Career in Advertising

Advertising is the means of informing as well as influencing the general public to buy products or services through visual or oral messages. A product or service is advertised to create an awareness in the minds of potential buyers. Some of the commonly used media for advertising are T.V., radio, websites, newspapers, magazines, bill-boards, hoardings etc. As a result of economic liberalization and the changing social trends advertising industry has shown rapid growth in the last decade.

Today, new areas are emerging within advertising like event management, image management, internet marketing etc. Event management wherein events are marketed, Image management wherein a a particular profile of an individual or an organisation is projected. Internet marketing has also brought about a lot of changes in advertising as Internet means that one is catering to a select group of audience rather than a mass audience.

What is Advertising?

To put it simply, advertising is salesmanship. It can make the difference between business success and failure. It is a cost-efficient way of telling buyers what is for sale and what the product’s features are. At the very least, it seeks to persuade someone who is in the market for a given product or service to consider a particular brand.

The business of advertising involves marketing objectives and artistic ingenuity. It applies quantitative and qualitative research to the creative process. It is the marriage of analysis and imagination, of marketing professional and artist.

Advertising is art and science, show business and just plain business, all rolled into one. And it employs some of the brightest and most creative economists, researchers, artists, producers, writers, and business people in the country today.
How is Advertising Developed?

All good advertising includes some basic steps before it appears in public:
It defines its markets.
It assesses the competition.
It determines who the target audience is, and how and why it chooses the products it does.
It sets goals and a budget: what the advertising should achieve and how much must be spent to achieve those goals.
It determines the media: what vehicle (television, newspapers, magazines, outdoor) will best reach the target audience to be effective.
It creates a message: what pictures, words, and music will best attract and appeal to the specific target audience.

An advertiser usually hires an advertising agency to help them identify prospective customers, create the advertising, and buy the broadcast (television, radio) time and print space (magazine, newspaper, and outdoor) to carry the advertising work that consumers see.

Earlier, advertising was taught as a subject in the courses of journalism and mass communication. But now, it has got a separate entity, a full-fledged discipline in itself. The IT revolution has further facilitated this change. Business of the sector is flourishing at the rate of 40-50% every year. With this potential the field offers a plethora of opportunities for the career aspirants. Following opportunities can be explored in this industry as per one's talent and inclination:

Client Servicing: The Client Servicing department is the link between the client and the agency. It is an important part of any advertising firm like what the heart is to the body. This department is responsible for meeting prospective clients and getting business for the company. It involves a study of the client, the product and the market; an analysis of consumer behaviour and marketing; a knowledge of all available media and their cost effectiveness, and a strategic plan to be presented to the client. Those in client servicing must therefore interact with clients, gather information, oversee research where necessary, gauge consumer attitudes and based on this, work along with the various departments of the agency to formulate the most appropriate and effective advertising strategy within the specified budget.

Market Research: Every good ad plans, start with research. This is the department which surveys the market and analyses and studies consumer behavior about a product or service. They are involved with collection of data- information about the consumer, the market, existing competition and so on. The research studies provide basic information to the manufacturer, for planning a new product.

Copy Writers: Person with a blend of imagination and wonderful writing skills can become copy writers. Their main work is to write scripts, jingles, slogans, punch lines etc. for the advertisements. In a way, a copy writer is responsible for providing a platform to an idea.

Visualiser: A visualiser converts the words into scene. In other words, moulding the words of the copy writer on paper in the form of display is the responsibility of the visualiser. She/he prepares the lay-out or design of the advertisement. Persons gifted with fine arts (drawing/sketching) can opt for this field.

Creative Department: The person who coordinates the works of the copy writer and visualiser is known as a creative director. Usually she/he is a senior person responsible for this specialised work.

Photographers: Photographers should have an idea about angles and lighting effects. Good technical ability and knowledge of cameras and lenses is essential.

Producer: The advertisement is given an abstract shape by producer who usually belongs to the advertising agencies. The production unit of the advertising agency looks after the works like typography, photoengraving, printing etc.

Media Planner: Distributing the budget of the advertisement in the media, deciding broadcasting or publication/day/time/frequency of the advertisement is the job assigned to the media planning unit. She/He is also responsible for booking time and space in print/electronic media.

Researcher: Advertising agencies often employ persons for studying the market trends, people's choice, strengths/ weaknesses of the rival products etc. The data obtained along these parameters are used to prepare the advertisements of the concerned product/service or to modify it as per the market need. Persons having a background of Statistics/ Research/Sociology or Psychology can join this field.
Model: Persons with good physical attributes and an inclination towards acting can become models in advertising.

Singer: You can join the field as a singer if you have a good voice and a background of music.

Voice Actor: Persons apt in the art of oration/mimicry can become the voice actor of the advertisement. These are also called vox designers.

Apart from these creative works, there are some other associated fields as well. These include office management, financial management, public relations wherein one can try out his/her hand.

Advertising Institutes in India:

• Amity School of Education - PG Diploma in Advertising and Marketing Management
• Bharathidashan University - Advertising, Copy Writing and Salesmanship
• Chennai Institute of Communication Advertising Club - Advertising, Graphic Design & Sales Management/Promotion
• Delhi College of Arts and Commerce - Advertising Sales Promotion and Sales Management
• Indian Institute of Journalism - PG Diploma in Advertising
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) - PG Diploma in Advertising and Public Relation
• Kamala Nehru College (W) - Advertising Sales Promotion and Sales Management
• Mudra Institute of Communication (MICA) - PG program in Communications Specialization
• Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) - PG Diploma in Advertising and Communication
• National Institute of Advertising - PG Diploma in Marketing Communications
• School of Advertising and Communication - PG Diploma in Advertising, Public Relations
• School of Communication & Management Studies - PG Diploma in Advertising
• Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIMB) - Master Program in Advertising & Communication Management
• WLC College - Advertising & Graphic Design
• Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) - Advertising & Marketing Communication
• YWCA Institute Of Mass Media Studies PG Diploma in Advertising