CAREERS360

YOUR QUICK GUIDE

TO A COURSE IN

ADVERTISING

THE SCIENCE OF INFLUENCING DECISIONS

Advertising Course Review

Course Review Advertising

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1.

Introduction03

2.

Course Structure

05

ADVERTISEMENTS PERMEATE OUR LIFE SO MUCH THAT

THEY INFLUENCE OUR DECISION-MAKING IN A BIG WAY

3.

Eligibility Norms

07

4.

International Appeal

08

5.

What after Graduation?

09

6.

Skill-sets Required

11

7.

Job Outlook

12

8.

Job Roles

14

9.

Career Challenges

16

10. Industry Talk

18

11 List of Select Institutes in India and Abroad

19

Project Editors
Research
Art Director
Asst. Art Director

Dr. Nimesh Chandra, S. Rajaram

Shiphony Pavitran Suri, Prerna Singh
Anshul Sharma
Rajesh Chawla

Copyright Pathfinder Publishing Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi

All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Pathfinder Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
Editor: B Mahesh Sarma
Cover Design: Rajesh Chawla

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emember Kuch meetha ho jai commercials? Does it urge you to go for

chocolate nuggets after meals, replacing your conservative ladoos? This commercial used emotional strategy, substituting ladoos
with Cadburys chocolates for all celebratory
occasions. The person lending weight to common desire: none other than Amitabh Bachchan,
the charismatic, blockbuster actor. To capture a
wider audience, from children to grown-ups, the
companys strategy was star endorsement. No
wonder, Cadburys sold like, well, hot chocolates.
This is the power of advertising!
When you read a newspaper, or watch TV or
listen to radio, have you ever noticed how many
companies make commercials? Or do you ever
recollect the number of advertisements you see
in a day? The answer, in all probability, would
be in the negative. This is so because advertisements permeate our life so much that sometimes
we fail to notice them. Still they remain at the
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FAST FACTS
Programme: BA in Advertising
& Brand Management/BCom
(Marketing & Advertising)
Select Bachelors institutes:
IIS University, Jaipur; Loknete
Vyankatrao Hiray Mahavidyalaya,
Nasik (Most others offer it as
electives with BA Journalism)
Eligibility: Class 10+2 any
stream Duration: Three years
Course Fee: @ Rs. 4000 to Rs.
7000 per month Prominent
institutions for higher studies:
National Institute of Advertising,
Indian Institute of Mass
Communication, New Delhi; Mudra
Institute of Communications,
Ahmedabad; Xaviers Institute
of Communications, Mumbai
Select Universities Abroad:
Leeds Metropolitan University
and London College of
Communications, UK; Miami
Ad School and Michigan State
University, US

Advertising Course Review

back of the mind, influencing our decision to buy a product. Nowadays,

advertising is not just restricted to consumer goods or services. Even political
parties resort to advertising in various ways to garner support of the voters,
especially during elections

What is Advertising?
It is the art of conveying a message to the masses. It is all about salesmanship.
Advertising plays a critical role in marketing various types of products. Media
plays a crucial role in advertising products through TV, radio, websites,
newspapers, magazines, billboards, hoardings, etc. Advertising is a powerful
element in marketing; it plays with minds, changes your outlook about things
around. The goal is to boost the companys revenues.
What draws you to a product or a service? It could be price, as highlighted
by Maruti, in its adverts (Kitna deti hai) or quality (Volkswagen PoloBuilt to protect). Or it could be aspiration, (LOreal Cosmetics- Because
you are worth it). If an ad cuts across your yearning - latent or visible - the
job is done. Therefore, a unique selling propositioning (USP) is a must in this
business. Companies that advertise chase consumers loyalty for its brand/s.
Advertising, though a crucial element, plays a small role in a companys overall existence and growth plan. Companies focus on research, quality, distribution channels, price points, and others. Advertisement budgets get axed first
when a company faces financial distress. Though perceived as a glamorous
field, advertising is replete with ruthless hard work.

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Course Review Advertising

COURSE STRUCTURE
THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE COURSE IS FOR YOU TO GAIN PRACTICAL
SKILLS THROUGH EARLY HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

he three-year course provides a thorough

grounding in effective advertising skills.
You learn everything about research,
strategic planning, client management, creative,
media and channel communication skills
required in the field advertising field. It prepares
students ability for critical thinking and creativity through theory and practice. At the end of the
semester, most institutes encourage students to
go through internships in advertising agency.
The main objective is for you to gain practical
skills through early hands-on experience. The
main papers include effective communication
skills, advertising in contemporary society, copywriting, advertising design, consumer behaviour,
media planning, buying, brand building, financial
management for marketing and advertising,
advertising ethics, agency management. The
course will introduce to the fundamentals of
advertising. Usually this includes various types of
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Job Roles: Advertising manager,

sales manager, public relations
director, creative director,
copy writer, and marketing
communications manager Job
areas: Advertising agencies,
PR houses, market research
organizations TV, film, magazines,
newspapers, radio Earning
Potential: Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000
per month (for freshers) Top
recruiters: Hindustan Thomson
Associates, McCann Erickson, Leo
Burnett, Grey, R K Swamy - BBDO,
Bates, Redifussion Dy and R, Lintas
India., Ogilvy & Mather and Mudra
Communications.

