Advertising Agency

There are three basic types of advertising agencies—full-service agencies, creative boutiques, and media planning and buying agencies. Full-service agencies tend to be large companies with offices across the United States or around the world. They offer their clients a wide variety services such as ad creation, media planning, media buying, marketing planning, account planning/research and production. Creative boutiques, which tend to be independently owned and relatively small, provide a narrower range of services. Media agencies offer just media planning and buying services. Finally, some agencies specialize in fields such as healthcare or focus on targeting minority communities.

Most large ad agencies have seven main departments: account services, creative, media, account planning/research, business development, production and traffic. People at ad agencies tend to work in teams, and the hours can be long Depending on the location and the size of the agency, salaries can range from about $20,000 for an entry-level job to several hundred thousand dollars a year for a supervisor, media planner or creative director. There isn’t a single way to break into a career in advertising, but it helps to have an internship. Some larger agencies have formal training programs that rotate entry-level employees through a number of departments.

Advertising agencies have been hit by the economic downturn, and many agencies have cut jobs. On Nov. 17, 2008, Advertising Age reported that across the United States the ad industry has slashed 46,600 jobs, or about 3 percent of positions, during the year. In the long run, however, outlook for the industry is good. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment in the advertising and public relations services industry to grow 14 percent between 2006 and 2016.