This list will give you an idea of the jobs available. You will be able to add to the list as you investigate all the possibilities.
Advertising Agencies
There are more than 21,000 advertising establishments in the United States, employing more than 268,000 workers. About six out of ten write copy and prepare artwork, graphics, and other creative work and then place the resulting ads in periodicals, newspapers, radio, television, or other advertising media. Within the industry, only these full-service establishments are known as advertising agencies. Many of the largest agencies are international, with a substantial proportion of their revenue coming from abroad.
About three out of ten advertising firms specialize in a particular market niche. Some companies produce and solicit outdoor advertising, such as billboards and electric displays. Buses, subways, taxis, airports, and bus terminals also frequently carry ads. A small number of firms produce aerial advertising, while others distribute circulars, handbills, and free samples.
Groups within agencies have been created to serve their clients' electronic advertising needs on the Internet. The Internet is a medium that fosters rapid growth of advertising and commercial activities. Advertisements often link users from one website to the company's or products website where information such as new product announcements, contests, and product catalogs appear.
Some firms are not involved in the creation of ads at all; instead, they sell advertising time or space on radio and television stations or in publications. Because these firms do not produce advertising, their staffs are mostly sales workers.
In an effort to attract and maintain clients, advertising agencies are diversifying their services, offering advertising as well as sales, marketing, public relations, and interactive media services.
Advertising firms have found that highly creative work is particularly suitable for outsourcing, resulting in a better product and increasing the firm's profitability.
Although advertising firms are located throughout the country, they are concentrated in the largest cities: New York with the most firms, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Other top cities are Detroit, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Boston, and Dallas. Firms vary in size, ranging from one-person shops to international agencies employing thousands of workers.
About four of five advertising firms employ fewer than ten employees. The small size of the average advertising firm demonstrates the opportunities for self-employment. It is relatively easy to open a small ad agency; in fact, many successful agencies began as one- or two-person operations. Approximately 15 percent of all advertising workers are self-employed, compared to 9 percent of workers in all industries combined.
Marketing Firms/Departments
Marketers and advertising professionals work hand in hand, and thus many marketing departments are located within corporate advertising departments or within private advertising agencies. Private marketing firms function similarly to advertising agencies and work toward the same goals: identifying and targeting specific audiences that will be receptive to specific products, services, or ideas.
Corporate Advertising Departments
While many companies use the services of outside advertising agencies and marketing firms, just as many, especially the very large ones, operate their own in-house departments. Here, workers create and develop the company's advertising and sales promotion material. For example, a large department store, such as Macy s or Bloomingdale's, will have its professional staff create catalogs, brochures, newspaper inserts, flyers, as well as place the regular flow of daily newspaper ads.
Developing this material, especially glossy catalogs, is a big endeavor, requiring the skills of a variety of people. Copywriters, art directors, pho-tographers, layout artists, and modeling agencies and models all play a part.
Corporations that use the services of an outside agency might also maintain their own advertising department to function as a liaison between the agency and the company. Here the responsibilities include ensuring that the advertising being produced meets the company's objectives and is placed in the appropriate media outlets.
Self-Employed/Freelancers
Freelancers offer their services to advertising agencies and corporations. They are usually looked to when staffing is not sufficient to handle a new client or there is a sudden overload of work. Freelancers also have successful working relationships with small businesses that don't have the desire or budget to work with a large, expensive agency.
Freelancers can pick and choose their projects, although starting out that way is usually not an option. Once established, though, a freelancer who finds himself with enough clients can open his own office. As the client load increases, so does the need to have help, and this is how many small agencies get their start-an enterprising freelancer builds up enough business to take on employees.
Freelance publicists work with people who, simply put, need publicity. Here are some examples. An author with a self-published book he needs to promote wants to get booked on radio or television talk shows or at bookstores for booksignings. A former politician wants to get on the university campus speaker circuit. An independent film company with a small-time budget wants a chance at big-time distribution.