Advertising

Careers in Marketing - Advertising

An advertising agency is a professional service firm hired by other businesses, corporations, non-profits, and government agencies to create, plan, and produce advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing activities to sell products or services and meet business objectives for its clients.

Advertising does not work alone. Advertising professionals use IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication) methods to strategically coordinate and integrate brand messages across all points of contact with consumers. This integrated approach assures that the advertised message from clients reaches and connects with the right consumer at the right time and place. Advertising agencies, therefore, employ a range of specialists who assist with planning, creating, and executing IMC campaigns. These roles include strategic brand management and planning, consumer insights and market research, media strategy, buying and planning, customer data management, digital activities, and client relationship management.

  • Account Director

    An Account Director leads the design and oversees the primary initiatives for the brand and products, helping to position the brand for success. They build business plans and client relationships and lead a variety of work streams within the digital and advertising campaign ecosystem, including marketing, creative, and production. Account Directors support the planning, executing, and reporting of multi-channel integrated marketing campaigns. They are part of the agency’s larger leadership team and work closely with the executive team and other department heads. They collaborate with the internal teams, client stakeholders, and other marketing agencies and lead their agency’s Account Supervisors, Account Executives, and Account Coordinators. (BA/BS, MBA/MS, 8+ yrs. Exp.)

    Account Supervisors

    Account Supervisors take a leadership role and are responsible for the growth and profitability of client accounts and the development of the account team members (Account Coordinators and Executives). They demonstrate market insights, lead and contribute to developing strategic marketing plans for their clients, manage their internal/external workflow, and are responsible for the creative brief. They work with other departments to allocate resources and maintain relationships by participating in strategic conversations with senior-level clients and agencies. Account Supervisors work closely with external client partners, including the media agency, to activate holistic marketing plans. (BA/BS, MBA/MS, 6+ yrs. Exp.)

    Account Managers

    Account Managers work to maintain and build relationships with new and existing clients. They are responsible for managing and reviewing the progress of client projects, arranging meetings with clients to understand their needs, goals, and preferences, coordinating ad campaigns, communicating clearly with various teams involved, and overseeing creative aspects and production. (BA/BS, 4+ yrs. Exp.)

    Note: In advertising agencies, Account Supervisors and Account Managers foster direct relationships between the client and the agency. They oversee a range of integrated agency partnerships, set strategic directions, and coordinate the accounts across departments/teams within the agency.

    Account Executive

    An Account Executive coordinates with all internal agency departments and is the first point of contact with the client. They help manage the creative brief process, production budgets, scheduling of jobs, and the day-to-day management of accounts, creative teams, and agency partners. Account Executives are responsible for managing the overall budgets, and work alongside planning, creative, production, and finance teams. They report to the Account Manager, Supervisor, or Director. (BA/BS, 2 yrs. Exp.)

    Assistant Account Executive

    An Assistant Account Executive is responsible for competitive brand analyses, meeting reports, budgets, timelines, and advertising copy clearance. They set priorities, support account teams, organize work-streams, and maintain or review weekly and monthly project status reports. Their responsibilities include supporting and assisting with various production elements, developing client relationships, and handling billing and payments. (BA/BS, internship, 0-2 yrs. Exp.)

    Account Coordinator

    An Account Coordinator assists with client reports and agency documentation under the guidance of an Account Executive. They assist senior staff in executing internal agency projects and developing client-facing relationships. They coordinate the daily activities of accounts to ensure that the work is completed on time and within budget. (AA or BA/BS, entry-level)

  • Strategic Account Planner or Strat

    Strategic Account Planners plan and execute market research to understand consumer behavior and culture, and build an effective strategy that drives consumer action and awareness of the client’s products and services. They help the creative team understand how consumers think and act and what motivates them. They also study cultural and behavioral trends, analyze data to develop consumer insights, and devise overall market targeting recommendations. (BA/BS, MBA/MS, 3 yrs. Exp.)

  • Project Manager

    A Project Manager oversees several accounts and works with the Creative and Account Management teams to ensure the smooth development of creative ideas from concept through finished production. They are responsible for breaking down the project into smaller tasks, defining roles, overseeing project budgets and timelines, managing risks, and ensuring consistency with the project scope. (BA/BS, 3+ yrs. Exp.)

    Associate/Assistant Project Manager

    An Associate Project Manager develops and maintains weekly/ monthly reports and dashboards. They support the Project Manager and work alongside other departments—creative, strategy, and account leads—to create and manage schedules and deadlines of multiple projects. (BA/BS, entry-level)

Media agencies determine when, where, and how to reach/intersect audiences for a brand’s message (e.g., TV, print, out-of-home, and social media). Media Agencies consist of strategists, planners, buyers, and data analysts. Media planners develop the strategy using the most effective mix of media channels to reach the target audience efficiently, and once the plan is approved, turn it over to the media buying team. The media buying team negotiates the best placements and costs with media/entertainment companies (e.g., ViacomCBS, Comcast, and Meta, which sell ad space within their programs or properties). These activities are supported by data regarding campaign insights, pacing, and achieving goals. Media agencies often work directly with advertising agencies to develop integrated solutions for shared clients.

