Advertising managers are professionals who oversee large facets of advertising campaigns or whole adverting operations. It is common to find advertising management in three kinds of companies: advertising firms, companies that sell advertising space, and businesses that have a need for in-house advertising departments. While an advertising management professional might have areas of specialization, most managers are able to contribute to all aspects of an advertising campaign, including finance, design, and media coordination.
An advertising manager usually has academic training in management, marketing, or economics. He or she also should have years of experience performing and overseeing advertising operations. It is common for advertising managers to concentrate on leadership and planning instead of actual operations, such as ad design and sales.
When an advertising management professional specializes in accounts, he or she is usually in charge of all client relations. He or she might communicate directly with important clients and make contact with promising potential clients. This kind of advertising manager normally is responsible for predicting how much work clients will request and profits a firm should generate.
A creative advertising management professional oversees visual design and copy. For example, he or she directs writers who compose the text on advertisements, and provides guidelines to graphic designers who create images for ads and packaging. A creative manager usually communicates with a marketing manager to learn how a business would like to be seen in the public eye.
Media coordinators are responsible for buying ad opportunities from magazines, television networks, websites, and radio stations. This kind of manager learns from other advertising managers which outlets attract relevant demographics and at which times demographics access media outlets. For example, if a media coordinator learns that his or her client's demographic watches a particular program on Wednesday nights, he or she negotiates with sales representatives to place an ad at an optimum time and place.
Media outlets that sell advertising space also have need for advertising management. This kind of professional communicates with executives to learn about which advertisements an outlet might allow. For example, executives might disallow ads for alcoholic beverages during family programming. This kind of advertising manager negotiates rates with client representatives. In some cases, an advertising manager also might provide creative consulting if advertising is to match the style of a media outlet.
Public relations (PR) usually is considered part of advertising management. Individuals who practice PR write press releases and communicate with public institutions and government agencies. They tend to direct an organization's public image.
