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Advertising Account Executive

Do you want to become a Advertising Account Executive? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

Job Description - Print Page

Advertising account executives are the link between a client and an advertising agency. They plan, organise and monitor advertising campaigns.

• Account executives receive a set of instructions (a ‘brief') from a client. They discuss with other agency staff how they are going to act on those instructions.
• They work closely with account planners and media staff to devise a marketing strategy and advertising campaign that meets the client's brief. They then present the proposal to the client. When it is approved, they brief the agency's creative team.
• Account executives make sure that deadlines are met, that the client is informed about the campaign's progress and that any problems are ironed out. They monitor the effectiveness of the campaign.
• They also handle the administration of the account. This includes invoicing, writing reports and keeping records and financial details.

Account executives usually work normal office hours Monday to Friday, but often have to work extra hours. They mostly work indoors in comfortable offices. They also have to travel to meet clients.

Salaries range from at least £17,000 a year for a junior account executive to over £100,000 a year for some senior executives.

An advertising account executive should:

• be passionate about advertising
• be commercially aware
• have good written and spoken communication skills
• be able to work well with a range of people and as part of a team
• have numerical ability and computer skills
• have stamina and drive to meet clients' deadlines
• have creative awareness and judgement
• have good negotiating skills.

There are around 3,500 advertising account executives in the UK. Some are freelance, but most work for advertising agencies. There are just over 1,000 agencies in the UK, of which over half are in London.

There are no set entry requirements. However, the main entry route is a graduate recruitment programme, so most entrants have a degree. There is no upper age limit for entry to this work. In practice, however, advertising is a young person's industry.

When starting work, account executives are trained by their employer. They may work for qualifications awarded by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising or The Communication Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation (CAM).

Progression can be to account manager, account director and board account director. Some set up small advertising agencies of their own or work freelance.

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