What are good qualities of a person in advertising?

Question

Im writing an essay for an internship at an advertising company and I need some ideas. Please let me know if you work for an advertising company and what you look for in interns and employees.

Answer 1

I work for an advertising agency and I've hired interns. Although different shops have different priorities, here's what I would look for.

Top marks goes to passion for the business. This is not a 9 to 5 industry and it takes a special kind of crazy to keep up with the pace. On a light day you can be pulled in eight different directions so you need to be loving what you do. If you don't, you ain't gonna last.

After that, it kind of splinters depending on what department you are shooting for.

If you are looking to get into Creative, there was a very good answer posted earlier by a Copywriter. I'll defer to his answer.

If you are looking to get into Account Services, you need organizational skills. A lot of Account Services Interns make the mistake of relying on strategic or "big thinking" skills. The harsh reality is that an intern or a new hire is not going to get anywhere near a strategy document unless it involves making photocopies. You'll be relied on to set up meetings, open billing dockets, manage invoicing, put things through studio, juggle workback schedules .. and that's just Monday. If you aren't orgranized, you will get crushed.

If you are going into Media, you need to be detailed. Later on in a Media career, you'd be writing media plans and negotiating big dollar buys ... but as with Account Services the first few years will be cutting your teeth and making your bones. This means data entry, contract checking and budget maintenance. It's very detailed work so the Media Director will be looking for someone who can manage the minutae.

Finally, a sense of humour helps too. Despite everything I've just said, it's only advertising. We're not out to save the cheerleader or the world, we're here to make ads. It's a fun industry filled with all kinds of characters. Being able to laugh at the absurdity of it all is worth it's weight in gold.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Creativity, creativity, creativity.

Ability to think broadly.

Knowing public opinion-- what draws people to buy certain products.

Knowledge of psychology.

Ability to face criticism & have your ideas rejectted -- and then still produce the best ad campaign you have.

Knowledge of your area -- whether it's local, state, or national.
Knowledge of what businesses what and expect.

Humor -- people like a good ad that's funny.

Ability to think ahead of other people who might push the same ad idea you have.

Not wasting businesses' dollars - or time.


I'm not in advertising, but these are things I'd consider connected to good advertising.

Lifes

Answer 3

I tried working for sales and it takes people skills. Advertising also takes creativity and a sense of what is a good idea for an ad.

Answer 4

I studied advertising for a bit, and now work heavily in sales.

Follow the advice of the girl above me (weird name like sanandeir or something like that)

Creativity is the key, and may I strongly suggest the psychology of colors.

Answer 5

Well, I can tell you exactly which qualities a person should have to be employed as a copywriter (I know what I'm talking about because I'm a copywriter):
Knowledge
English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Skills
Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Equipment Selection — Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Abilities
Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Unfortunately, I've never met any person who meet those requirements at 100% including myself. ((

Answer 6

A person who listen to clients. Trully listens. Taking that information, they form ideas which later developed come into solutions.

Answer 7

Highlight on your sales skills...
Make the focus not on selling space, but building relationships.
That's the key...no one will get that distinction except an experienced person.