If random ideas and lateral thinking are your strong points, a career in advertising could be your forte. The field of advertising requires skill, creativity, out of the box thinking and the eagerness to do something different. There are many aspects of a job in advertising and in this write-up; we look to cover a few. There are various sub-streams in advertising and depending on what your qualification or skills are, you can pick one. In today’s competitive world, the demand for a career in advertising is growing by the day. Companies across sectors and even individuals require advertising to promote their products, services and themselves.

Advertising is a sub-set of marketing; however, it is different from marketing in some ways. Advertising encompasses communication with the prospective consumers in a way that they become convinced about it and are eager to consume it. This is the basic aspect but what makes advertising so interesting is the way in which this communication is done. An advertising job requires and allows for creative ideas to the maximum. There are no don’ts. As long as the idea can strike a chord with the consumer, it will be a hit. In fact, most people who have had successful careers in advertising have been associated with unique, creative, one of its kind advertising campaigns. The idea may look weird prima facie but it may work wonders for the brand. Building brand perception is also important in advertising so the standard of advertising can make or mar any brand.

In India, in the recent times, advertising jobs have become quite popular. Young blood with young energy that is oozing with a desire to do something different is thronging the world of advertising today. Not just in India, but there are many career options in advertising globally too. If you think you have the knack to be able to communicate an idea in a way that can convince the consumer, you can safely look at advertising as a career option.

As aforementioned, there are various areas of work in the field of advertising. These are client servicing, creative department, media department, production, television and film, photography, market research, exhibition and event management & promotion and direct marketing. All these departments hold different responsibilities covering all aspects of a career in advertising. A successful professional in advertising would generally have gained some experience in all the departments at some time or the other even if he/she specializes in just one or two. It is important to have an overall exposure and get a correct understanding of the field that you are in.

When you decide to join an advertising job, the first thing that you would have to make your peace with is rejections. For any hit idea that goes on to become a success story, there are many rejected and failed ideas that never even see the light of the day. So, you have to understand that not everything that you think or come up with will be accepted by your seniors. So, don’t be disheartened. In the beginning you may have to face many rejections, so just wear thick skin and don’t let this thing bog you down from coming up with some other rocking idea.

Also, sometimes random, unexpected and last-minute changes are done on the basis of the requirements of the client or some research. Clients who pay the agencies for designing campaigns have very specific briefs and it is according to those briefs only that one has to work and make iterations in the work. So, it is not uncommon or unusual for small or even big advertising agencies to make multiple changes in their campaigns and ads before the final approval. Everyone has to be open to it.

An advertising job is not a typical 9-5 job. In advertising, there are bound to be late sittings and non-regular work hours. Be prepared for it. There is a lot of hard work that goes behind making an ad that one sees on TV or in a newspaper. So, if you are the type who wants a regular kind of life with enough free time to spend and everything planned beforehand, the world of advertising is not for you.

Advertising looks like a very glamorous world from outside and people have this myth that there is a lot of money in it right from the beginning but that is not true. An advertising job can be low-paying and very taxing in the beginning years. However, you don’t have to rely on linear promotions to make it big here. It is purely dependent on your skill and creativity and how you want to take your career forward. An advertising job allows growth and freedom like no other job.

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