Advertising is all about bringing ideas to life. Working in the creative side of advertising will allow you to be as hands-on and inventive as possible.
Creative teams dream up the ‘big ideas’ and the art directors and copywriters put them all into action. To work in one of these roles, it’s essential that you can work well in a team, be open to change, and have the ability to come up with original and innovative ideas on demand.
As with any role in this sector, there’s no such thing as a typical day. You’ll be expected to work across a whole range of projects, usually on more than one at a time. This is what makes advertising and marketing so interesting in the first place. It’s creative, fast-paced and you’ll need to be equal to anything thrown your way.
Your working hours might vary massively. If you’re after a typical nine-to-five, clock in and clock out job, this may not be the right career for you.
How can I get into creative advertising?
Creative advertisers might work for specialist ad agencies that focus on one niche media channel, such as digital/online agencies. Alternatively, they might work for integrated agencies that offer the whole caboodle of advertising services. Integrated agencies tend to be the most common route of entry for young, aspiring creative types, but check out all the different options. If you’ve got some specialist creative skills, then a niche agency might be right up your street.
What is the creative team in charge of?
Typically, the creative team will work closely with the account handlers and planners. They will be presented with the problem or ‘brief’ and be tasked with coming up with an imaginative solution. They go away, get their thinking caps on, put their heads together, drink plenty of tea and eventually come up with a ground-breaking idea.
The next step involves working closely with the art director and copywriters to turn the idea into life. Art directors are responsible for directing the look, feel and design of the proposed advert. Copywriters, meanwhile, are in charge of the words: coming up with scripts, slogans and other persuasive bits of text. Needless to say, being a good communicator with a positive attitude will work wonders in any of these roles.
So if you’ve got an eye for detail, a heart for art or a penchant for puns, a career in creative advertising might be right up your street!