What Are the Functions of an Advertising Agency?
Private and public sector businesses use advertising agencies when they need help spreading the word about their products and services. Such agencies vary in size and often specialize in specific types of advertising tasks. Generally speaking, most advertising agencies create visuals, and oversee media buying and advertising campaign planning. They also provide consultation services and implement branding plans.
Planning and Managing Advertising Tasks
Advertising agency employees with various specializations come together to plan and execute advertising campaigns for their clients. In the campaign planning stage, account executives outline a budget, set goals and identify the prospective audience using market research. After initial planning stages, tasks are doled out to agency staff according to their expertise. Managerial staff provide supervision for the project, while creative and account services are handled separately. Graphic artists, copywriters, web designers, filmmakers and photographers handle the creative work for the campaign. Business administrators, buyers and account managers work the creative portions into the business plan. Together, the team ensures the message, finances and timeline remain in accordance with the goals of the campaign.
Advertising agencies employ a range of staff to provide services to their clients. Graphic designers, photographers and filmmakers create eye-catching art work to accompany the written elements of the campaign. Some designers work in new media, where they design and maintain Web pages, blogs and other forms of interactive, online outreach that drive traffic to an organization. Employees working an agency's account management divisions ensure the creative work remains consistent with the messages agreed upon by the clients and agency.
An advertising agency's primary goal is to establish or support strong branding for clients through their campaigns. Branding refers to the message an audience internalizes and associates with a company and its products or services. To assist companies with branding efforts, advertising agencies research consumers' preferences, then work to create memorable slogans, packaging, themes and accompanying advertising. When a brand is strong and recognizable, sales, support and credibility will often follow, which allows the agency and client to measure the effectiveness of their work.
Marketing and Public Relations
Some advertising agencies handle complimentary services that are related to advertising campaigns, such as marketing and public relations. When agencies handle public relations services, they manage the types of messages that pass between a company, its public and other parties, such as employees and the media. Advertising agencies also might handle other marketing tasks, such as research, events, networking, branding and online outreach. Advertising and marketing are interrelated, so it is common for advertising agencies to handle a variety of marketing tasks.
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