FAQs: graduate careers in advertising

What is advertising?

In a nutshell, advertising is about promoting and publicising products or services in order to boost sales or awareness. The roles within advertising are numerous, but the main job roles in advertising are:

• advertising creative (art director or copy-writer)
• account executive or manager
• media planner or buyer
• account planner.

The work in these roles varies widely and each area will require different skills. For example, an advertising copy-writer will need creative writing skills while a media planner or buyer will need research and negotiation skills – so investigate each job role carefully and don’t assume that all jobs in advertising are equal; you may be more suited to one type of work than to another. To find out more about these roles, have a look at our job descriptions. Advertising is a young industry: 48 per cent of all staff are under the age of 30, and a whopping 81 per cent are under 40, according to research from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). The same survey found that women make up nearly 50 per cent of the industry – though only 32 per cent of board directors and 14 per cent of chairmen, CEOs and managing directors. The advertising industry is booming and in 2004 boasted a turnover of £18.3 billion.* It has a reputation for being creative, cutting-edge and dynamic. Yet it is also business-focused and commercial, often having to justify advertising spend in terms of the returns it generates for clients. And it can also be a high-pressure sector to work in – after all, you’re only as good as your last ad! * IPA figures

Where could I work?

If you want to get into advertising, the UK is one of the best places to do it. London is well-known as one of the two world centres of creative advertising – the other is New York. What’s more, two-thirds of international agencies have their European headquarters in London, according to IPA. But there are also opportunities in advertising outside the capital. Most people working in advertising are employed by creative or full-service agencies, which act for clients to develop campaigns and place them in the media. However, you could also work for a media independent (specialising in media planning) or for a direct mail/marketing agency. 

How competitive is it, and how can I get in?

In some ways, the advertising industry is like a small child with a very loud voice. As you might expect, the industry advertises itself extremely well and is an attractive career destination for many graduates, with a reputation for being glamorous, creative and exciting. Yet it’s smaller than you might imagine from the big noise it makes, which makes it a competitive area to get into. A recent survey by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) found that their agencies had only 15,190 employees in 2004. So how can you get in? Be prepared to work hard. Work experience is invaluable, but you may need to volunteer your services in order to get it! Tom Evans, creative director at Mook, gave us some top tips on getting into advertising:

1. Do a work placement (that’s the big one).

2. Make the most of it.

3. Make some friends.

But you won’t be making friends just to socialise with (although that’s always nice), but to form a network of contacts. As with any competitive industry, it’s important to get your name known. And as positions are often filled without being advertised, you can imagine how important it is to hear about vacancies by word of mouth, or to be recommended by somebody for a position. We asked George Barker-Wyatt, graduate designer at ThirtyThree Ltd, what the best thing is about his career in advertising. He said, ‘The realisation, after months of self-initiated briefs working for free and letters of declined applications, that it was all worth it… and now the hard work can really begin!’ But if you want to work in this creative and exciting industry, then the hard work is often a reward in itself – as well as the glamour, the potential for financial rewards, and the chance to work in a young and exciting industry. 

Further information on graduate careers in advertising

There are a few ways to get ahead with a career in advertising, whether you're still studying or have already graduated. Commercial awareness is something that's sought after in many industries, but as the advertising world so closely linked to commerce it's vital. As work experience is so invaluable within the sector, it's worth getting started early. Have a look at our advice on work experience, internships and placements for tips on how to get a placement. The IPA's list of member agencies might be a good place to start looking for contacts. 

Graduate job descriptions in the advertising sector

We also have the following job descriptions online for positions in the advertising sector, to help you get more of an idea about what the jobs involve:

media planner

media buyer

account executive

advertising account planner

advertising copy-writer