The advertising, marketing and public relations (PR) industry involves market research, product/brand development, promotion, media relations, reputation management, public affairs, direct marketing, and sponsorship.
Advertising is a creative and fast-paced industry that uses paid-for space in various media outlets to motivate people to buy products and services or change their attitudes.
Marketing is broadly concerned with promoting and selling products and services as well as changing people’s attitudes. Direct marketing is a sub-discipline of marketing which aims to establish a personalised relationship with consumers via direct mail, telemarketing or personalised e-marketing.
PR involves the management of reputation, with the objective of earning understanding and support, as well as influencing opinion and behaviour. The work often includes generating third-party endorsement of opinion formers such as politicians and celebrities.
In all three industries, graduates need to be excellent communicators, with strong organisational skills and a creative flair.
Currently, the industry is recording budget cuts at a slower rate than in 2008 and showing possible early signs of recovery from the recession with over 30% of marketing companies - including advertising and PR - reporting improved financial performance in the second quarter of 2009 (Q2 2009 Bellwether Report, 2009).
What kind of work can I do?
Advertising
Professionals are often employed in agencies. These agencies can either be specialist (e.g. media buying or digital/online) or full-service agencies. The industry trend is towards full-service agencies which bring specialists from different disciplines (e.g. advertising, digital, design, branding, direct marketing and PR) together. The work often includes:
- creating and managing integrated advertising campaigns;
- client and supplier liaison;
- planning, research and evaluation;
- new business development.
Marketing
Many roles are ‘in-house’ and will, therefore, exclusively deal with one organisation’s marketing - usually incorporating advertising and sometimes PR. The work includes:
- planning;
- promotion;
- media relations;
- product development;
- sponsorship;
- market research.
PR
Opportunities exist ‘in-house’ or in consultancies/agencies. Some consultancies specialise in one sector (e.g. healthcare, IT, consumer). Work activities include:
- interacting with the media;
- writing and editing;
- planning, research and evaluation;
- event management.
Public affairs and lobbying is also within the PR sector, and involves persuading policy makers and/or conveying particular viewpoints to influential people such as MPs.
What’s it like working in this industry?
- This sector is fast, exciting, innovative, highly creative and varied but can be stressful when having to meet tight deadlines under pressure.
- Salaries vary considerably, depending on the specialism, level of experience and geographical location.
- For junior roles, salaries tend to be higher in the professional services, financial sector and business sector compared with those in the not-for-profit/public sector or small, independent companies.
- Senior positions within agencies can command a high salary.
- Working hours can be long and irregular, with some in-house PR roles attracting an ‘out-of-hours’ supplement.
- Networking and socialising with clients in order to build and maintain relationships is important in agency roles.
- It is estimated that the gender split in advertising agencies is 51.9% male and 48.1% female employees. However, at senior management level (chair, managing director, CEO), this shifts to 83.8% male and 16.2% female employees (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) , 2008).
- Generally, more women are employed within marketing and PR than men, but there are fewer women in senior management roles. However, this is changing.
- Advertising is a young industry, with nearly half of employees aged under 30 (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), 2008).
- In advertising, the workforce is predominantly white (91.6%). This is an issue the IPA is trying to address and is slowly making progress on (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), 2008).
Where can I work?
- Many large advertising, direct marketing and full-service agencies and PR consultancies are based in and around Rotterdam, as are many in-house marketing and PR roles.
- Few opportunities exist in rural areas.
- Large agencies and PR consultancies are increasingly international in scope. Many are part of a larger media and communications group whose parent company may be based in another country. This can provide opportunities abroad.
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http://www.prospects.ac.uk/industries_advertising_overview.htm
