertising consists of messages, paid for by those who send them, intended to inform or influence people who receive them”. (Pollard)

To say advertising s objectives were simply to “sell the product” would be untrue, as an advertising campaign can have a variety of objectives such as; slow down a decline in sales, to encourage the public to change its opinion of a company or brand, or simply just to provide information. Non- commercial advertisers such as government’s departments, charities and political parties will have entirely different objectives from an FMCG brand. Most organisations use advertising in some way, because they find it a practical and cost effective way of achieving their objectives.

Working in advertising is hard work and involves long hours, despite its glamorous reputation. The Irish market is quite small, and this can mean that small numbers are employed but a career in advertising can be a very satisfying one. An interest in people is a must. Famous names such as Sir Salman Rushdie, Ridley Scott, John Moore all started their careers in advertising.

There are four main categories of companies involved in putting a campaign together:

1. The Advertisers, who sell their products and services
2. The Advertising Agencies, who produce advertising and place it on TV, Radio etc..
3. The Media, who provide the time or space for the advertisements, they include the TV and radio stations, newspapers and magazines, cinema and outdoor contractors.
4. The services, includes those who provide technical skills to the agencies or directly to the advertiser (market researchers, art studios, TV and radio production companies, PR Companies and many more).

The process of putting a campaign together can be explained in 3 stages

1. An advertiser (the client) identifies the advertising needs of their brand.
2. The advertiser will brief the agency be it creative/ media or both.
3. An agencies campaign is approved by client, and is displayed in the agreed media at the agreed cost.

Planning a career in advertising

As with all industries further education is a must, Qualifications in business, communications, media, advertising and marketing, psychology as well as art and design are all good backgrounds to have depending on which sector of the industry you would like to enter into. IAPI has worked alongside the ITT to provide course content in the BA Hons in Advertising and Marketing communications.

Following on from this further education in advertising is not a necessity, but the learnings from IAPI endorsed courses (Msc in Advertising and the Diploma in Advertising both in DIT) provide vital information for the day-to-day business of working in advertising.

When planning a career in advertising it is important to remember that there are options for moving sideways as well as the traditional upwards. For example you may start your career on the client side and then move into an advertising agency. This is because all roles within the sector demand the same skills, and provide experience that is essential within the industry whether you are on the client or agency side.

Job Roles in Advertising Agencies

Account Management is the link between the client and the entire agency team. The Account manager along with their team acts as both the salesperson for the agency and as the client’s “representative” within the agency. The account manager will also lead the agencies “ideas” presentation, ensures the ideas remain faithful to the brief and that it is kept within the timeframe and budget. The most important task in account management is to design the brief; a well targeted brief can be the making of a great campaign.

Account Planning involves using analysis tools and research alongside the client brief to identify the key strategic insights which lie behind the advertising idea.

Some skills needed for planning are;

• Imagination
• Common sense
• Numeracy
• Organisation

Qualifications needed for planning are;

• Degree or further education
• Typically in one of the following; economics, psychology, media, mathematics, statistics or one of the sciences.

Creative

The creation of advertising ideas, expressed in words and imagery that will effectively communicate the required message.

Copywriters, work alongside art directors to conceive and complete effective advertisements. Advertising ideas, which typically contain an integrated verbal and visual concept, require both the ability to make an imaginative leap and an intuitive understanding of the public the advert is aimed at. They also require a grasp of the client’s brief; the concept determines the style and character of the ad. Copywriters must be able to write at length and paraphrase highly technical subjects. Advertising copy involves constant detailed revision and rewriting either at the request of the client or to tune up the communication.

Art Directors, work with the copywriter to create original ideas in the form of proposed rough designs or layouts which gives an impression of what the finished product will look like. This is referred to as the “concept”. Art Directors in an advertising agency are mainly involved in display, press and television advertisements. In some Irish advertising agencies you may also have a Graphic Designer whose role may include literature, package designs, symbols and company branding/ logo and stationery amongst others.

Skills required:

• Articulacy
• Wide range of writing styles
• An ear for dialogue
• Imagination

Qualifications required:

• Writers don’t need formal qualifications, evidence that you can write, and write in terms of people unlike yourself.
• Visual side of the creative formal study at an art school or other vocational training in a graphic discipline is essential.

Media Buying and Selling

Media Planners evolve media strategy, making recommendations on the target group, mediums to be used and identifying key timings. Much like in the client services department of a traditional agency media planners carry out a lot of pre campaign research. Planners must manage the budget set by the client.

Media Buyers will book the space or airtime once the campaign plan has been agreed with the client. Media buyers must negotiate the best deals for the campaign to keep within the budget. Buyers must then monitor the effectiveness of the campaign.

Skills

• Good knowledge of computers
• Work well with statistics
• Good bargaining skills
• Maths and working well with numbers

Qualifications Required:

• A degree or similar qualification, additional studies in advertising would be of a huge benefit.

Production

TV Production is often handled by independent production companies. The role will involve shooting, cutting and editing the ad. Sound recording, mixing and final assembly. You will work to the script and brief provided by the creative advertising agency and a shoot is normally supervised by the creative team who developed the concept.

Radio Production is often handled by the creative team who tend to act as the producer. The role, like TV, includes casting, editing and mixing where required.

Print Production may allow you to be involved in the final stages of the design process as the main requirement is that print appears to the highest standard possible. Working in print production means acting as a buyer also through costing work, obtaining quotes and supervising the actual printing.

Skills:

• Time keeping
• Technical skills
• Mathematics
• Design skills

Qualifications required:

• Production training

Other job roles with an advertising agency are

• Finance
• Admin

Notes

The IAPI jobs section lists all the current jobs available in the Irish industry and should be the starting point for anyone looking to work in Advertising.

Further research on Advertising can be done by reading industry magazines such as IMJ and Marketing or the media and marketing section of the Irish Times and Sunday Business Post. Books such as “How advertising works by Colin McDonald and The complete guide to advertising by Torin Douglas provide more information on working in advertising.

If you wish to arrange a speaker to talk about “Advertising as a career” for career fairs etc.. please contact info@iapi.com with all the details.