Job Guide - Advertising

The Job and What's Involved

Advertising informs the public of commodities, services and opportunities that are available, stressing the merits and attractions of the particular products being advertised. In this way it influences the behavior and the spending of the public. Advertising is a hard commercial business. Mass production depends on mass selling; mass selling depends on advertising.

The main functions of the advertising business are: the study of the products and services to be advertised, the collection and interpretation of statistics and information on markets, advising on selling policy, selection of appropriate advertising media e.g. - newspapers or television, and the preparation of the advertisement.

The advertising industry can be broadly split as follows:

The organisations who want to advertise
The owners of advertising media such as TV, newspapers and radio
The advertising agencies which bring these two together and
Auxiliary services and supply firms such as art studios, photo-engravers, printers, direct mail specialists, exhibition and display contractors etc.

The following areas of work may be found in the advertising agency:

Research and Marketing: research teams explore the market possibilities by assessing the likely acceptance of the product. These are people skilled in statistical method and interpretation.
Media: the two main functions of this department are choosing the best advertising channels for a particular product and the purchasing of the advertising space or time.
Production: the department, which collates copy and layouts and supervises typesetting, orders books and finally produces proofs for submission to clients. The work calls for organising ability and technical knowledge.
Copywriting: with a thorough knowledge of sales policy and facts provided by market research, the copywriter provides the words that are seen and read in advertisements. She/He must be imaginative and able to write well.
Art and Design: the artist in an agency is usually a designer - someone who plans the layout of an advertisement. Very often the drawing or painting seen in the final advertisement is the work of specialist studios but based on the artist's 'visuals'. Art school training is essential, but the artist must understand people and appreciate how a good design can be used to sell. In Northern Ireland agencies much of the Finished Art paste-up is handled in-house by the agencies own artists.
Typography: the typographer presents the copywriter's words in attractive type that will catch the eye and read easily and quickly. They are recruited from art and technical schools, which run courses in typographical design.

Education and Training

There are no minimum educational requirements but as demand for jobs is highly competitive most companies employ only graduates. A degree in English or any arts subject would be relevant for someone interested in becoming a copywriter while an art and design qualification is required for the creative side of the work.

Some Business Studies courses at HND and degree level have advertising options. There is only one degree course in NI, which is particularly related to advertising - BSc Hons in Communication, Advertising and Marketing at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. It is a 4-year sandwich course with the 3^rd year spent in the UK, Europe or N. America gaining work experience. The university prospectus gives further details and typical 'A' level (or equivalent) requirements.

Training

There are no formal training schemes, most training is on the job. Although not essential, a lot of companies encourage employees to study for external qualifications. The CAM Foundation (The Communications, Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation Ltd) is the examining body for the UK Communications Industry and offers the following:

The CAM Certificate in Communications Studies - a multidisciplinary course covering Advertising, Marketing, Media etc. It is available full or part-time or through distance learning.

The CAM Diploma - enables a student to specialise in either Public Relations or Advertising. It is geared towards management and take one year to complete.

Exemptions may be granted to those who already have relevant qualifications.

Anyone interested in studying these courses through the Distance Learning Programme should contact The CAM Foundation.

Adult Entry

There is no specific age limit but advertising is a profession with a high proportion of young people. Only adults with experience in related fields e.g. marketing or public relations may be considered.

Personal Qualities

A person interested in working in the advertising industry must be able to:

Cope calmly under pressure
Get on and work with colleagues
Weigh up choices and make decisions
Meet tight deadlines
Understand and use numbers
Accept having to work difficult hours
Work hard for long periods
Accept criticism of their ideas

Prospects

The prospects are good for young people with creative, selling or business talents, with good pay within a fairly short time. However opportunities in NI are very limited. It takes a lot of initiative and perseverance to get a job. There is no formal promotion structure in the industry. More senior posts may be filled internally. It is very common for ambitious people to move around in order to get promotion.