One of the most enticing aspects of advertising can be how versatile it is. If you consider yourself a creative person, you can be at the forefront of crafting up the artistic details of advertisements. If you are good behind the camera, you can be involved in commercial production. If you aren’t so creative but love to work with people, you can work hand in hand with brands to make sure they are satisfied. There is literally every position available under the large umbrella that is known as advertising. To venture even further into it, you can also apply advertising to almost any industry. Every industry utilizes this practice and you have the choice to work at an agency, or completely deviate from that path and work within specific industries that interest you. You can focus on beauty, fashion, technology, or any other industry you have a special liking for.
If you’re newer here, you may be wondering, which one of these options is for me? It can be super overwhelming just starting out, and it’s completely okay not to know. There are so many options that it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find your niche sooner or later, you just have to know where to begin. That’s where this blog post comes in. I’m going to be breaking down what we in Ad Society call crafts, so you can see where your interest lies and take the steps to explore them more. Here are some of the crafts in the advertising field:
Account Manager:
This position is perfect for those who are people-oriented. This position builds relationships with the client and is essentially the liaison between the internal team and the client. It also includes delivering creative work that meets the clients’ requirements and analyzing customer activity. If you have great communication skills, problem–solving skills, and leadership skills, this may be the job for you.
Art/Creative Director:
There are many roles that fall beneath the creative umbrella. Creative directors oversee all creative aspects of the campaign and work with marketing and salespeople to create the creative concept. They oversee teams of art directors, designers, and copywriters. Art directors work underneath the guidance of creative directors and focus specifically on the visual and artistic aspects of a campaign. Graphic design is also a component of the creative realm. These designers help bring the art director’s vision to reality.
Copywriter:
Copywriting falls under creative as well but focuses on the writing aspect of advertising. Copywriters help develop concepts for campaigns and write compelling texts to help match marketing objectives and effectively sell the product. This is a great craft if you enjoy writing and are good at conceptualizing ideas.
Media Planner:
Media planning perfect for anyone with an analytical mindset and/or a person good with numbers. This role involves making sure advertising campaigns are placed in the media that will best reach the intended audience. They also negotiate pricing with media outlets such as magazines, tv, radio, etc.
Strategist:
A brand strategist analyzes market trends and data and comes up with solutions for marketing plans. They essentially make sure that the correct message will be conveyed to the intended audience. A strategist should be analytical, creative, work well with teams, be a leader, and be aware of market trends. It is a great way to combine both creative and analytical skills.
Producer:
A producer’s role works hands-on with developing commercials and other media for campaigns. If you find yourself drawn to working behind a camera, this is the role for you. Your responsibilities include developing visual content and editing.
Social Media Manager:
This position focuses on managing all things social media in relation to a brand. Social media managers are responsible for managing social media posts across different platforms and managing advertising campaigns over social media. They are also responsible for building a successful following. This position is great for someone who is very tech-savvy and has a good sense of following current trends.
Believe it or not, these aren’t even all of the available roles in the advertising field. There are many more including but not limited to web designers, web developers, app developers, digital strategists, and digital illustrators. I hope this blog post helped you discover your personal craft, or even just learn more about all of the different positions that work together in this field.