Advertising by Zack Little

Advertising

If you have been watching any television in the last couple of years, you might have stumbled across a program by the name of Mad Men. Set in the 1960's at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency, it follows the story of Don Draper, a creative director. But what does Don Draper do while at work? If the show is any indicator, he's simply there to consume as much scotch and as many cigarette's as he can fit into a workday. Oh an occasionally he finds time to pitch a good advertisement to a big client in order to save the day. It all sounds like a cool job if you ask me. But is this the real world of advertising? Let's take a look at what advertising has to offer to the world and you.

It's important to get an understanding of what advertising is exactly. If you are a fan of the band Tool, then all you read and wear or see and hear on TV is a product begging for your fat-ass dirty dollar. However, this sounds like a harsh denouncement of advertising. In truth advertising is best described as the way businesses create awareness about the products and services they provide. Businesses need customers and one of the best ways to introduce people to your product is to tell people about it. In this day and age, there is a multitude of ways that companies are reaching out.

By far the most widely advertising medium is television. The Superbowl is a well known event, not only for the game but for the advertising as well. The 2010 Superbowl was the most watched television event in US history; with around 106 million people tuning in. (Bauder, 1) That’s 106 million people seeing what your company has to offer and we all know about awesome ads that show during the game. According to CBSNews, the average cost for a 30 second clip is 2 to 3 million dollars. If your company has the money, the network will tell you how to spend it.

Television isn't the only way that companies chose to get the message out. The other classic mediums are still radio and print. However, advertisements in these forms are slowly losing ground to online advertising. Because honestly, how often do you actually listen to the radio? Maybe sometimes when you are in your car; but if you are like me you don't own a car, and when you do drive, an i-pod provides commercial free entertainment. While this doesn't mean that radio advertising is totally dead, it does indicate a shift from the old standards. Simply put, radio advertising no longer provides the most bang for your buck. Print media and online ads are where companies are making most of their money.

Print media has long been an effective way to advertise a product. Like the internet, it offers several venues for approaching new as well as old customers. Even radio stations have found they need to turn to print advertising to get people to listen. It is not uncommon to see a billboard advertising a radio station while driving down the freeway. Sirius and XM, two satellite radio stations, have turned to ads in Maxim and FHM magazines to expand their audience. Print offers the ability to combine picture with words to entice people to use a product. There's the old saying is a picture is worth a thousand words, and print media takes full advantage of that. With a wide distribution base and a relatively low cost, newspapers and magazines continue to an effective way from some businesses to reach out to consumers.

By the 21st Century, the internet has emerged as the universal center of advertising. With a low production cost, a person can advertise virtually anything on the web. If you have been reading the news, you may have seen a few stories of people jokingly trying to sell their kids on craigslist and getting in trouble. The internet has changed the way some people are selling their products, whatever they may be. Newspapers used to be the chief means for reaching people, but as of 2009, around 42% of the U.S. gets it's news from the internet as opposed to 33% coming from newspapers. (Varion, 6) The field is rapidly changing, and those with hands on experience with the internet are valuable.

So what would a job in advertising actually be like? Is it worth the effort to pursue a job telling people what to buy? All of this depends on what type of job you get within the advertising field. Marketing, promotions and public relations are all interconnected with the field of advertising. In small companies one person may be responsible for all of these jobs, while larger ones may have a department employed specifically for that job. Whether large or small though, the most vital part of advertising is that someone wants the world at large to acknowledge their product or service. If you work at an ad agency, then you will most likely be approached by another company looking for ways to promote themselves. This interaction will most likely be handled by an account manager.

To visualize this, imagine what Don Draper from Mad Men does, when he is actually working. The account manager is the liaison between the client and the company, taking note of what they desire and then funneling that to the ad agency. An account manager works directly with the departments in the agency to coordinate exactly what, how and at what cost a message gets sent to the public. He is on the ground level working with the creative department, the place where all the real work gets done.

Creative Departments are responsible for the look and feel of the advertising campaign. From the words to the pictures to the entire layout, these are the creative minds responsible. This is most creative part of advertising, brainstorming fresh and innovative ways to reach people and putting their artistic skills to use. If you are creative and have an eye for aesthetics, this a place to show off your skills.

Once an ad is completed, it has to be put onto the market for people to view. Media space has to be purchased, and the ad delivered accordingly to make sure the message is received by the widest audience. This group spends the most time polishing their interpersonal skills as they communicate with outside groups such as magazine and television companies. Communication is key to making sure that there is a place for the ad to be viewed. In addition, most companies are looking to utilize technology. The internet is a great way to advertise cheaply and companies are jumping to take advantage of that. The ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi ran a contest offering an unpaid internship to the person who could create the largest Facebook group in a month. Whether it is creating blogs for the company or simply updating a Facebook page, there is a large market for technology based skills.

If advertising is a field that you want to get into, there is some good and bad news for you. The good news is that advertising and marketing had around 623,800 jobs in 2008 and a speculated growth of 13% by 2018. (Labor, 4) The job market for advertising does not seem to be affected as much by the recession, and the pay is good. According to a survey by the National Association o Colleges and Employers, starting salaries for marketing majors who graduated in 2009 averaged $43,325. (Labor, 4) The bad news is that those aforementioned factors result in a highly competitive field. Just like any job, you have to market yourself greatly to insure that you will be seen. In addition, you may need to be more appealing than an English major with a sharp eye for color and design. The job market is looking for bachelor's and masters in business administration, and an emphasis on marketing are an added plus. But business? I became an English major so I wouldn't have to deal with this kind of nonsense. Some of the field requires a keen mind for business but as an English major, we have some of the skill sets required to succeed in this field.

Writing is always going to be a valuable skill no matter what field you choose. Writing a slogan or creating a jingle for a product could be right up our alley and while a picture may be worth a thousand words, the right phrase or sentence can make all of the difference. The Wieden and Kennedy advertising agency worked with Nike to create the now iconic slogan, Just Do It. “With its “Just

Do It” campaign and strong product, Nike was able to increase its share of the domestic sport-shoe business from 18 percent to 43 percent, from $877 million in worldwide sales to $9.2 billion in the ten years between 1988 and 1998.” (Mini, 5) With three little words, Nike insured its place in the market. This collaboration highlights the group work that is central to working in advertising. Even if you're doing an ad for a small company you own, you have to be comfortable working in a group on a project. Advertising requires a great deal of interaction with people. Communication is key to being in advertising. You have to understand what others want from you and how to best communicate what you need from others. From the ground level to the upper management jobs in advertising, persuasive communication, orally and in writing is absolutely vital as well as the ability to work with deadlines.

Even though the job market is competitive, there are still opportunities if advertising is a job you want. Radio stations are often responsible for creating ads themselves. Contacting them and offering to do that for them is an easy way to get the ball rolling. If you know someone with a company or who is trying to start a company, volunteering or freelancing for them is an excellent way to generate work and publicity. If you are dead set on working for an ad agency, interning is always an option and probably one of the better ones. As an intern, you only have to be motivated and interested in the work being done. No one is going to trust you to do major work so you will be relegated to menial tasks anyone could do. But having your foot in the door is a perfect way to work towards the job you want.

The most important thing about getting a job in this field is that you have to want it. As majors in English, we are at a disadvantage simply because we are not business majors. This doesn’t mean that we can’t do the job; it means that we are going to have a hard time showing that we can. Experience is the most important factor in this job field and if you find ways to demonstrate your knowledge, you will do fine. So go out, market yourself and hopefully you will create jingle the whole.