Advertising - Top Tips

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.

The inside scoop on getting into Advertising

Top Tips for Graduate Jobs in Advertising video.

I think competition is incredibly fierce getting in to advertising and you need to make sure your application stands out from the pack and that is by absolutely ensuring that firstly you have done your homework before you start filling in your application form but make sure that what you put in there has strong, interesting, relevant and original thinking and also make sure that similarly, you include any kind of different, relevant and interesting experiences you have had.  Diversity is incredibly important in a creative environment so people that bring something unique and different to the party really do stand out.

It is interesting, if you do a very wacky application form you may well get an interview, but you are not necessarily going to get the job. 

I think the most important thing is striking a balance between being wacky for the sake of it and trying to make people believe that you are just absolutely crazy and you are so individual and unique and idiosyncratic that you just have to be employed.  It is a balance between that and nonetheless showing a streak of imagination and originality.

I would also say that getting into advertising can be a lottery because the competition is so fierce, so do apply to every agency that you possibly can, if you are lucky enough that you then find you have a number of job offers that is the point at which you can decide which is really the best for you.

My main tip would be watch advertising voraciously and look at advertising voraciously and have a point of view on it think about why you think it works or doesn’t, think about who it is aimed at or what you think you would do differently and just make sure you are absolutely passionate advertising because it will become your life and we often see people who can talk about advertising but don’t display any real passion for it and that is what we are looking for.

Every Thursday, Campaign is the one you should be reading, there is Archive, Creative Review, those are the favourites.  The ones for creatives, that is more about industry, that is the one to read if you are a young creative and you are looking for where to go for a job because you can find out what sort of start up companies have just won a one or two million pound thing and you can think they will be needing some teams so you look through and give them a call or you see some work you like and you look at the creative that did it and give them a call, say I like your work and can I show you my book.

I think it is very difficult to stand out if I am honest, and in the end you have to be yourself.  One thing I have to say is you will not get a job in advertising if it isn’t meant to be, I know that sounds like a chicken and egg argument.  But if you think you have to be somebody different from who you are to get the job then you really are barking up the wrong tree.  If you really think advertising is for you and you have really got what it takes then I think it really will shine through, because you will answer the questions in an interesting way and you will just be yourself.

Check out our job board for Graduate Jobs in Advertising