  • Media Director

    A Media Director oversees the media strategy, reporting, analysis, relationship management, team management, and agency stewardship. They lead teams, develop resources, and devise strategies for planning, buying, and budgeting media plans that deliver business profitability and ensure positive key funnel metrics, outcomes, and client satisfaction. A Media Director has a deep knowledge of Linear and Digital media channels. They will design and implement best practices, innovations, creative problem-solving, data-led insights, and strategic thinking while maximizing the agency toolkit. Media Directors often oversee multiple planning teams and contribute to new business efforts by monitoring the latest trends and business practices and applying them across their purview. They are part of the agency’s larger leadership team and work closely with the executive team and other department heads. (BA/BS, MBA/MS, 10+ yrs. Exp.)

    Media Planning Supervisor

    A Media Planning Supervisor manages workflows and oversees media associates. They lead strategic initiatives by creating insightful and data-driven media plans within the budget, and collaborating with clients and internal/external stakeholders while stewarding approved media plans through to completion. Media Planning Supervisors seek new initiatives and media opportunities for the brand and ensure that the overall compliance objectives are met and effectively communicated amongst various teams. They work closely with external client partners and the ad agency’s account team to present and activate holistic marketing plans and lead the reporting process during the campaign. (BA/BS, 5+ yrs. Exp.)

    Media Planner

    A Media Planner handles the media plan’s day-to-day operations, including consumer analysis, research, media strategy, and new media opportunities. They work with client accounts by managing media schedules and budgets, communicating with media sales reps, developing proofs, monitoring ad traffic, and performing specialized tasks for the media department. Media Planners build and present competitive reports based on monitoring formats, platforms, channels, and spending levels. They work closely with internal teams, may manage social media content programs, and assist with digital marketing tasks. (BA/BS, 2+ yrs. Exp.)

    Assistant Media Planner

    An Assistant Media Planner supports the media team with daily maintenance of media campaigns, tracking, managing reports, preparing budgets, resolving billing discrepancies, analysis, and invoicing for media placements. (BA/BS, entry-level)

  • Media Buying Director

    The Media Buying Director is responsible for bringing holistic media plans to life. They work with the planning teams to negotiate and purchase media across linear and digital platforms, including video, audio, mobile, print, and out-of-home. They are the face of the buying team, managing the day-to-day client relationships and providing support and guidance to the entire buying team. Through effective partnering with Planning, Analytics, Operations, and other teams, the Media Buying Director maintains a deep understanding of the objectives and challenges of the clients. They guide junior staff in achieving set objectives and optimizing campaigns within the provided budget by developing and implementing strategies to accelerate client growth and maximize efficiency. (BA/BS, 8+ yrs. Exp.)

    Associate Media Buying Director

    An Associate Media Buying Director works on research, planning, implementation, and follow-through of all media functions, such as negotiation and purchase, to ensure that media purchases deliver on client objectives. They provide strategic direction, allocate spending across vendors, and monitor client budgets while adhering to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The Associate Media Buying Director manages and motivates staff members and employs various information and skills, including analytics, forecasting, and problem-solving, to maintain strong client relationships. (BA/BS, 5+ yrs. Exp.)

    Programmatic Media Manager

    A Programmatic Media Manager oversees the client’s programmatic media strategy and plans by leading its implementation and day-to-day execution. They help drive platform strategy, vendor selection, investments, implementation, reporting, and optimization. They will translate client campaign objectives into programmatic activation strategies, including defining and building target audiences and sourcing relevant media inventory opportunities. Within this role, they will be responsible for overseeing the training and workload of junior team members. (BA/BS, 5+ yrs. Exp.)

    Programmatic Buyer/Specialist

    A Programmatic Buyer/Specialist leads the implementation and development of the programmatic channel to optimize customer growth within the set budget. They report to the Programmatic Manager and work cross-functionally within the media strategy and analytics teams. These specialists lead programmatic planning and media buying, work on platforms, and recommend effective growth strategies and tactics. (BA/BS, 2+ yrs. Exp.)

    Note: Specialists focus on the day-to-day activities, while Strategists focus more on long-term insights to drive the firm forward and develop the marketing/media/creative strategy. Roles titled “Strategist” require more experience and breadth of knowledge across the advertising domain.

    Programmatic Analyst

    A Programmatic Analyst works with the programmatic team to deliver effective campaigns through data, audience, and contextual targeting. Their responsibilities include managing campaigns across programmatic mobile, display, video, and audio. Programmatic Analysts analyze campaigns for clients and optimize the effectiveness of planning, testing, and media management. (BA/BS, 2+ yrs. Exp.)