ADVERTISING AGENCY: AN INTRODUCTION An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising (and

sometimes other forms of promotion) for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services. An agency can also handle overall marketing and branding strategies and sales promotions for its clients. Typical ad agency clients include businesses and corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies. Agencies may be hired to produce an advertising campaign TYPES OF AD AGENCIES Ad agencies come in all sizes and include everything from one or two-person shops (which rely mostly on freelance talent to perform most functions), small to medium sized agencies, large independents such as SMART and TAXI, and multi-national, multi-agency conglomerates such as Omnicom Group, WPP Group, Publicis, Interpublic Group of Companies and Havas.

Full-service agencies Most full-service agencies work on a combination of fee-based and commission based compensation. The fee is paid by the entity for which the marketing is being done. The commission is a payment from the media to the agency and is usually equal to 15% of the cost of the advertisement. The broadcast media, radio and television, traditionally pay a commission. Full-service, or media-neutral advertising agencies produce work for many types of media, creating integrated marketing communications, or through-the-line (TTL) advertising. The "line", in this case, is the traditional marker between the media that pay a commission to the agency and the media that do not. Full-service agencies are also known as traditional advertising agencies for the client, wherein the client satisfies almost all their advertising or promotional needs with the same organization. This type of agency provides advertising services such as strategic planning, creative development, production, media planning, media buying, and other related services such as sales promotional, direct selling, design, and branding, etc. Interactive agencies Interactive agencies may differentiate themselves by offering a mix of web design/development, search engine marketing, internet advertising/marketing, or e-business/e-commerce consulting. Interactive agencies rose to prominence before the traditional advertising agencies fully embraced the Internet. Offering a wide range of services, some of the interactive agencies grew very rapidly, although some have downsized just as rapidly due to changing market conditions. Today, the most successful interactive agencies are defined as companies that provide specialized advertising and marketing services for the digital space. The digital space is defined as any multimedia-enabled electronic channel that an advertiser's message can be seen or heard from. The 'digital space' translates to the Internet, kiosks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and lifestyle devices (iPod, PSP, and mobile). Interactive agencies function similarly to advertising agencies, although they focus solely on interactive advertising services. They deliver services such as strategy, creative, design, video, development, programming (Flash and otherwise), deployment, management, and fulfillment reporting. Often, interactive agencies provide: digital lead generation, digital brand development, interactive marketing and communications strategy, rich media campaigns, interactive video brand experiences, Web 2.0 website design and development, e-learning Tools, email marketing, SEO/SEM services, PPC campaign management, content management services, web application development, and overall data mining & ROI assessment. The recent boost in the interactive agencies can also be attributed to the rising popularity of webbased social networking and community sites. The creation of sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube have sparked market interest, as some interactive agencies have started offering personal and corporate community site development as one of their service offerings. It still may be too early to tell how agencies will use this type of marketing to monetize client ROI, but all signs point to online networking as the future of brand marketing and Interactive beeing the core of Brands

Communication and Marketing Strategy. Due to the social networking explosion, new types of companies are doing reputation management. This type of agency is especially important if a company needs online damage control. If a customer becomes disgruntled, it is very easy to damage a companys reputation over social networking sites. Because of how rapidly the information spreads, it becomes absolutely necessary to address any rumors, gossip or other negative online press immediately. Examples of interactive agencies include Activ@Mente, Agencynet, AKQA, B-Reel, Big Fuel, Big Spaceship, Centro, Core Industries, Digital, Domani, eROI, EVB, Fantasy Interactive, Firstborn Interactive, Freedom+Partners, Night Agency, Odopod, Razorfish, R/GA, Rokkan, Spy Media Lab, Your Majesty and ZOO among others. Bc web wise pvt ltd

Social media agencies

Social media agencies specialize in promotion of brands in the various social media platforms like blogs, social networking sites, Q&A sites, discussion forums, microblogs etc. The two key services of social media agencies are: social media marketing online reputation management

Healthcare communications agencies Healthcare communications agencies specialize in strategic communications and marketing services for the Healthcare and Life Science industries. These agencies distinguish themselves through an understanding of the strict labeling and marketing guidelines mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and industry group guidelines, most notably ADVAMED and PHARMA. Notable examples include: Dudyk

The functions of the departments of an ad agency

CEO/ Head

Account Planning

Client Servicing

Creative

Media

Production

Billing/ Finance

Print Art Copy

TV

Planning

Buying

1. Number of people required per department: a. Account Planning: b. Client Servicing: c. CreativeArt: Copy: d. Media Planning and Buying: e. Production: f. Billing and Finance: Total number of people required: 2. Job Responsibilities: a. Account Planner/Manager: - Responsible for conducting research to generate consumer insights and market trends/ developments. - Should understand the needs of the organization.

b. Client Servicing: - Responsible for taking client briefs and convey this to the other departments of the agency. - Also would study the client, the product and the market. - Should have knowledge of all available media. c. Creative Department: Art: - Responsible for creating and visualizing the layout of the ad. Copy:

- Create ideas for advertising and promotion. - Would do copywriting for all sorts of advertising and promotional material. d. Media Department - Would responsible for the planning, scheduling, booking and the purchase of space and time in various media. e. Production - Would responsible for producing print ads and television commercial. f. Billing/ Finance: - Would look after the financial requirement of the agency. - Also facilitate creative and production department by providing production material.

The role of people working in an Advertising Agency The Full Service Advertising Agency The full service agency typically has four main departments or functions: Account Handling Creative Services Media Department Production 1: Account Handling Manages the relationship between the Client and the Agency Within the Agency represents interests of Client Represents interests of Agency when talking to the Client Usually responsible for finding and developing new business 1: Account Handling Key roles: Account Director Account Planner Account Executive / Account Manager Account Director Usually board level director Expertise in a product or market sector Strategic overview of account Regular contact with client at director level Account Planner May or may not be separate role from Account Director Brand Manager type role developing strategies for account over the long term Should have a direct role in helping to develop creative and media strategies Account Manager or Account Executive Day-to-day liaison and running of account Daily contact with client marketing dept Co-ordinates agency departments creative, media, production Fulfils short term objectives May work on several accounts Responsible to Account Director

2: The Creative Department Creates ideas, concepts and sometimes finished art for advertising, literature and other marketing materials Should represent point of view of the consumer May liaise with outside suppliers such as illustrators, photographers, writers, web designers and film producers The Creative Director

Should be a board level director Responsible for quality of agencys creative output Selects which creative solutions should be presented to client The Creative Team Copywriter and Art Director team Produce the initial concept is response to Creative Brief Probably work on several accounts Some agencies team Account Handler with Creative Team to form an Account Team Responsible to Creative Director

The Media Department Most agencies today use an outside consultancy for the media requirements. Three functions need to be addressed. Media Research Identify which media reach your target audience most effectively Media Planning Planning the best media mix and timings to achieve the clients marketing objectives Media Buying Getting the best value for money out of the clients media budget. Involves considerable negotiating skills

The Production Department Ensures that finished artwork is delivered to the appropriate media by the deadlines May also source specialist materials and suppliers e.g. specialist printers and paper May include a Traffic Department which progresses jobs through the agency to ensure jobs are completed on schedule May include Studio Manager, Mac Operators, Finished Artists etc

Other Marketing Services Each agency is unique and may offer other specialist service departments. Some of the most common are: Public Relations Direct Marketing Recruitment Advertising