Advertising

Advertising involves producing information designed to persuade people to buy products or services. Advertisers work with their clients to formulate a brief and then plan, design and produce an effective advertising campaign. They ensure the campaign achieves maximum impact by planning the timing, placement and targeting of the campaign's delivery to its chosen media. Advertisers use a range of innovative techniques to engage and inspire customers.

The majority of positions within advertising are in London but there are also openings in other major cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. There are many different types of agencies, the main ones being: creative, media, digital, search and integrated.

Explore job roles

Roles within advertising range from the creative, such as copywriting and art direction to the administrative, such as account planning and account management. Most positions are open to graduates with degrees in any subject but competition for places is intense and you will need to demonstrate that you understand what the different roles involve.

Use the job profiles below to find out about, skills, entry routes and experience

Building skills and experience

It’s important if you are interested in the creative roles that you begin to build up an online portfolio of your work, through volunteering or creating your own blog or website. Do some research into online portfolio platforms to see what would suit you best, and don’t forget to promote your work through your mainstream social media accounts to generate interest.

Use the job profiles above to check which skills are normally needed for the roles you are interested in.

  • Try to get as much relevant work experience as you can. Look for work experience placements and opportunities on the IPA website.
  • Work shadowing (or a short meeting with a practitioner) Will help you to gain more insight.
  • Use the IPA agencies list to obtain contact details for speculative applications.
  • Develop your commercial awareness. Research agency types and their client lists. Look at recent campaigns and demonstrate that you can critically analyse the message, the target audience and the placing policy.
  • Start networking to build contacts. Attend events, read and comment on advertising blogs, follow advertising professionals on Twitter and join a professional body.

Finding and applying for jobs

A number of the larger advertising agencies offer graduate training programmes, often with closing dates in October and November. Entry points onto these programmes are normally for account executive and account planner positions.

Smaller agencies often don't advertise so your best tactic is to apply speculatively. When you use this approach, you often need to be flexible about the entry position you are willing to accept. Many graduates with successful careers in advertising begin in as administrative role and work their way up within a company.

Find vacancies

Further resources

  • Advertising Association Represents the interests of advertising and marketing professionals.
  • Account Planning Group Website for account planners, including downloadable guide 'What is Planning?'
  • Campaign Weekly magazine of industry news and jobs.
  • Adforum An international advertising community, useful for finding agencies worldwide.

Next steps

When planning your next steps you may have additional questions or want to explore certain aspects in more detail: