San Diego Ad Club

Let's start at the beginning. A career in advertising is not for the timid. It is extremely competitive, intense and always out on the edge seeking new ways to communicate with target audiences more effectively to get the desired results.

There are four major career categories in advertising. Below is a brief description of the types of jobs available in each:

Agency

Advertising agencies are the companies who create advertising and place it in the media. These companies vary in size from global to local - from thousands of employees to individual entrepreneurs.

Some agencies are "full service" shops offering everything including: planning, research, creative development and production, media buying, interactive and web based strategies, public relations, and more depending on the talent within the agency.

Smaller shops often specialize in one area like creative development/graphic design or media buying or web site development.

While job responsibilities will vary depending on the size of the shop and the requirements of their clients, typically, career options in this category include:

• Account Management (Account Supervisor/Manager, Account Executive, Account Coordinator) - serves as the liaison between the client and the various departments within the agency
• Account Planning (Sr. Planner, Planner, Market Researcher, Planning Coordinator) - develop the marketing plan and strategies to meet client objectives
• Creative (Creative Director, Art Director, Copywriter, Production Artist, Graphic Designer) - create the message and visuals that appear in the media
• Production/Traffic (Production Manager, Traffic Manager/Coordinator) - backs up the Creative team, gets work produced and "trafficked" to the right place at the right time
• Media (Media Planner, Media Buyer, Media Coordinator, Media Research) - develops media plans to meet client objectives and then negotiates and contracts to place the client's advertising on the air or online, print, outdoor, etc.

Client

The marketing department of a large Client organization will often hire an ad agency. The Client company will have a Marketing or Advertising Department to oversee and protect the marketing of the Client's brands. Often times the head of the Marketing Department will also oversee the Sales functions of an organization.

Large Client companies marketing departments generally hire an ad agency and some may hire multiple agencies to handle different products.

A career on the client side includes: Marketing Director/Manager, Marketing Coordinator, Advertising Director, Public Relations Director, Interactive Marketing Director, Direct Marketing Manager, etc. Co-ordinator positions often back up one or more of the above. If there is an in-house agency similar job titles would apply as to an "outside agency".

Media

Media are the vehicles for delivering the advertising creative messages - from television, cable, newspaper, magazines, outdoor boards, bus benches and sky writers to web sites/links/banners, bathroom posters and painted buildings with everything in between.

In the Media category - there are generally three types of careers.

• The first is on the "production" side - those responsible for putting out the content of each medium such as television, cable, radio, magazines, newspapers and web sites, etc.
• The second is the "operations" side - those responsible for operating the media company or maintaining the properties owned or managed by the media company
• The third is the "sales" side and this group interacts most with agencies and clients. The sales team is responsible for creating sales presentations, meeting with potential buyers and making the sale. Career options include Sales Directors/Managers, Account Executives, Sales Coordinators

Affiliates/Suppliers/Vendors

Affiliated companies facilitate the production of advertising and run the gamut from printers, photographers, and production companies to advertising specialty houses, direct mail houses, event managers and so many more.

The spectrum of support is limitless depending on the specific needs of the client and the creativity of the agency. These affiliates, suppliers or vendors generally interact with agencies or clients and also work directly with the media to help deliver their marketing and sales messages to agencies and clients in a professional and creative way.