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“A Career in Advertising”- The Agency Opportunity

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Contents

1. What is the IPA?

2. What is advertising?

3. Who does what?

4. What do you need to get in?

5. What’s in it for you?

6. Next step

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1. What is the IPA?

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The IPA

Who are we?

• The IPA is the industry body and professional institute for leading advertising, media and marketing communications agencies in the UK

• Currently 259 agency Members who account for 85% of the UK’s advertising expenditure

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The IPA

What do we do?

• The role of the IPA is to serve, promote and anticipate the collective interests of IPA members; and in particular to define, develop and help maintain the highest possible standards of professional practice within the business

• Help the very best and the most appropriate people get work experience and a job in ‘Adland’

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2. What is advertising?

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In its simplest terms advertising…

1. Identifies a current problem / opportunity for the

product, service or corporate brand

2. Identifies the customers who can best solve /

create that problem / opportunity

3. Creates the most relevant and distinctive way of

communicating to them in creative & media terms

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The advertising (and marketing) process

Where are we andwhy are we here?

How could weget there?

Are we gettingthere?

Where do wewant to be?

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It’s also wonderfully creative!

Especially in the web 2.0 era

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3. Who does what?

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Job functions in an agency

Client service &management

Strategicplanning

Mediaplanning& buying

Production

Finance, ITLegal, HR &

admin

Creative

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Client service

“Represents the client at the agency, and the

agency at the client”

Develops an in-depth understanding of the client’s

marketplace and their business within it

Negotiates client brief, interprets it for departments

in agency, and manages the total delivery to client

Becomes the client’s key ‘talking partner’

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Strategic planning

“Represents the consumer in the agency”

Distils huge amount of data and information

down to key consumer insights

Writes creative / media strategies in relation to

hopes / fears / behaviours of the customer

Plays a key role in guiding brilliant creativity

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Media planning

“Plans how to connect consumer to creative idea”

With strategic planning, identifies optimum target

audience to deliver the business objective

Develops close understanding of target consumer’s

media habits in relation to purchasing behaviour

Plans framework for media choice to maximise the

creative idea and connect with the customer

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Media buying

“Buys the connections between the consumer and

the creative idea”

Negotiates with media owners for best position,

timing and price in context of media strategy & plan

Ensures campaign’s within agreed parameters and

takes advantage of tactical opportunities

Analyses and reports back on campaign delivery

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Media placement!

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Creative

“Creates ideas, ideas, ideas!”

Copywriter & art directors working in teams

Take the client brief and work with it to invent

ideas to address brand’s business problems

Develop approved ideas into reality, working

with media planners / buyers and production

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Production

“Executes ideas, ideas, ideas!”

Production ‘traffics’ the work through the agency,

controlling workflow and budgets

Agency producers - help translate the idea into

TV and radio broadcast media

Production managers – project manage the

execution of concepts into press and print media

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Digital

Digital teams co-ordinate online campaigns from web site build

to working with social networks, search engines & email…

Creative

Project management

Production

Media planning and buying

Search specialists

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Direct Marketing

Deal with direct communications with customers: online or

through your letterbox!

Creative

Account management

Planning: data, telemarketing, media

Fulfilment

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Complementary industries

Media Sales

Marketing

Sales promotion

Experiential marketing

Public Relations

Market Research

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Finance, IT, Legal, HR & Admin

“Making sure it happens, smoothly and profitably”

All these key functions are required in agencies

Each of them can have a significant impact

Roles often filled by people who have already

gained initial experience within specialist firms

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Both ‘Magic’ and ‘Logic’ required

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4. What do you need to get in?

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What the agency recruiter looks for

Agencies thrive on diversity – most creative/most

wacky/most tecky people

People with top class degrees …

…but from a wide range of subjects

Numeracy / literacy / IT skills

Interpersonal relationship skills

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What the agency recruiter looks for cont.

An interest in what makes people ‘tick’

Self-confidence – but also self-questioning

Passion, energy, tenacity and integrity

‘Diagonal Thinkers’

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‘Diagonal Thinking’

http://www.diagonalthinking.co.uk/

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‘Diagonal Thinkers’

People who are both linear and lateral thinkers

People who often have a combination of arts and

sciences in their academic background

People combine practical and emotional intelligence

People who think creatively, but commercially

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‘Diagonal Thinking’

LinearThinking

LateralThinking

DiagonalThinking

Artists

Adlanders

Scientists

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‘Diagonal Thinking’ spectrum

Creative

Planners

LinearThinking

LateralThinking

DiagonalThinking

AdlandersClient service

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5. What’s in it for you?

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A great career…

Meritocratic - quick promotion for those who shine

Tremendous variety for all – great job satisfaction

Close community – especially in London

Fun people to work with and a visible end product

Increasingly professional in approach

Opportunities to move around within the industry

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…in an industry with clout

Major factor in competitiveness of UK economy:

A leader in the creative industries

Undermines monopolies and oligopolies

Spurs innovation and new market entrants

Rewards delivery of good value to customers

Key contributor to creating shareholder value through

building intangible brand assets

International reputation for excellence

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A great career springboard

You acquire some of the most sought-after

transferable skills in marketing & communications

You network with agencies, clients, suppliers,

media owners and consultants, which provides a

plethora of future opportunities

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A great career springboard cont.

And you will be supported by a full post-graduate

training & development programme

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Experiential learning on residential courses

Exam-based, key stage professional qualifications

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Suggested reading

Ogilvy on Advertising – David Ogilvy

Truth Lies and Advertising – Jon Steel

How to get into Advertising – Andrea Neidle

Powers of Persuasion – Winston Fletcher

Excellence in Advertising – Leslie Butterfield

Behind the Scenes in Advertising – Jeremy Bullmore

Brand Immortality – Hamish Pringle, Peter Field

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6. Next step?

Click on to the IPA website for advice on work

experience, work placements and job opportunities:

www.ipa.co.uk

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Q&A

ends