Advertising, marketing and PR: Typical employers

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Advertising, marketing and PR graduates can be found in a range of agencies, consultancies and organisations. As marketing, including advertising and PR, is a core element of all organisations, graduates can be found across all industry sectors.

Professional bodies

Major professional bodies represent all the sectors. For example, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). Other relevant organisations are listed in contacts and resources. The professional bodies are engaged in a wide range of activities for their members and prospective members including:

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• excellent websites with information for new entrants and professionals;
• advice on getting work experience, current vacancies and events;
• commission research on behalf of their members, including surveys and research projects;
• careers information days. CIPR hold around three or four per year aimed at those who want to get into the industry. There are more details on the CIPR website;
• accredited courses. The CIM and CIPR websites has a list of accredited courses.

Big players

According to Marketing’s top 100 advertisers published in 2006, the top ten advertisers were:

• Unilever UK LTD
• Procter & Gamble
• COI Communications
• L’Oréal Golden
• DFS Furniture Plc
• British Sky Broadcasting LTD
• Masterfoods
• Orange PLC
• Reckitt Benckiser LTD
• Nestlé

In Precision Marketing's agency survey published in 2007, the top ten agencies rated on overall criteria, including creativity, strategy and account management were:

• WWAV Rapp Collins
• Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel
• Harrison Troughton Wunderman
• Publicis Dialogue
• Arc UK
• Tullo Marshall Warren
• OgilvyOne
• Iris
• Tequila\London
• Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw

The top ten PR consultancies as listed in the latest PR Week survey, published in April 2007, were:

• Bell Pottinger Group
• Financial Dynamics
• Weber Shandwick
• Hills & Knowlton
• Citigate Dewe Rogerson
• Finsbury
• Fishburn Hedges
• Edelman
• Freud Communications
• Ketchum

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of around £26million. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited.

SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies, or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres, and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.

Your university careers service should have listings of jobs with small firms; see also Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

According to Campaign, the top ten regional agencies in 2006 were:

• BDH TBWA
• Cheethambell JWT
• Publicity Bureau
• PWLC
• Golley Slater & Partners
• Leith Agency
• WAA
• Bray Leino
• BCMB Pilkington
• Walker Agency

Self-employment

The opportunity for self-employment, working as an independent marketing or PR consultant, is possible. However this is more common for experienced marketing and PR professionals.

To find out more, please see self-employment.