We live in a branded world where advertising assaults us from all sides throughout the day. If it were possible, advertising would try to influence our dreams as well. From the time we wake up and brush our teeth with toothpaste (most likely selected due to its advertisement) to the time we lay our weary head on that pillow (again, bought thanks to the clever ad), advertising influences our every action. The world of advertising is full of multi-talented and multi-disciplinary people who work behind the scenes to influences our lives. Read on to find out about today's teens can look for careers in advertising.

Creative Corner

One of the most sought after fields in advertising is the creative department. It is the creative department that crafts the television and print advertisements that are seen in every form of media. The creative department is split into two main functions—the copy writing team and the art team. The visualing team bridges the gap between both the teams, and completes the creative department.

• Copywriters
  
  If you have a way with words and ideas, the world of copywriting is open to you. The main criterion for a copywriter is to be extremely well versed in a language. With the increasing need for advertising in various regional media targeting varied audiences, bilingual copywriters are more appreciated today.
  
  Copywriters need to be able to come up with the basic concept or idea for an advertisement. The elements of an advertisement, starting from the message to be conveyed, the concept note, the script, and the treatment or approach to the main characters, are decided at the copywriter's table. Copywriters may design single stand-alone ads or a series of related ads known as an advertising campaign. Though there is no specific academic qualification for advertising, a Bachelor's degree in Mass Media or an M.A. in English with a media-related diploma can give a person an edge.
  
  
• Art Directors
  
  The art department of any agency is responsible for creating the visual components of an ad. Art directors create artwork for print advertising, banners, hoardings, or other point of purchase promotional material. Art directors usually have a background in arts, having obtained either a Bachelor's or a Master's degree in fine arts. For a budding art director, in addition to the Bachelor's or Master's degree in Fine Arts, a multimedia diploma course from a computer institute like NIIT, MAAC, or CDAC would be very helpful.
  
  
• Visualisers
  
  The role of the visualiser is to come up with the visual ideas for the ad and to organise the placement of the various elements in an ad. Visualisers often take on the co-ordinating responsibility, working closely with both, the art and the copy experts, to ensure that there is a harmony between what the copywriters are trying to portray and the graphical representations that the art directors generate. Visualisers almost share the same qualifications as that of an art director. It is ideal for teens interested in this profile to have at least a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, supplemented by other part-time post-graduate diplomas in advertising.

Client Servicing

The responsibility of this group of people is to ensure that the company wins over new clients and retains its existing clients, while encouraging them to spend more on future advertising campaigns. The role of the people in client servicing is to sell the services of the agency to prospective clients in what is known as 'pitching'. The academic qualifications for client servicing personnel ideally include an MBA with a specialisation in marketing.

Account Planning

The account planning department conducts market research regarding the client's existing business performance, brand awareness and perception amongst the target audience, the potential of the market, and its competitors' strategies. The account planners are similar to market researchers, who can evaluate the current stage of the market and the competition, and devise a strategy that the client could adopt to maximise the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

Account planners help to give the advertising a focus and objective by helping the client servicing team to develop a written brief regarding measurable outcomes that the advertising is seeking to achieve. Account planning is not usually given to a fresher. Educational qualifications usually include an MBA with a minimum one-year experience in client servicing in an ad agency or in a marketing job. Engineers with an MBA and experience in research are preferred for their analytical skills.

Media Planning and Buying

Media planners are the brains behind the successful deployment of an advertising campaign. It is the job of the media planner to decide the ideal placement and frequency of displaying an ad to ensure that it reaches the right audience and is likely to succeed in its objective. Media planners plan how to optimally use the client's budget to procure various media spaces and help to broker these deals.

What makes the advertising industry unique is that most roles overlap. Thus a client servicing person may be asked to give creative inputs as well.