OCCUPATIONAL

PROFILE

Advertising account executive

G1
Job Description
Reporting to the account manager, the executive acts as a link between the client and the agency and ensures that the
day-to-day running of the advertising agency and their advertising campaigns go smoothly. They are responsible for
putting the proposal together and setting up meetings at which they present it to the client. They have to keep the client
informed at every stage and ensure that they are happy with the work as it progresses. The executive co-ordinates the
activities of the advertising team and administration and takes responsibility for budgeting. They will typically handle the
accounts of three to four non-competing clients.

Typical Work Activities

The duties of the account executive relate to the running of a successful advertising campaign. These duties typically
involve:

• discussing with clients their products, services and advertising requirements;

• setting up meetings with clients and other agency staff;
• briefing media, creative and research staff and formulating strategies;
• acting as liaison between client and studio by maintaining regular contact with both and ensuring that
communication flows effectively;
• overseeing the status of the campaign;
• negotiating with clients and agency staff concerning campaign details;
• presenting campaign plans to clients for approval or modification;
• meeting deadlines and prioritising tasks;
• handling budgets and managing campaign costs;
• writing reports, keeping records and financial details;
• helping to secure new business;
• providing any administrative support and handling profitability of accounts;
• in some cases managing administration staff;
• being familiar with the client’s product, business culture and competition;
• co-ordinating the presentation of the agreed final proposal;
• arranging and chairing meetings and report writing.

Work Conditions
• Range of typical starting salaries: £12,000 - £17,000, which can depend on previous experience (salary data
collected Aug 2002).
• Range of typical salaries at age 40 for someone working as a Director will depend on the size of the agency but
can vary between £35,000 and £60,000 (salary data collected Aug 2002).
• Salaries will vary greatly based on the size of the agency, area of specialisation, geographical location and
individual performance. Perks such as company cars or medical insurance may be available.
• Working hours typically include regular extra hours with occasional weekends. The working day is usually at least
nine hours with the expectation that people will stay on or start early for as long as it takes to meet deadlines,
which tend to come up regularly. Agencies are often informal, but smart dress and socialising are required. Self
employment/freelance work is sometimes possible. With experience and a good reputation, it is possible to
establish your own agency but initial capital and contacts are crucial. Career breaks or part-time work are difficult
to find but opportunities are increasing. Approximately 50% of account executives are women, fewer in senior
management, but this is changing. Large advertising agencies 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 in the USA. In the UK, agencies are mostly situated in London but also in cities such as Birmingham,
Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester, where large agencies may represent not only regional and
local clients but also national and international clients.
• Travel within a working day is frequent, absence from home at night is occasional and overseas work or travel is
occasional.

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Advertising account executive

Entry Requirements
Although this area of work is open to all graduates and Diplomates, a degree/HND in the following subjects may improve
your chances:

• marketing;
• communications;
• English;
• business/management.

A degree or HND is usually required especially in large agencies. Others with a proven track record of relevant work
experience may be considered, more typically in smaller or specialist agencies.

Graduates are often preferred and so either progressing to a degree or starting at a more junior level may need to be
considered.

You must be confident, sharp and have excellent communication and team skills. Commercial awareness is essential.
You must be able to motivate and persuade other people as well as being very organised, adaptable and able to
assimilate large quantities of information quickly. Resilience is important to enable you to deal with problems and
criticism and to work under pressure in order to meet deadlines. Pre-entry experience is desirable but it is difficult to get.
It can give an essential insight into the business of advertising. Other work experience in commerce and/or sales is
useful.

There is intense competition due to the scarcity of jobs and the standards demanded. All advertising jobs are affected by
the state of the economy. Advertising is a multi-billion pound business but employs relatively small numbers of people
directly.

Posts are rarely advertised. A speculative application using a focused, attention-grabbing CV and letter is usually used.
For large agencies applications should be made in the autumn term of the final year. Smaller and specialist agencies
recruit when required. Learn as much as possible about advertising and the role of the executive. By approaching an
organisation directly, either in person or by telephone, you will be able to gather information that will enable you to
market yourself more effectively and to target appropriate firms.

Given the fast pace of life in advertising, with tight deadlines and the possibility of rapid promotion, it is a relatively young
industry. Not only are most new entrants in their twenties, but it is generally felt that age discrimination begins to affect
established staff in their forties.

Training
Training takes place mainly on the job gaining practical experience and learning from more experienced members of
staff. Unless they have come straight from another related discipline rather than straight from university, the executive is
essentially a trainee for their first couple of years in the industry.

Some larger agencies run structured training schemes with placements in different departments. Full service agencies
which are members of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) can arrange for staff to attend IPA training
courses. The IPA will offer 16 hours' training a year to members.

Postgraduate professional qualifications are not necessary although the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) offers a
Diploma in Direct Marketing which is popular. Many staff who want to take further qualifications in the evening or through
distance learning may find that it is difficult to fit in with work, as they may often have deadlines that stop them leaving
work in time to get to class, or simply cannot find the time to fit in studying.

