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If you have come to this article it is because you have an unusual creative concern and you want to dedicate your professional future to generating ideas that reach all types of people and make them see the world through different eyes. Work in advertising It can be really rewarding and motivating, but before you start looking for work, take a look at the tips we give you below.
What are the main departments and tasks in an advertising agency?
The importance of the accounts department in an advertising agency
The accounts department is key in an advertising agency. Although it is essential that all departments work unanimously and give their best, in this department we find the key to maintaining a good relationship with the client portfolio and, with this, be able to preserve it in the face of adversities that may arise.
He accounts department is the intermediary between agency and advertiser, who will give voice to the client's wishes and will be able to identify their needs (although in many cases not even they know what they want). It is key to have a department that, knowing how your agency works, knows how to adapt resources to advertisers' requests and coordinate them efficiently and effectively.
In an account team we can find different roles:
- Account Manager: He is the head of the department. Directs and manages the client portfolio and coordinates the work team. It is important that you have a good knowledge of the client and their commercial activity to identify the needs of each communication act. Additionally, manage the budget available for each project.
- Account Supervisor: He is the main support of our account director. He is present at briefing meetings and helps manage the department as a middle manager. In addition, it is responsible for managing the documents necessary to carry out the collaboration with the advertiser. Additionally, he supervises account executives.
- Account executive: At the base of the department we find this position, in charge of responding to client needs and carrying out day-to-day tasks and implementing the work that has been agreed with the advertiser.
Media department or agency
This department can be integrated into the advertising agency or can be hired as an external service, since there are specialized media agencies that only offer this service to their clients. In any case, the media team will work closely with the rest of the departments, planning the dissemination of the campaign through the different spaces and media that exist. This team decides which channels are suitable for disseminating messages. They will be in charge of developing the media plan and purchasing the necessary spaces to carry out the campaign communication.
The creative department of an advertising agency
The creative team is responsible for coming up with a creative idea that correctly communicates the message you want to convey. To do this, it is very important that they have a great knowledge of the advertiser's needs and that they know the target audience they are targeting, as well as other essential data, to find appropriate designs and messages that capture the attention of the target they want to reach. .
It is very important that they are able to adjust to the strategy that has been agreed between the advertiser and the agency, sticking to the time and spaces that have been contracted in the media. To translate these ideas into final creatives within strategic and temporal constraints, the creative team must work alongside the strategic planning department.
He creative team consists of the art director and the copy (or editor). Both collaborate to reach the creative idea, although each one has their specialization in this job: the art director focuses on the visual design, while the copywriter is in charge of the copywriting. These two roles are usually led by a Executive Creative Director, who heads the creative department.
Market research and strategic planning department
This department can be found as a specific team within the agency or, if there is a media department in the agency, it can be included in the media department.
The main function of this department consists of the preparation of reports through long processes of documentation on the advertiser, analysis of the competition and Market studies through different documentation and research techniques that allow them to obtain the data necessary to carry out the strategy.
This department will function as an informant for the rest of the departments, since they have the necessary knowledge about the audience, the actions of the competition and the different strategies to apply so that the message is transmitted efficiently: using the necessary resources to obtain the greatest benefit. possible in an action.
Main characteristics of a publicist
An advertiser, regardless of the department to which he belongs and the area in which he practices his profession, must have two fundamental characteristics: creativity and proactivity.
We have talked several times that, although most people think that creativity is an innate quality, we know that it is a skill that, like all others, can be trained and improved. For this there are numerous creativity techniques that can be carried out depending on the results you want to achieve. This aspect is fundamental not only for the creative department, but for anyone linked to a company. advertising agency, since creativity must be breathed in all its departments.
Proactivity, however, will depend more on each of us, but it is essential to get ahead with difficult projects and to be able to carry out our creative ideas (already trained) one step further.
The third essential characteristic, due to the very nature of the work, is the ability to work as a team. Even a freelance advertising that offers specific services needs to have this capacity, since it will be continually immersed in scenarios in which it will have to propose, debate, refute and, let's be honest, reach impossible agreements with advertisers to generate valuable ideas that satisfy both the needs of the client as well as the agency's own expectations.
In addition to these three pillars, advertisers need to be in constant training. This will be essential to be aware of market, design and communication trends, but it will also be essential to generate innovative solutions that allow you to differentiate your ideas from others.
As icing on the cake, a good publicist must have a own network of contacts that you can turn to in case of need, or simply as another point of inspiration. Having one's own network gives value to a professional and helps him or her find solutions more effectively, and better select the people to include in a project. Never underestimate the power of networking!
Essential tips if you want to work as a creative in an advertising agency
Create your own portfolio of creative work
In an advertising agency they will need to see your work to assess if you fit with the spirit of the company. That is why it is essential to have a creative portfolio that you can show to companies to help sell your profile before and during the job interview at advertising agency. The more varied the work, the more likely you are to fit what the agency is looking for.
That is why it is important to have enough time to develop creative ideas and work hand in hand with the best. Through day-to-day learning and the help of active professionals who show us their real experience, we will be able to point in the right direction and achieve the best results.
For our Portfolio Program, both in the local and international programs, we are clear that hard work and discipline are the best factors to create a portfolio that opens the doors of the best agencies in the world for us.
Job offers in marketing and advertising
Besides your online portfolio, you must demonstrate certain capabilities in your profile and during the job interview. Being an organized person is essential to knowing how to channel the large volume of data and ideas with which you will have to work. We have already talked a little before about the importance of being a creative person and capable of teamwork, but it is also convenient that you create your own personal brand and get it to define you. Turning your profile into a brand and working on it as if it were a job will help you apply as the ideal candidate for an advertising agency.
Last, but of course not least, we leave you some portals where you can find job offers in advertising:
- Linkedin: it is the most used employment network and, in part, the most saturated with candidates and job offers. However, it is a very interesting portal for generate networking and have access to the latest trends and news about the world of advertising.
- Doméstika: is a international creative community where, in addition to finding creative job offers, you can access creative projects by professionals and participate in discussion forums on the topics that interest you most.
- Hired: a international job search network in which you can create your professional profile so that companies can see all the information about your work and experience.
In conclusion, talk about how difficult it can be. work in the world of advertising if you do not work and certain requirements are met.
Get a job in advertising is not easy. Certain requirements and skills are needed to stand out among all the candidates who appear for the same interview. Choosing the ideal candidate is not only based on the work you have done for other companies, but on your personality and the capabilities you are able to demonstrate. However, it is not impossible either.
Every year our students get jobs in the best advertising agencies in the world, and hold positions they thought were impossible to reach. Working alongside the best guarantees you the best results, so why not take a risk?
