Advertising, marketing and PR: Overview

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Advertising, marketing and public relations (PR) are amongst the most popular career choices for graduates. While these areas may be viewed as glamorous and exciting, it is also worth noting that intense competition exists to enter, that high standards are demanded and hours can be long.

Marketing includes planning, promotion, media relations, product development, direct marketing, sponsorship and market research. Advertising and PR also involve the above elements, and are broadly concerned with promoting and selling products and services.

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Advertising is a hugely creative, fast-paced industry. By its very nature, the advertising industry is always in need of fresh ideas and talented individuals. There are a variety of roles available that require different skills and abilities.

PR can be described as the management of reputation, with the objective of earning understanding and support, as well as influencing opinion and behaviour. PR involves generating third-party endorsement, often through media relations, or opinion formers, such as celebrities and politicians.

Currently, this sector is in a very strong position. According to a recent report, companies are spending more on marketing (including advertising and PR), than they have done within the last three years, with one in four companies reporting an upward revision to their total current marketing budgets (Q1 2007 Bellwether Report, April 2007).

What kind of work can I do?

Marketing

Many marketing professionals work ‘in-house’, and will be employed to deal exclusively with an organisation’s marketing, usually incorporating advertising, and sometimes PR.

Advertising and direct marketing

Advertising and direct marketing professionals are often employed in agencies, which can be split into different types:

• Creative agencies - act on behalf of clients, developing and devising creative ideas for an advertising campaign for a brand or business.
• Media agencies - advise clients on how, when and where to spend their advertising budgets.
• Direct marketing agencies - work on behalf of clients, providing direct, creative and strategic communication with the target audience, e.g. direct mail and direct response radio advertising.
• Digital/online agencies - specialise in digital communication, including internet and search engine marketing.
• Full-service agencies - specialists from many different disciplines work together, e.g. advertising, digital, design, branding, direct marketing and PR. Clients will use one or a combination of these services.

PR

PR professionals can work ‘in-house’ or for a consultancy/agency. Some consultancies specialise in one sector, e.g. healthcare, IT, consumer.

PR activities include:

• interacting with the media;
• writing and editing;
• planning, research and evaluation;
• event management.

Lobbying is also within the PR sector, and involves persuading policy makers and/or putting a particular viewpoint across to influential people such as MPs. Lobbying can be done in-house, e.g. for a charity or NGO, or by a specialist consultancy.

What’s it like working in this sector?

• This sector is fast, exciting, innovative, highly creative and varied, but can be stressful and highly pressurised when having to meet tight deadlines.
• Salaries vary considerably, depending on the specialism, level of experience and geographical location.
• For junior roles, salaries tend to be higher in the professional services, financial and business sectors, compared with those in the not-for-profit/public sector, or agencies and small, independent companies.
• Senior positions within agencies can command a high salary.
• Working hours can be long and irregular.
• Networking and socialising with customers and clients are important, to build and maintain relationships.
• It is estimated that 50.3% of men and 49.7% of women are employed within advertising agencies (2006 Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) census).
• Generally, more women are employed within marketing and PR, with fewer women in senior management roles. However, this is changing.
• Advertising is a young industry, with nearly half of employees aged under 30 (2006 IPA census).
• In advertising, the workforce is predominantly white (92.7%), and this is an issue the IPA is trying to address (2006 IPA census).

How big is the sector?

• According to the 2006 IPA census, there are 17,367 people employed in 258 IPA member agencies, with the average agency employing 67.3 individuals.
• It is estimated that there are now 48,000 people working in PR roles in the UK, (Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR))
• The total number of employees generated by the direct marketing industry in the UK is estimated to be 814,000, or 2.9% of the workforce. (Direct Marketing Association Economic Impact, 2005)

Where can I work?

• Many large advertising, direct marketing and full-service agencies and PR consultancies are based in and around London, as are many in-house marketing and PR consultancies.
• However, opportunities exist throughout the whole of the UK, particularly in larger cities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester.
• Few opportunities exist in rural areas.
• Large agencies and PR consultancies are increasingly international in scope. Many are part of a larger media and communications group whose parent company may be based in another European country or the USA. This can provide opportunities abroad.