Advertising Course AJK Mass Communication School

Advertising-A growing profession
The Indian economy has opened up. Multinational companies have virtually invaded our markets, not only giving us a wider range of products to choose from, but also providing us with numerous job options. With growing literacy, consumer awareness and rapid advances in the electronic media, advertising, though comparatively a young profession, has begun to play a major role in shaping life-style in the urban metropolitan.
Advertising in India is, along with the sweeping changes seen across industries, also changing, as industry events taking place I the economy and industries it serves and reflects changes with little or no lead times. Witness to this global agency networks, and many more tie-ups are the offing, with a global affiliation being the key to survival and growth. With the advent of MNCs professionalism among Indian companies has increased. Global networks which have historically had presence in India are also considerably increasing.
Personal attributes required
Although special personal characteristics are required for different jobs in the various departments of an advertisement agency; some of the common features include your ability to work hard and work under pressure. Next comes your communication skills, public relations and team spirit. For the creative department, it is your perception or creative skills that matter. In addition, your promptness to grasp the developments taking places I the market and ability to act accordingly would bring rewards.
You need talent and aptitude
The sheer joy of creating a winning concept, the challenges of influencing the masses, the excitement of delivering against stiff deadlines, the pride and pleasure of teaming up with first class professionals, and the heady feeling that comes with a successful campaign…all these go to make advertising the thrilling profession it is. Jobs are available in plenty for the talented in this profession, where more than the training; it’s the aptitude for advertising and your creativity that matters.
An ideal ‘AD’ professional must be:
Well read and informed
Proficient in the language
outgoing with an awareness of the social and culture environment
Hard working, stress resistant and capable of working against deadline pressures, even with factors beyond his/her control
Adept at conceptualizing , at thinking naturally, at being off beat, at spotting areas no one else has noticed
expert at interacting with people since the job involves handling people from client to people from client to people in various departments.
Organizational Structure of an Advertising Agency
Organizational structures may vary in different advertising agencies; however the key departments are more or less the same.
Client Servicing-Direct Link with the client
The major role of Client Servicing is to interpret the inputs provided by the client with the support of the Creative, Media, Film, Production and Studio team in addition to dealing with the client (the sponsor).
One can say that Client Servicing department to an advertising agency is what the heart is to the body. The functions of this department include:
A study of the client, the product and the market
Analysis of consumer behavior &* market trends
Knowledge of all available media, their cost-effectiveness.
A good client servicing executive tries to learn as much about the client’s business as the client himself knows and more (that os how he develops the client’s faith and respect for his agency). Then he recommends to the client:
The potential markets and the strategy to be adopted
The media channels for reaching targeted markets
What ‘appeal’ will work for the target audience
What the message in the different media should be
Client Servicing is involved from the briefing stage and the concept of the ad campaign right through its completion, including the placements of advertisement in relevant media, print or electronic. Some of the key positions of Client Servicing are as follows.
Account Director is the head of Client Servicing. He works with Account Supervisors and Executives. The primary job of Account Director is to lead the course of new business while supervising the existing accounts. He is also known as account Planner of the agency. In matters relating to planning and research, he plays a prominent role. He must have a clear understanding of the needs if his clients. The position of an Account Planner is also
important as he has to keep a keen eye on the market developments, the trends, buyer’s attitude toward the client as well as the competitor’s brands.
Another vital position in the agency is that of the Account Supervisor .In the hierarchy, he stands just below the Account Planner. He is the captain of his team of executives and has to work closely with his counterparts in other departments in matters relating to key decisions and planning
And, next comes the Account Executive, who devises and coordinates advertising campaigns dealing first-had with the agency’s clients. They must be creative, imaginative with good communication skills and be able to work uner pressure. In addition, they need well-developed analytical and organizational skills. His work is usually carried out under pressure created by the need to complete accounts and meet his clients’ requirements within strict deadlines. In the course of work, advertising account executives may perform the following tasks:
discuss with clients and other sources the products to be advertised and obtain relevant information from client such as product and company details, budget ad marketing goals and marketing research;
brief other specialists in the agency(such as creative team, media planners ad researchers)on requirements, to develop the details of a campaign;
present draft campaign suggestions to clients along with a summary of the expenditure involved, and negotiate and arrange for modifications if required
supervise and coordinate the work of the relevant production department so that the campaign develops to meet deadlines and budget requirements;
On acceptance of a program , ensure that the advertising is created as planned, liaise with the client throughout the project and deal with problems as they arise; and
assist the client with marketing strategies