A job in traffic is probably the most thankless job in an agency. Unlike a writer or an art director who can scarf up an award for an ad they've done, and unlike a marketing person who can get some notoriety by coming up with a successful marketing idea, the folks in traffic never really get noticed until they make a mistake. Then they really get noticed, because, by the nature of their responsibilities, their mistakes usually border on disaster.
There is one advantage, though, that traffic has over every other department in an agency. A job in traffic is the best position there is from which to learn how an agency operates. A job in traffic lets you work with people from every other department in an agency, and because you keep tabs on everything that's done on a project, you learn what responsibilities each and every job entails.
Everyone comes to traffic with their problems: the art director who needs more information for an ad, the producer who can't get film prints on time because he's having trouble with a lab. In most cases, traffic finds a way to help. Because one of the nicest parts about being in traffic is the kick you get out of being involved on a project from so many different directions. It's also just plain neat to be the only person who knows the exact status of so many different jobs.
That may sound like nothing but an ego trip, but it's no more so than an art director feeling proud of a commercial he just did, or a researcher who's ecstatic because he found a new reason people would buy a seemingly dead product.
The deep involvement of a traffic person creates his heavy responsibilities. When traffic loses track of where a job is, the whole agency is in trouble.
Even with all that responsibility, a beginner's job in traffic is easier to get than most other beginner jobs, partly because there are no clear-cut ways for a employer to tell whether someone would be good in traffic. There's no need to see a portfolio, because a traffic person isn't responsible for creating or producing advertising. There's no need for an M.B.A. from Harvard, because you wouldn't be in a position where you would have use for that kind of education. In fact, traffic isn't the kind of job in which you would use any specific information that you got out of a classroom.
With that in mind, the biggest help to anyone trying to get into traffic would be to have an educational background that touched on all areas of advertising. Take courses in creative writing, theater, drama, graphics, marketing, merchandising, psychology, and promotion. If that kind of educational back-ground sounds like it could be used by anyone to get into any other department of an agency, then so be it. The fact is that traffic is the place from which a lot of people in other departments come.
Of all the people who get into traffic, few spend their entire careers there. Most use it as a stepping stone to get into other areas. It's not at all unusual to find an account executive, media buyer, marketing, research, or production person who got his start in traffic. That's why traffic is a good idea for you if you want to get into another department, but will work anywhere to get a start.
The primary requirements for a job in traffic are an uncanny ability to handle details and a capacity to get along with anyone. Beginners in traffic can't expect to earn much besides respect from their fellow workers and a chance to move up. That's why beginner salaries usually don't pay more than $8,000 to $12,000 a year, depending on the size of the agency you work for.
If you want to get into the traffic department of an agency, go to your friendly neighborhood Advertising Redbook and look up the names of the traffic directors in the agencies for which you'd like to work. If you can't find anyone with that title, look for someone with the title of account supervisor. If you can't find an account supervisor, call an account executive. If all else fails, call the president of the joint.
If a job in traffic is what you want, then tell him that. Just remember: if what you really want to be is an account executive, but you can't find any entry-level positions, then explain to the person interviewing you for that A.E. spot that you'll do anything to start-including work in traffic. Do the same if you want to get into marketing, media, research, or any other department. Because when you get to the bottom line, the best part about working in traffic is that it's the most intelligent way there is to break into any part of the advertising business.
