Advertising is the means of drawing public attention to the products/services of a company. When effectively placed, advertising can generate demand for products/goods and enhance their desirability. Advertising gives information, creates awareness, and influences the buying habits of people.

The advertising sector opens out to two kinds of jobs­ - the executive and the creative. The executive depart­ment seeks out the client, understands his needs, se­lects the appropriate media, analyses timing and place­ment of advertisements and negotiates the financial as­pect of the deal.

The executive department consists of Account Executive, Media Executive and Market Re­search. The creative department creates the advertisement copy. The creative team verbalises and visualises the spe­cific need of the client. The creative team comprises copy­writers, scriptwriters, photographers, artists, typographers and printers. This is a highly competitive field and hence the level of professionalism has to be very high.

Job Market : The job market for advertising profes­sionals is fast expanding. Apart from the traditional media like print, radio, TV and cinema; there are new avenues for promotional activities. The Internet is a rich prospect for the advertisement professional who can now look for opportunities in web designing. Also with the growth of Event Management in a big way, the fu­ture holds tremendous hope for the advertisement pro­fessional.

Training: For training in the executive side, various graduate, post-graduate and diploma programmes are offered in Mass Communication. Persons trained in marketing are suitable for jobs in the Executive side. Market research jobs are especially suited to Manage­ment graduates who have specialised in Marketing.

For training in the creative side, a regular course in fine arts would be ideal. A graduate/post graduate in literature who has a flair for writing could find entry as a copywriter.

List of Institutions offering courses in Advertising and Mass Communications

1. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kasthurb Gandhi Marg, NewDelhi-1

2. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati KM. Munshi Marg, Chowpatty, Mumbai-600 007

3. Bhavan’s Rarilal Bhagvati College of Mass Commu­nications, Race Course Road, Bangalore-560 001

4. Bhavan’s Institute of Communications and Manage­ment, FA/ll1 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 Islarnia, Jamianagar, New Delhi-ll0 025

8. Mudra Institute of Communications, Shela, Ahmedabad-58

9. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Vile Parle (West), Mumbai-400056

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

14. Xavier Institute of Communications, St. Xavier’s Col­lege, Mumbai-400 001

Specialised Advertising and Communications Management Programme is offered by

1. MICA, Abmedabad-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., an NUT Company 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.

Centres offering Art / Design Training:

1. College of Art, Calcutta

2. College of Art, New Delhi

3. Faculty of Fine Arts, BRU, Varanasi

4. J.J. School of Art, Mumbai

5. M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara

6. National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

7. Sir J.J. School of Applied Art, Mumbai

(Courtesy:Excerpt from ‘A Directory of Higher Educational 2004’ published by Malayala Manorama, priced at Rs 70 it is available at Varsha Bookstall, Panjim.)

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