adspeak

What led you to work in advertising?

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So I originally started in PR which was what my major was and then within PR there are’s a lot of agencies and I had a lot of internships in PR agencies. When I started at EP I was in PR in Greenville, SC. I did like it but for me the more I started doing it I didn’t only want to be doing media, events and sponsorships. I liked it but I just didn’t think it was for me, especially at EP which is a very advertising focused there wasn’t a whole lot of opportunity for big PR focus. So that’s the good thing about being at an agency because there are so many different disciplines that you can hop within. You can start in PR then go to strategy then go to traditional account management. So after that the team I joined was the verizon social team which had a lot of stuff related to PR but it was more like advertising focused and so that’s how I got looped into account. I think ,especially within account management, you’re doing the same types of functions whether you’re in PR, strategy, account, you have to have the same skill sets, like client relationships, project management and working with creatives. No matter what your big focus is you’re gonna have those core. Once you’re in the agency world there are so many ways you can go.

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Do you think there is a set of characteristics that define people in advertising?

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Yes and no. I would say from an account side they are more categorized as type A personalities, so like really on top of things, micromanagers, they have to keep things moving, be on top of timing and schedules. Also need to be a really big people person, especially with your client. Even if you don’t agree you need to have really good relationship skills. There is a fine line between being a pushover and wanting what’s best for their business. Our job is to hear what they have to say and put our account brain on it to say, ‘we hear what you’re saying but for you business goals and from a strategy end, this is what’s really going to work for you’. So a lot of it is being able to filter what they need, what they want and then being able to filter that to the creative team. SO kind of being that middle man, the mediator. I think you have to be able to wear many hats. Account people have to jungle a lot of things and have a good attitude while doing it. I think from a creative end it is more of a type B personality, they’re looser. Some creatives are better at deadlines than others. I’m more of a morning person that wants to get everything done and they would rather come in late and stay in late working. I think EP has a good balance of type A and type B personalities. The biggest thing even as an account person is having that creative mindset. Everyone needs to have a creative mind set and everyone needs to have strategy in their heads, you can’t only be just one. Just because i’m an account person doesn;t mean I can’t think creatively. Just because I’m not a strategist doesn’t mean I can’t think strategically.

 

How would you describe the role of account management to someone who is not familiar with the position?

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We’re the voice of our clients within the agency. We take our client’s needs and filter it back to the creative team to produce the work or the campaign to deliver their business goals. So you’re really the middle man between the clients and the rest of the agency. To make sure you client’s goals are being met and deliverables are being met.

 

What do you do when you bump head with the client/ creative/ production?

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With clients, we are really lucky that Califia is like the nicest client I’ve ever worked with. They are super appreciative and they love our work and that’s very rare. I think that when you can build trust it’s good because you are still learning how to work together. It’s important to follow up with emails so everyone knows what’s going on and you can reference back to it. It’s important to have records about what we talked about, especially when there is a lot of stuff going on. At times it’s hard because you have clients that want you to do ridiculous things. Laot of times they have feeling pressure because someone is telling them to do something but it is our job to recommend the best practice.Sometimes there are times when they want to do it and you just have to do it, it is what it is. But it our job to provide our strategic opinion. It’s about being transparent with your client. Working with creatives once you brief them in you have to trust them that what they produce will be great. We are all on the same team and we all have to same goal of producing good work for our client. Creatives are very sensitive with their work, their work is like their babies. You have to give the creative your own client feedback before you actually share with the client. It’s sensitive to give your opinion when you’re not actually the client. We don’t really work much with production with the Califia account because it’s primarily social. You have to pay attention to the details so nothing wrong gets released.

 

What is the craziest thing that has happened to you at work?

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I think advertising is crazy all the time and nothing really fazes me anymore.

 

What advice would you share with people looking to get into the industry?

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Submerse yourself in every single thing you can while you are i an agency because I think you get to learn so much and see so many things and work with so many people. You definitely have to be a really big go-getter and be willing to go the extra mile. Especially in an agency where it is so competitive to get a job. It’s hard to have a work- life balance because there are so many hours ans thing to do but my mentality is to just do it while I’m young and before I have a family. You have to have a really good attitude because you’re gonna be here a lot. I think that’s the biggest thing is finding an agency where you feel comfortable at. You have to be willing to wear multiple hats because there will be a lot of times where you will have to do things that are not related to your job. Saying yes, not to everything, but it’s opportunities. Volunteer a lot because that’s who you’ll meet people and they will learn your name and realize that you really want to work and want to be here. All that and being organized and timely. People have to trust you that things will get done.