For these reasons it is difficult to get into. Competition is extremely keen. There are no keys to unlock doors. However well you try to equip yourself, qualifications are unlikely to be the decisive factor. Your personality and style and what you can do matter far more than letters after your name.
For this reason it can be a mistake to try to break into advertising while you are too young. Advertising is such a complicated business that you may be able to assimilate it better if you have spent a few years 'knocking around' travelling perhaps, or working in a shop or doing different kinds of jobs. It doesn't really matter what. The important thing is that you'll be more confident and able to cope at, say, 21 than you were at 16.
A higher degree is certainly of value, if only as proof of intellectual ability, and can make the difference between getting an interview and not getting one. Some major agencies have a regular intake of graduates for training schemes.
The Advertising Association and the Communication Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation (CAM)
The Advertising Association, Abford House, 15 Wilton Road, London SW1 represents all parties in advertising, agencies, clients and media and is an examining body for courses in advertising, public relations, marketing and communications.
There are two levels of examination on offer. The Certificate is about basic concepts and covers some seven subjects. The Diploma gives a choice of studying in depth three out of ten subjects. The AA administers the CAM examinations but is not involved in tuition. This is done through private colleges, correspondence courses, one or two state institutions such as The London College for Distributive Trades. There is available for the certificate home study, where no tutor is involved but readings and notes are used for solo study. CAM examinations are held in some polytechnics. Further information is available from CAM at Abford House.
Although questions on examinations differ from year to year, here are some from a recent CAM examination in Advertising:
Question: You are the Account Director for a lawn mower manufacturer with a 50% market share and £1 million advertising budget. The No. 2 brand (25%) is increasing advertising to £1.5 million and moving into television which your client does not use. Prepare a budget recommendation together with the broad media strategy you would adopt to fight off the competition.
Question: A leading client who is a major manufacturer of toiletries wishes to expand into higher priced, bigger margin and smaller volume markets which he believes can be reached through existing distribution channels.
As Account Director for the client's advertising agency, responsible for developing a proposed Advertising Strategy document, prepare a list of the information you would require for launching a new range of hair products.
Question: Your client is a major supplier of household cleaning products, and has produced a really effective and long lasting anti static furniture polish which will sell at treble the price of his existing product. He wishes to support a television advertising launch with a selective direct mail campaign containing an introductory product offer. Discuss the merits of this approach and provide examples of how the mailing can be effectively directed to the best targets.
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, located at 44 Belgrave Square, London SW1 is the professional institute for UK advertising agencies. It also runs courses available to the staff of all member agencies from the newcomer to senior personnel.
