For every store window you browse, Web site banner you click on, or TV commercial you watch, there’s someone behind the scenes who’s manipulated these media in an attempt to win your business.
Those people work in advertising and marketing, a pair of closely related professions that blend business and creativity. Some jobs, such as brand manager and product manager, are more business-oriented than ones like copywriter and art director, which are more creative. These positions can be found at agencies that provide marketing and advertising services to multiple businesses or at a company that has its own department dedicated to this area.
A common entry point on the business side of the industry is a job as an account coordinator or assistant account executive. This managerial position involves overseeing a team of workers charged with coming up with ideas for clients’ ad campaigns. Should an ad be funny or serious? Should it have music? What age group should it target? In this role, you may work with art, TV and Web directors as they create the ads your team has dreamed up. You may also be tasked with researching competitors and making sure the legal department has all the information it needs to ensure your product will pass muster with publications and networks.
Continues at: Guide to Marketing/Advertising Careers – WSJ.com.