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 Advertising account executive

Career Development
Anyone looking to progress in this career will do so after several years as an account executive. Progression is to
account manager, managing executives and handling higher profile clients. Most people would spend at least three or
four years at this level before having enough experience to consider moving on to account director with responsibility for
all account staff and clients. Further progression would be to group account director positions. Mobility between agencies
is important.

Although most large advertising agencies have a new media department or subsidiary, the number of dedicated new
media agencies is growing. These function in a broadly similar way to traditional advertising agencies, but specialise in
conveying clients' messages through websites, digital television and other new media. As these agencies are generally
small, job functions often overlap and so, while an understanding of and enthusiasm for new media is important, a keen
interest in business and advertising is equally so.

Typical Employers
Recruitment is to advertising agencies only. The majority of opportunities occur in the larger agencies who employ 80%
of the total workforce. Many of the larger agencies are part of an international advertising/media group, possibly with
several branches throughout the UK although they may work as autononous companies. Typically a larger employer will
have between fifty and eighty employees. Smaller companies can range in size from five to fifteen people. Many of the
agencies are based in London although most cities throughout the UK, particularly larger ones such as Birmingham,
Edinburgh and Manchester, will also have a number of agencies dealing with regional and national clients.

A growing trend amongst larger agencies is to offer a multidisciplinary service to clients such as marketing in addition to
advertising. At the present time this trend is mainly apparent amongst agencies in London but is starting to transform
agencies elsewhere in the UK.

Sources of Vacancies
• Prospects Finalist;
• Advertising Fact File - Directory of Graduate Opportunities from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) ;
• careers service vacancy lists.
• Useful directories: Advertisers Annual:The Blue Book; The Creative Handbook; Prospects Directory; The Hobsons
Directory; BRAD (http://www.intellagencia.com/default.asp?BRADInfo=True) agency list.

Recruitment agencies sometimes handle vacancies. For recruiters see Recruitment and Employment Confederation
(REC) Online Directory of Recruitment Consultancies (http://rec.integra.co.uk/search/)

Vacancies are rarely advertised. Employers can be identified using the directories listed and reading specialist press.

Related Occupations
• Advertising account planner
• Sales promotion account executive
• Marketing executive, consumer products
• Market research executive
• Media buyer
• Public relations officer

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Advertising account executive

Information Sources
Bibliography
AGCAS and Graduate Prospects products are available from higher education careers services.
AGCAS Publications
Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations, Vocational Course Survey
Graduate Prospects Publications
Prospects Directory
Prospects Finalist
Other Publications
Advertisers Annual:The Blue Book, Hollis Publishing Ltd, 2002
Advertising Fact File - Directory of Graduate Opportunities, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), Annual
Careers in Marketing, Advertising and PR, Kogan Page, 2003
The Creative Handbook, Reed Information Services, Annual
Creative Review, Centaur Communications Ltd, Monthly
Getting into Advertising, The Advertising Association (AA)
Graduate Careers in Advertising Agencies, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
IPA Guide to Careers, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
The Hobsons Directory, CRAC/Hobsons Publications, Annual
Marketing, Haymarket Publishing Ltd, Weekly
Marketing Week, Centaur Communications Ltd, Weekly
Media Week, Quantum Publishing, Weekly

Websites
BRAD, http://www.intellagencia.com/default.asp?BRADInfo=True
Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Online Directory of Recruitment Consultancies,
http://rec.integra.co.uk/search/

Addresses
Account Planning Group, 16 Creighton Avenue, London, N10 1NV URL: http://www.apg.org.uk
The Advertising Association (AA), Abford House, 15 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1NJ Tel: 020 7828 2771
URL: http://www.adassoc.org.uk
British Interactive Multimedia Association (BIMA), Briarlea House, Southend Road, South Green, Billericay, Essex,
CM11 2PR Tel: 01277 658107 URL: http://www.bima.co.uk
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Moor Hall, Cookham, Maidenhead, Berks, SL6 9QH Tel: 01628 427500
URL: http://www.cim.co.uk
The Communication Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation (CAM), Moor Hall, Cookham, Maidenhead,
Berkshire, SL6 9QH Tel: 01628 427180 URL: http://www.camfoundation.com
The Creative Circle, 22 Poland Street, London, W1F 8QQ Tel: 020 7734 9334 URL: http://www.creativecircle.co.uk
Design and Art Directors Association (D&AD), 12 Percy Street, London, W1P 9SB Tel: 020 7637 4255
URL: http://www.dandad.org
Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), 44 Belgrave Square, London, SW1X 8QS Tel: 020 7235 7020
URL: http://www.ipa.co.uk/index.cfa
The Media Circle, Abford House, 15 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1NJ Tel: 020 7828 2771
URL: http://www.mediacircle.co.uk/
NABS, 32 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2RP Tel: 020 7299 2888 URL: http://www.nabs.org.uk

© Content copyright of or licensed to AGCAS (www.agcas.org.uk)

Written by Katrina Gray, Queen Margaret University College, 09/09/2002

The work of writers, editors and other contributors is gratefully acknowledged - full details on prospects.ac.uk

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