Are you interested in a career in advertising? If you have in you what it takes to be in this industry, there are ample scopes for you to explore this domain and set your creativity free, so that it may mean a little business for others.

Advertisement is one of the most glamourous industry in the world. It is the means of influencing the public, in general, turning them in to consumers of the products and services you are trying to market, through messages that can be visual, oral or both. Advertisement exploits media like television, website, radio, newspapers and magazines, hoardings and billboards, etc. to get its idea across to the public.

The advertisement industry is full of eminent and colorful personalities who have created their own reputation. Prahlad Kakar, for example, is one of those who command a very high brand recall among industry professionals as well as beyond. Alyque Padamsee, the father of advertising in India, shot to fame as the father of Lalitaji, the quintessential modern day Indian homemaker. Ken Ghosh, who has already started leaving his marks in the advertising world as well as cinema, is also highly reputed among the industry professionals.

Lions Awards which is hosted in France, we have some Advertisement from India always winning every year and Indian Advertisering personalities are regarded highly amongst the world's best and creative professionals in the Industry.

Adversiting offers a range of lucrative and attractive careers from where one can choose. The jobs in the field can be categorized as two primary sections:

• Creative
• Executive.

Copywriters are generally known as the Creative Crew of a particular advertisement firm. As a copywriter one's task will be to produce 'copies' or written text for a particular advertisement. These copies are to consist of original slogans, and text matters for printed advertisements, hoardings, bill boards and leaflets.

The work also include creating jingles and scripts for commercials to be aired on television, radio, etc.

In the early stage of one's career as a Copywriter, one will have to work as part of a Creative Team, headed by an Art Director, who provides with the visual images that shall go with the copy has to write. The job begins when you are briefed about the commodity product or service you are to promote, the client, the targeted audience, and the message your client wants to put forward to that audience. Your work, then, begins with creating original ideas to fit the project, under the director's guidance. Then you will have to put your ideas to the agency's creative director and the accounts team. Then your entire team, patched up with related specialists from your agency, will present the idea to the client for their approval. If your client asks you to amend certain points in your copy, you will have to pursue them and make sure that you have a copy that will be persuasive, clear, and meeting all the codes in advertisement procedure. Other associated works include proofreading, choosing cast if it is a TV or a radio ad, and liaising with designers, photographers, production firms and printers.

Graphic Designer, whose work is to analyze and determine the needs of the client, the message and the design is to convey, and its viability among the target audience, the nature of these audience and several other important things. Then it is for a designer, to produce sketches and layouts in order to demonstrate the visualization of the design. They also select the elements for multimedia presentations and representations in the final advertisement. As a graphic designer, one may also have to supervise assistants who are to execute your creations.

What one need to qualify as a Graphic Designer is an insight, and a spree for creation. However, a little grooming is always preferred and graduates in graphic designing, or some analogous stream, will have an upper hand. Degree programs in Bachelors of fine arts, Graphic Designing, are offered at many colleges and universities. The curriculum includes training in Studio Art, Principles in Designing, Computer Designing, Graphic Productions, Printing Techniques, and website designing.

Photography is the most glamourous and lucrative career in the advertising industry. This is a unique and creative medium of self-expression. An art form requires aesthetic sense as well as expertise. With the explosion of Media Communication, growth of advertisement, etc. photography has become a profession that can be vied for.

Advertising photographs are either taken by photograph departments in the agency, or there are separate firms, and by photo studios, or freelancers. As a Advertising photographer, one has to create a visual impact and impression of product and its associated Lifestyle.

This is a highly lucrative branch and is thus very competitive. In order to establish oneself here one need to combine expertise, efficiency and personality. A photographer not only clicks the camera shutter but also is expected to give his inputs in all the associated domains.

Advertising Account Manager is one of the most important tasks to be carried in the creation of an advertisement. An advertising account manager discusses the client's requirements, and plans advertising and promotional operations for selling services and products. As an account manager, you are expected to maintain regular contact with the agency clients, discuss their ideas and then work on them with the advertising account director. You will have to help the account director in maintaining the accounts and preparing advertisement campaigns. Preparing cost estimates in relation with advertisement and presenting the advertisement ideas to the firm's clients. It will be your task to brief the media and creative department of your regarding what the clients want and carry out duties that are more senior and take on maximum responsibilities.

To enter this job you need to have the knowledge about various techniques in advertisement and promotions and know how to advertise a certain product or service effectively. Knowledge of media and how to exploit them according to situations is a must from advertising account manager. the knack to study the target audience, do market researches, analytic skills regarding how to deliver the best for the client, etc are also prerequisites of becoming an account manager. Skills of planning and managing time are crucial to an advertisement account manager.

Advertising is a diverse domain, and different specializations have their own set of schools and courses. One of the most well known schools that offer a range of courses in advertisement and media management is MICA, or Mudra Institute of Communication and Management.