Advertising Course Review

marketing and market concepts. Characteristics and role of advertising are

taught along with impact of advertising. This will also include tools of advertisement promotion and methods of communication. Various types of branding a product and methods use are also taught.
In short, an undergraduate degree helps to develop your skills in advertising, copywriting, media planning, advertisement management, portfolio
planning and campaigns.

Course Review Advertising

ELIGIBILITY NORMS
A PASS IN 10+2 IN ANY STREAM MAKES YOU ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR
BACHELORS IN ADVERTISING

wo institutes, IIS University, Jaipur and

Loknete Vyankatrao Hiray Mahavidyalaya, Nasik offer BA in advertising and
brand management/BCom (Marketing &
Advertising) in India. Other universities mainly
offer it as an elective (along with BA Journalism). For being eligible you must have passed
class 10+2 from any stream. Typically, advertising and brand management is a specialised
course under BA Mass Communication/Mass
Media. So if this area interests you, then you can
pick up specialisation at graduate level and later
opt for higher studies. Alternatively, you could
also apply foreign universities in the UK and US
that offer good courses in advertising.

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Advertising Course Review

Course Review Advertising

INTERNATIONAL APPEAL

WHAT AFTER GRADUATION?

THERE IS A GOOD SCOPE FOR YOU TO APPLY TO FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES BUT YOU NEED TO HAVE GOOD SCORE IN IELTS OR TOEFL

A NUMBER OF GOOD INSTITUTIONS OFFER MASTERS AND PG

DIPLOMA COURSES IN INDIA WHICH CAN LAND YOU A GOOD JOB

ou learn some additional elaborative

papers when you pick up reputed universities abroad. Under MS Advertising
at Boston University you learn principles of
search engine marketing, fundamentals of creative development along with other universal
advertising papers. The main criterion to get into
good universities is to have a good IELTS/
TOEFL score. Other major universities include
Leeds Metropolitan University, London College
of Communications, Miami Ad School, Michigan State University, Boston University, Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology and Queensland University of Technology.

ypically, a 10-month postgraduate diploma in advertising & marketing programme from prestigious institutes like
Indian Institute of Mass Communication,
National Institute of Advertising, Mudra Institute of Communications, garner a lot of attention
amongst recruiters.
IIMC conducts an entrance exam for admission to postgraduate diploma in advertising.
There is no set pattern for written exam. However, the test takers will be judged on the following parameters general awareness, aptitude,
brand awareness, analytical and comprehension
skills. You must read newspapers, magazines,
editorials and articles related to current affairs
to ace the exam.
A host of international universities offer Masters in Advertising. Some universities offer it in

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Advertising Course Review

combination with Public Relations. These courses open your mind to the
multitude of opportunities available in the field. These universities give you
in depth theoretical and practical knowledge in a professional environment
with industry interface. Those who postgraduate from abroad are very much
in demand in the job market in India.

Course Review Advertising

SKILL-SETS REQUIRED
CREATIVITY IS THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER SKILL IN
THIS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE FILED.

he advertising career is best for those

who are creative, passionate and multitask. To have people skill is crucial, as
you often have to understand what client needs
and also help in effective decision-making. Having excellent communication, good presentation
skill, and team and leadership skills is an asset
for the advertising world. Mumbai-based Janak
Bhatt, working with Ogilvy as a senior art director says that ad business is all about ideas. You
need to put an idea thats relevant to the brand
and benefits it, he underlines. Copywriters
employ a host of tactics to grab consumers attention. Back in 1950s, Lifebuoy soap captured an
obvious feature in its product and turned into its
USP (it declared that Lifebuoy stops body odour.
Actually all soaps do, but Lifebuoy got there first
and grabbed the claim). German company Volkswagen used the slogan Think Small, to differentiate its brand from USA-made massive cars.
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Advertising Course Review

JOB OUTLOOK

ing They are responsible for the planning, scheduling, booking and purchase of space and time (in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV, and outdoor hoardings).

