The ad, bad, mad world of advertising

Love to work in the heady world of creativity, where you get to think and live out of the box, get your adrenaline pumping and get paid a few lakhs a month for all this fun? Advertising is the job for you. But then it is also about tight deadlines, high pressure environment and long working hours

Lata Jain

Bought the overpriced smartphone or the useless deo spray even though you didn't need it. Well blame it on the advertisers who seem to be the smartest working professionals who can convince you to part with your money. In this money and ad driven world, the advertising professionals are hugely in demand and naturally so.

Advertising is the art of conveying a message to the masses. Advertisements persuade people about products, services and even draw attention towards social issues. Advertising is one of the chief divisions of any industry that ensures the industry's competitiveness in the corporate milieu.

Marketing and advertising professionals are also responsible for a company's message and brand image. Advertising and marketing is what make this distinction. And, this is the work usually done by a creative person who can think outside the box, or better yet, without any box."

"Working in advertising is, in fact, a very respected profession. Unfortunately, there are those that think because you are trying to sell something through advertising that you're trying to trick or deceive the public," says Amit Narula from Parryware Advertising section

"Advertising actually follows very specific rule that ensures that all advertising messages are on the up and up. The last thing an advertising agency wants to do is to harm their client's reputation by producing materials that could be misconstrued as deceptive advertising," says Raghu of Luxus furniture.

Remuneration You can make a lot of money working in advertising but not everyone is making six figures. A majority of people working in the field started at the bottom rung of the ladder, interning for free, possibly even making minimum wage just to get their start in the industry says Kranti, an ad designer who retired recently from Mudra's.

Similar to PR These two industries are commonly tagged as being the same profession. While advertising and public relations can go hand-in-hand, their focus is far different. You can use your advertising skills to get a job in PR and vice versa but just because you work in one industry does not mean you automatically know everything there is to the other.A Careers within advertising are diverse and range from illustrators and photographers through to printers and sales staff. Media and advertising sales professionals work across several publishing sectors such as magazines, business media and newspapers in addition to radio and TV.

One can learn a lot in a short span. A runner could gain experience across a variety of platforms: TV, radio, print or interactive. If you are interested in pursuing a career in advertising, you must be highly target oriented and willing to work in a pressure cooker like environment. Since this industry is very competitive (the amount of brands available for every product you need speaks for the amount of competition that is primarily driven by market) you must be willing to give your best at all times to make a successful career. May it be in the form of writing, illustrating, or making films, advertising is a field, which gives you many arenas to exercise your creativity.

Many firms have structured summer internship programs, which can be researched through their websites. Also consider volunteering for a nonprofit group or local community organization's public relations or marketing committee. When you're ready to focus on international advertising work, look for an internship or volunteer work with an organization that has an international scope, like a large multinational advertising agency, chamber of commerce, NGO or an international company's communications department.

Flexibility, a commitment to hard work and sometimes long hours are key characteristics for success in advertising. This may be especially true in a global business with different time zones and clients around the world.

Chasing targets, campaign designing prior to deadline, rigorous client interaction all advocate for a stressful work life. Ad agencies are often known to have long working hours. Thus, you may have to delve deep into the world for a healthier career. You need to have an internal spark that can handle mental squeezing and exchange of numerous ideas. Debates, discussions, researching and observing may extract out the best in you but at the cost of a lot of other things.

Some important institutions in India are the Mudra Institute of Communications in Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Mass Communication Delhi, Xavier's Institute of Communication Mumbai and some prominent Government institutes.A The starting pay for freshers at entry-level is between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20000 per month. A proven professional can earn in lakhs every month.

Job profiles in ad agencyA Account Management: The responsibility of the account manager is to be the client's representative at the agency, and the agency's representative at the client's organization.

Account Planning: The account planner is generally used for strategic thinking on the consumer, and how the agency can turn that knowledge into a marketing phenomenon.

• Media personnel ensure that the advertisement reaches the right people at the right time in the right place.A

• The creative team is responsible for the ideas and concepts behind the advertisements. The team generally consists of copywriters and art directors

• Market researchers determine what their target market's needs and wants are, and then tailor specific products and advertisements in order to meet their needs.

• Interactive marketing is directly related to the agency's website. Personnel are responsible for creating a website that will engage consumers for an extended period of time, and allow them to interact with the agency