The most popular entry point to the industry is as a Copywriter. Though there are no set criteria for you to become a copywriter, advertising industry is becoming a highly competitive zone and most employers will prefer if you have a degree or qualification of a similar level. In India, copywriting is taught as a professional course in various institutes such as:

• IIMC, or Indian Institute for Mass Communication, JNU campus, New Delhi.
• The Mudra Institute of Communication Ahmedabad, or MICA
• Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi
• Jadavpur University, Kolkata

who will help you graduate in mass communication and help you enter the industry with much ease.

Being a medium of creative expression, Photography demands more of inherent talent rather than formal training. However, full-time photography courses are run at:

• National Institutes of Design, Ahmedabad
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication, JNU Campus, New Delhi
• Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
• Film & Television Institute of India, Pune,
• Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institue, Kolkata

....and many more.

Courses in Account Management are conducted in the various Indian Institutes of Management, or IIMs, and several other management institutes. If you are qualified in Accounts Management, you can begin your career as Advertising Account Manager or as a Financial Advisor in an Advertising Agency and ensure yourself a flying future.

Some of Institutions offering courses in Advertising and Mass Communications in India are:

1. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kasthurba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi - 1
2. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati K.M.Munshi Marg, Chowpatty, Mumbai - 600 007
3. Bhavan's Harilal Bhagvati College of Mass Communications, Race Course Road, Bangalore - 560 001
4. Bhavan's Institute of Communications and Management, FA/111 Salt Lake City, Calcutta - 770 064
5. Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, JNU New Campus, New Delhi - 110 067
6. Indian Institute of Technology, Powai, Mumbai - 76
7. Mass communications Research Centre, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jamianagar, New Delhi - 110 025
8. Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Shela, Ahmedabad - 58
9. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Vile Parle (West), Mumbai - 400 056
10. Siddharth College of Communications, D.N.Road, Mumbai - 1
11. Somaiya College of Arts, Chowpatty, Mumbai - 7
12. Sophia College, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai - 400 026
13. University of Mumbai's Garware Institute of Career Education and Development, Kalina Campus, Santa Cruz (East), Mumbai-8

Specialised Advertising and Communications Management Programme is offered by:

1. Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Ahmedabad - 380 058
2. NMIMS, Mumbai - 400 056
3. Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune - 411 004

P.G.Diploma in Marketing Management is offered by:

1. Clarion College of Communication, Calcutta
2. NIS, a division of NIS Sparta Ltd., a Reliance Sales Education Institute, with centres in all major towns of India
3. Times School of Marketing, 10, Daryaganj, New Delhi-2

The MBA courses of reputed management schools also allow entry into the executive department of the Advertising sector.

To join as a Visualiser/Creative person in an advertisement agency, a degree or diploma in Fine/Commercial Art is the basic qualification.

Today, newer areas of specialization are emerging within the advertising industry, like Event Management, wherein events are marketed, Image Management, where the profiles of a personality or an organization are projected, and so on.

Internet marketing is also a lucrative field these days, which has brought about many changes in the industry aiming at a Niché audience rather than mass participation.

Due to growing economic liberalization and the changing trends in society, advertising industry has gained tremendous grounds and has already established itself as a lucrative career option. Advertising is one aspect in Mass Communication and is integrally linked with marketing and public relations.

A career in advertisement is very glamorous and at the same time very challenging, in terms of both physical and intellectual labour. Advertisement finds its significance in every sphere of life - whether it is a firm, a certain brand, some personality, some religious or voluntary - every unit use some form of advertising so that they can communicate with their specific audience. The salary configuration in the industry is very high and if you have the knack and skill in yourself, you can unabatedly reach the top in no time. It is a perfect profession for all of you who have some creativity and who can easily deal with work-pressure.

Career in Advertising will definitely bring you attractive remuneration and perks. The most successful Ad professionals are said to draw salaries in excess of a lakh per month, in addition to various yearly performance incentives. Many advertisement professionals also tend to start their own advertising agencies after a decade of working. Advertising, promotions, marketing, etc are essentially linked and the area is highly coveted in today's times. Fresh graduates can expect a salary ranging between 9000 and 15000 INR per month. This is the approximate start off configuration and the remuneration is supposed to undergo accelerating increment with experience and expertise. In a few years down the line, you may expect to earn more than 2.5 lakhs per annum and even there is more scope for improvement.

The Indian economy is booming at a rate of 9% per annum, with the services sector as the primary engine of growth. Additionally, the sphere of advertising is expanding consistently and it promises to overlap with other domains like corporate communication, marketing and branding. All these factors make advertising one of the hottest industry segments that promises a huge demand for trained professionals. At an entry level, the best way to get a break in an advertisement firm is through campus placements. A strong alumni network also helps fresh graduates get their first stint with an ad firm. Additionally, an aspiring advertisement professional may apply for internships in ad agencies through cold calling, or through various recruitment firms. On a middle management level, most of the recruitment are done through referrals and networking.