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES EXIST ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF MEDIA,

BUT ADVERTISING AGENCIES ARE THE FIRST STOP.

here are countless career options in

advertising. You can join right from
advertising agencies, PR houses, market
research organizations TV, film, magazines,
newspapers to radio. There are many professionals who get into freelancing services as well.
There are multiple work areas in advertising
profession Executive department, which deals
with client servicing, market research and media
research. They seek business and negotiate the
business deal. Creative department through copywriters, scriptwriters, visualisers, creative
directors, photographers, typographers, animators visualizes and creates actual ads. And other
departments include: Market Research It surveys the market, analyses consumer behaviour
about a product or service. They are mostly
concerned with collection of data- information
about the consumer, the market, and existing
competition and so on. Media Planning & Buy12 CAREERS360 E-BOOK

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Advertising Course Review

JOB ROLES

Sales Manager: Organises a team of sales representatives and devise strategies to maximise sales and customer loyalty. They are employed to sell all
sorts of products and services for national retailers or distributors of one or
more particular products.

AN ADVERTISING GRADUATES GET PLACED ACROSS DOMAINS IN THE

INDUSTRY. BUT THE EXACT JOB ROLE DEPENDS ON SPECIALISATION.

he various roles played by professionals

in advertising field are cut across many
streams. The most common ones are:

Advertising Copywriter/Creative Director:

They are responsible for generating words, slogans and audio scripts that accompany advertising visuals.

Media Planners: Decide the different media where the advertisements

would be featured in order to get maximum viewership.
Media Buyer: Negotiates to buy space in the Press, or time on electronic
media at the best rates for which he/she has to understand the buying as well
as the latest selling trends.

Pay packet
The pay scales can vary from one advertising agency to another. A fresher can
expect a salary between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 per month in the creative
department of the advertising agency. After years of experience, the salary
levels reach up to Rs. 50,000 per month and beyond.

Market Research Executive: They try to find

out what people think and how they behave and
why.
Market Research Interviewer: Collects information on peoples attitudes, experiences and
conduct interviews with people and record their
responses to give organisations a better understanding of their target audiences likes, dislikes
and future needs.

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Advertising Course Review

CAREER CHALLENGES
ADVERTISING PROFESSIONALS WILL HAVE TO WORK VERY HARD
AND DELIVER UNDER TIGHT SCHEDULES.

and nail on a certain campaign but lost bid to your competitor. Or, the client
has rejected your campaign. Advertising has now become more accountable
and needs to deliver results, says Harita. Also remember, she adds, you are
in a service business. So you cannot have an ego. At times, when an ad you
have worked on doesnt garner much interest, cultivate a move-on temperament.

asy as it may sound, it is quite a tough job

for ad-makers to crack into the selling
point in an age where people are spoilt
for choices between similar products. (What
makes you pick Kukri from Uncle Chips, Tango,
Aliva, Lehar, Cheetos, Hippo, Stax, nutrichoice
and a host of other branded and traditional namkeen - that too from same company or competitors)?
Advertisements emanate out of hard work.
Under tight deadlines. Working in an agency
means putting in long hours and gaining experience onthe-job. You are expected to learn
very quickly, there is no concept of a slow induction, states Malavika Harita, CEO Saatchi and
Saatchi. Good communication skills, the ability
to think visually and communicate clearly are a
must. One has to be resilient and tough. There
can be instances where you have worked tooth
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Advertising Course Review

INDUSTRY TALK

Course Review Advertising

Best PG Diploma institutes in India

National Institute of Advertising, New Delhi

Malavika R Harita,

Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi

CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi

Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad

Xavier's Institute of Communications, Mumbai

orks on brands, like Bosch, Reliance Polymers, Infosys, Microsoft,

Birla Wellness and Coats amongst others. The IIM-Bangalore alumnus who fell in love with advertising in her second year has not yet recovered
from its charm. She shares her ad world experience.

Q: What perception did you have of an ad agency when you joined?

A: I started my career as a client and then shifted to an agency 10 years down

the line because I got bored working on a single brand. I wanted to see how
life was on the other side. It was crazy, stimulating and the greatest fun I had
ever had.

Q: Advertising is seen as a glamorous field. How accurate is this image?

A: Advertising is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. But just under-

standing how a piece of communication is changing a consumer mindset is a

reward. You dont mind the long hours and the difficult clients.

Indira School of Communication (ISC), Tathawade, Pune

Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication, Dwarka, Delhi
Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT), Noida

Worlds top institutes offering courses in Advertising

Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
London College of Communications, UK
Miami Ad School, US
Michigan State University, US
Boston University, US
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology , Australia
Queensland University of Technology , Australia

Q: What qualities and qualifications do you look for in a B-school hire?

A: Most students from the top MBA Institutes do not join an agency because

of the starting salary even though they may love the subject. But I have found
that those that do are the ones not hung up on money and are looking to do
something they love. We look for good communication skills in a candidate.

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