Question

Topic: Career/Training

How Can A Grad Get Into The Advertising Industry?

Posted by Anonymous on 10/11/2004 at 9:15 PM ET 250 Points
I am a current marketing student at Indiana State University. I have just returned from a two year break because I was working as a district manager over the southern portion of Indiana for the wireless industry. I managed a dynamic sales team of 50 in ten different locations for the better part of two years. Here is the kicker; I just turned 21 so I am very young for the amount of experience that I have obtained. The reason I left the company was my true passion is in advertising. I started my academic career as a fine arts major, but there is no money in that. So I chose marketing with the hope that I would still find myself in an executive position with a greater creative outlet. Here is the dilemma, I was just informed by my department head that I am wasting my time with my marketing degree if I hope to get into advertising and that I am basically in the wrong state and the wrong school and I have no chance. Her advice was finish school then return to my position with my old company (they would love to have me back). How the hell can I break into the advertising industry?
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  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 10/11/2004 at 9:28 PM Member
    It sounds like your teacher correlates advertising with one of the major markets (New York, Chicago, etc.). But advertising happens everywhere.

    When you say advertising, I assume you mean creative side (creating ads)? There are other areas to advertising (advertising sales, account management, media buying, etc.) besides the creative side of advertising. Your sales experience would set you up for advertising sales, and a marketing degree would be good for account management or scheduling.

    Overall, I wouldn't worry about whether the degree will be good or bad. A degree adds many things, so I would definitely say finish your degree and then go out and see what sounds good for a job/career.

    And if possible, get a part time job that is related to advertising while you are at school (perhaps work for a small local publication in some aspect).
  • Posted on 10/11/2004 at 10:02 PM Accepted
    I disagree with your department head. As a Hoosier who got a couple of degrees along the banks of the Wabash, I believe you can get an excellent basic education in advertising at Indiana State, and that there are jobs in advertising all over the state.

    Is Indiana State in the top 10 for advertising? Probably not. Are there more advertising jobs per capita in Indiana than anywhere else? Probably not. Are there some world class advertising executives who grew up in Indiana? Absolutely.

    I had lunch a few weeks ago with the former chairman of Wells, Rich & Green -- a major New York advertising agency. We had some great Indiana stories to share with each other. We both grew up and went to school there.

    Your future in advertising has more to do with your own desire/motivation, the diligence you apply to developing your skills, and the way you present/market yourself after you get out of school. Finish your degree, then do a serious job of planning your career strategy. Don't just take the first job that sounds about right. Actually create a marketing plan for yourself and then execute the plan.

    If you need more about applying sophisticated marketing strategies to landing the job you want, pick up a copy of The Potato Chip Difference and read it cover-to-cover. It won't take you very long, and it will set you on the right path to the career you want. (Book available on Amazon.com, or visit www.potatochipdifference.com .)
  • Posted on 10/12/2004 at 6:01 AM Accepted
    I studied marketing and completed an internship for an advertising agency in Miami. Why don't you try to intern first for an agency? Does your university have a placement center or a mentoring program? Get your resume together and contact various Indiana ad agencies now:

    https://www.business.com/directory/advertising_and_marketing/advertising/ag...

    Also, take a look at Adweek and their classifieds section:

    https://www.adweek.com/aw/classifieds/index.jsp

    Check https://www.adage.com too

    Another tip: there have been other questions like yours here in the KHE. Check the Search Questions feature up at the top. Here's an example:
    https://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=1172#7973

    Best of luck. Go get 'em.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 10/12/2004 at 10:52 PM Member
    It sounds to me as though it is that department head who is in the wrong school, in the wrong state, and has no chance.

    If it were me, I would enthusiastically pursue my degree, but I would also begin NOW to identify and call 1) the founders of major advertising agencies, and 2) VPs of marketing at area companies. I'd ask them the same basic question (possibly in a slightly more positive way) and I'd solicit their advice and guidance. I'd also begin NOW to attend professional "networking" meetings that these types of professionals might attend. Some people are happy to help, some people would like to help you but are too busy, some people are jerks (but you don't want to work for or with them anyway). You will certainly get some very good advice. And, upon graduation, you will have 25 to 50 leads to get into the local market.
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