Marketing Career Focus: Advertising
Each of these Career Focus posts will cover a specific track or specialty track within the MS in Marketing degree program.
In the Master of Science in Marketing Advertising and Branding track, students must complete 15 credit hours of program core classes then 21 credit hours within this track in courses in consumer behavior, branding, advertising and promotional strategy, and social media. There is a wide range of electives, including digital ad courses. Details of the courses in the degree and this track are available at the UT Dallas Graduate Catalog page. Our program is designed to prepare students for careers in advertising and marketing agencies as well as advertising and branding jobs within companies.
Indeed.com is a good job search site because at a glance it shows average salaries, years of experience for many mid-level positions, quantity of available jobs, as well as locations. I looked at 10-15 customer insights job descriptions from major companies and frequently mentioned skills at such employers as J. Walter Thompson, PepsiCo, American Airlines, Match.com and others. However, there is NO substitute for doing your own searches and analyses.
What does an advertising professional do?
There are many roles in a traditional advertising or marketing agency, including media planners and buyers, creatives (writers, art directors, broadcast producers, media buyers, print production managers, and more. Let’s focus on the advertising account executive, or “AE,” since he or she plays a key role in the agency. In addition, AE jobs are often the most common way to move into advertising account management and from there to other areas of the advertising and marketing business.
Paul Suggett accurately states that “a great account executive is the glue that holds an entire project together.” AEs are the liaisons between the client and the various agency functions: creative, production, media, and billing. They are quite literally in the middle of everything. Since he or she will usually handle multiple clients as well as multiple projects, these men and women must be skilled time managers and able to work under pressure.
What is the size of the advertising job market?
Students searching this job market will have to read the job descriptions carefully. While all the job titles shown above are commonly used in the marketing and advertising industry, such titles are used in other areas as well. “Account executive” is commonly used for sales positions in newspapers and media companies looking for people willing to work only on commission.
On Indeed.com, “account supervisor,” which is usually found only in advertising and marketing firms, yields more than 5,000 jobs across the U.S.A. “Advertising planner” or “media planner” returns 1,511 jobs.
Average years of experience & salary average of advertising managers
Traditionally, juniors in marketing and advertising are not paid well. This hasn’t changed. A young marketing manager with under three years of experience can expect a salary in the $40,000 – $50,000 range. However, with experience and strategic career moves, salaries can increase. An advertising account supervisor (more than three years’ experience) in Dallas is projected to earn a median annual salary of more than $70,000, according to PayScale.com. A decade of experience and a VP title can mean a salary of $145,000 and up, including bonuses.
Typical product manager job description
from a job posting for “Account Executive” from J. Walter Thompson INSIDE, Dallas
The Account Executive will work closely with agency staff and clients to support the development of various employer brand and marketing programs. From developing media plans and overseeing ad placement, to executing digital initiatives like careers websites and social media programs, the selected candidate will be exposed to a number of brands and industries and work closely with team members in the Account Management community.
The Account Executive will also be tasked with managing daily client interaction, executing projects in collaboration with production and creative teams and if applicable to assigned accounts, overseeing Assistant Account Executives who conduct media research and ad placement activities.
The ideal candidate is a proactive, responsive, and flexible team-player, has a communications background, is resourceful and has hands-on experience conducting media research and developing media plans; monitoring/setting budgets for media and creative projects; managing the creative development and production processes; and writing creative/project briefs. Additionally, the ideal candidate will exercise sound judgment, have impeccable communications and relationship management skills, and embrace a culture of collaboration coupled with autonomy.
Requirements
- Excellent communication, interpersonal and team skills
- Outstanding writing and analytical skills
- Creativity and the ability to develop strong relationships
- Ability to think critically and put problem solving skills into action
- Attention to detail as well as organization and ability to juggle multiple, conflicting tasks and deadlines, as well as have the ability to collaborate across disciplines
- Excellent follow through on all assignments and tasks as well as ability to work independently on medium sized-projects
- Intellectual curiosity and an inclination to remain current on industry knowledge
- 1-3 years of experience in communications, marketing or advertising (client experience a plus)
Additional Considerations
- Knowledge of media metrics tools
- Client and/or constituent relationship management experience
- Proposal writing
- Social Media and Google Analytics proficiency
| Top skills Mentioned by at least 10 major companies with this job title posting |
Courses See the syllabus for each course for relevant skills, as not all skills are taught in every course. |
|---|---|
| Familiar with promotion management & logistics |
MKT 6332 Advertising and Promotional Strategy |
| Skilled in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign | UT Dallas offers courses in these software that can be taken as a non- degree seeking student; Richland College and Collin College also offer these types of courses |
| Knowledge of marketing strategies, research, best practices and techniques |
MKT 6301 Marketing Management MKT 6309 Marketing data Analysis and Research MKT 6339 Capstone Marketing Decision-Making |
| Strong understanding of brand development and multichannel marketing concepts | MKT 6330 Brand Management |
| A basic understanding of marketing automation, Salesforce, lead-scoring, segmentation, revenue attribution, influence and ROI | MKT 6301 Marketing Management |
| Deep understanding of effective advertising and digital marketing campaigns, from social media to broadcast |
MKT 6332 Advertising and Promotional Strategy MKT 6321 Interactive and Digital Marketing |
Recommended Books
Professional Organizations
American Marketing Association (AMA) has a regional DFW chapter as well as a UTD affiliate.
Learn more about the DFW AMA
To learn more about the UT-Dallas chapter of the AMA—contact BS Marketing Program Director, Julie Haworth: haworth@utdallas.edu
The American Advertising Federation (AAF) Dallas chapter offers events, scholarships, and a mentorship program for young people seeking guidance in their ad careers: https://ad2dallas.org
Main web site: http://aafdallas.org/
The American Association of Advertising Agency (the Four As) offers online certifications, virtual programs, and workshops.
Learn more about the 4As Learning Academy.
