What does a career in advertising really mean?

Advertising has always held some mystic for many creative and marketing types wannabes. Many people on the outside looking in  think  of  the world of advertising as being the ultimate career in creativity. I’ll let you in on secret… in many cases, depending on what your creative type happens to be, it’s true!  Advertising is the most creative  aspect in marketing communications… even more so than public relations (PR) and brand marketing. Add to that, the very popular TV series of Mad Men to this caché… well, then you may very well have a rose coloured view of this career choice.

Those of us in the the field have a different and more realistic definition of advertising and what it means to be “working in” this crazy, hectic, exciting field. Through my 25 years of running a marketing creative agency, I have been fortunate to meet many interesting people and I have come to the realization that we all have certain traits and characteristics in common.

See if you too belong to the wonderful industry of advertising… can you can identify with any one of these character traits?

1) You love being around creative and the creative process: You don’t have to draw or write…You can easily be an advertising account executive.Just as long as you are part of “creating” something.

2) Passion rules the day: You love your job. In fact you can’t wait to get out of bed and to greet the day! You love the challenge of newness that every marketing mandate brings…and working out the issues. You love that what you do can potentially reach millions of people.

3) You’re an adrenaline junkie: Not death defying tricks here… only true and  pure rush. Rush to meet impossible deadlines  put out by most if not all advertisers…. and to ultimately excel in your creativity and performance while meeting those said impossible deadlines.

4) You think  ‘What if”…constantly! Never mind about inside or outside the box. You’re a natural problem solver that always looks at the marketing brief  differently. Innovation is your mind’s middle name whether it’s comes to coining a phrase or conceptualizing a storyboard or ad…  you simply strive on creating breakthrough creative.

5) Work…. what’s that?: Not exactly like Character Trait #3, more like an extension. You actually have fun at what you do? In fact it’s like a calling. You think about projects, ideas and products all the time. Grocery shopping isn’t just about filling up the pantry. Rather it becomes a store-check  to see what’s new and innovative in products or POP or contest promotions.  If you do a lot of TV advertising, you can’t see a movie without acknowledging the camera angles,the lighting, the propping.  It’s about you driving your car,  noticing billboards and trying to ascertain what the brief was and if if the creative was well executed.

If you see yourself in any one of the above character traits, then advertising is in your future! I’d love to hear from any and all of you who share in the passion of creativity and advertising.

Live creatively and prosper!