If you have a creative bent of mind and are willing to burn the midnight oil, a career in advertising is what you are meant for. With the ad industry growing by leaps and bounds, there are a lot of opportunities for the taking. Syed Masood tells you why this high paying and high profile job is the best option for you

We live in a world, where advertisements are unavoidable. Whether you are reading a newspaper, watching television, travelling or surfing the Internet, you will find advertisements in some or the other form. In films too, when the protagonist uses a particular product, it’s also a form of advertisement or covert advertising.

Advertising is one of the most important marketing tools and is a paid form of non-personal communication aimed to encourage and persuade target groups to adopt or buy a product, idea or service. A career in advertising is profitable one and is a good choice to opt for in the rapid growing economy. Advertisement is being practiced at all levels; larger than life firms, and on the contrary, even small vendors and shopkeepers are indulging in it these days.

In this competitive world, which observes creation of new brands, products and services; everyday, advertising plays an integral role to sustain them in the market. It makes the masses aware about the brand's existence, which is a must for every company to keep going. Among this, there is an abundance of Ad-agencies which readily hire aspirants seeking career in this field.

According to the client’s need, an ad-agency produces various types of ads. For each medium there are different kinds of advertisements. For example; Display and classified ads for newspapers and magazines, TV commercials (TVCs) and Public service Ads (PSA) for Television, jingles for radio, etc. The huge hoardings on the roads and highways are examples of Out Of Home (OOH) advertising.

But ‘creativity’ remains the most imperative ingredient in this field. Be it with words, camera, illustrations, designing or editing, creativity is the ladder to success for your career in advertising. If you are full of ideas and think out of the box, this career is an excellent choice for you.

In the production of an ad, various people work at different levels. For instance, if we talk about a TVC— director, producer, copywriter, camera handler, editor, actors, strategy-designer and other crew members work together. It is also said that a person who has a successful career in advertising as a copywriter, director, etc can easily get into films.

Courses

To study advertising as a subject deeply and make a career in this, a student can pursue courses like Bachelors of Journalism and Mass Communication, Bachelors in Mass Communication, BA (Hons) Advertising, Diploma in ad film making and BA English Hons (for copywriting). Those who want to study further and specialise in this field, can opt for higher level courses like PG diploma or degree in Advertising and Media, Masters in Mass Communication and Masters in Advertising and PR.

Where to study

Some colleges and universities which offer such courses are—

• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)
   
• Xavier's Institute of Communication
   
• Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
   
• Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication
   
• Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Delhi

There are no major eligibility criteria to get into undergraduate courses, except for passing the 12th standard from a recognised board and clearing the entrance exam. Each university conducts its own entrance test. Whereas for post graduation, a UG Degree in any discipline is required to appear for the entrance exam which is later followed by an interview.

Skills required

Aspirants should be creative, have good communication skills and adapt themselves to work under hectic schedule. They should be able to work in a team and have lateral thinking and be good in idea generation.

JOB PROSPECTS

The major recruiters in this field are ad agencies, advertisement departments of public and private sector and production houses. If you are looking for a career in Government sector, then Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) is the apt organisation as it deals with the Government advertising issues. You get to work in the coolest ambience that includes no formal clothes etc. An aspirant must do internships in the relevant organisations to gain more knowledge about practical aspects of the profession. They should be aware of the recent happenings in the field. The aspirant should be confident and persuasive and have analytical powers.

Remuneration

The career in ad-making offers handsome salaries and a quick growth opportunity. The working environment in ad-making is enjoyable and far from the corporate rules. There is ample scope for talented aspirants in the industry. In this field, practical skills are preferred over the academic achievements. Since advertising is required by each and every industry at all levels, the demand is always high for the creative individuals. The sector in itself is growing and adopting latest techniques. Internet advertising is one of them.

(The writer is managing director of Heritage Institute of Management and Communication)