Advertising account executive
Advertising account executives manage clients for an advertising agency.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
You could:
- meet with clients to discuss their needs
- present ideas and how much it costs to clients
- explain what the client needs to the creative team
- check and report on an ad campaign's progress
- keep in contact with the client at all stages of an ad campaign
- manage budgets and send bills to the client
- try to find new business for the agency
Working environment
You could work in an office or at a client's business.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- get a job as an advertising account manager
- become an advertising director
- set up your own advertising agency
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- the ability to sell products and services
- customer service skills
- persistence and determination
- ambition and a desire to succeed
- persuading and negotiating skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- specialist courses run by professional bodies
You can get into advertising with a degree in any subject.
Some employers may prefer it if you have a degree in a subject like:
- advertising and marketing
- statistics or operational research
- communication and media studies
- business or management
- psychology
With your degree you can apply for graduate training schemes in advertising companies.
Work experience during university
Employers value work experience so it's important to get as much as you can during your studies.
Your university careers service can help you find work experience, internship and placement opportunities.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
There is no set route to become an advertising account executive.
You might find it useful to do a Foundation Certificate in Professional Marketing.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You may be able to get into this job by doing an advertising and media executive advanced apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
You might be able to start in a junior position at a small advertising agency in a position like admin assistant.
You can then work your way up as your experience in advertising grows.
Experience will help you understand advertising and allow you to meet new people who may help you find paid work.
You could try:
- work experience
- internships
- temporary jobs
You could contact agencies directly to ask about volunteering opportunities. You could also make contacts on social media channels like LinkedIn.
You could take the advertising Foundation Certificate to get some of the skills you need to get a paid job in advertising.
The course is offered by by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and is open to anyone with less than one year of experience in an advertising, marketing or communications role.
Career tips
It's a good idea to have a presence on social networking sites. You could also show your creative and communication skills to employers through your own blog or website.
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising to find training opportunities and make industry contacts.
Further information
You can find out more about a career in advertising from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.
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External links
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