Managing Partner - Paul Gardener
Advertising is pretty easy to grasp in some ways as we’ve all grown-up consuming it. You get advertising on TV, in press, on posters, online, through your door, projected onto the houses of parliament, in the cinema and just about anywhere where people spend time.
What a lot of insiders seemed to love about the industry is that you get to combine creativity with business. So you could quite happily find yourself sat down looking at casting shots with a film director in the morning and discussing your client’s business strategy in the afternoon.
It’s a young industry with most people in their twenties or early thirties and this makes for a very fun working environment but the work is tough. Delivering large advertising campaigns is a painstaking process and as a service provider you are at your client’s mercy, so expect some long hours and weekend work. As most agencies are small businesses though (compared to their clients), they tend to be good at compensating hard work with days off.
Those looking for a career in advertising will probably want to consider the type of agency they’re interested in as they often cover different media. For example some agencies specialise in large brand campaigns which involve TV, Posters and mass media whilst others specialise in more one to one communications like direct mail. There are also digital advertising agencies and those that specialise in recruitment advertising.
Pay in advertising and the media in general is notoriously poor compared to some of the other professions such as banking, law and management consultancy. However it struck us that few people seemed to love their jobs as much as those in advertising. There aren’t many careers where a week on set with Marlene Class and Antonio Banderas is just part of the job.
At the large advertising agencies expect a starting salary of around £20-22,000. After 4 years you’ll be on about £40,000 and after 7 probably around £60,000. The senior management grade will be on approx £120,000 with the top CEOs up to £250,000. There are very few people in advertising that will earn in excess of £250,000 but one of the beauties of the industry is the ease with which you can set-up your own agency. The barrier to entry is low (all you need is a desk and computer) and it’s building (and exiting) from your own agency where the big money is found in this industry.