INTRODUCTION: Advertising is the means of informing as well as influencing the general public to buy products or services through visual

or oral messages. A product or service is advertised to create awareness in the minds of potential buyers. Some of the commonly used media for advertising are T.V., radio, websites, newspapers, magazines, bill-boards, hoardings etc. As a result of economic liberalization and the changing social trends advertising industry has shown rapid growth in the last decade. It forms the basis of marketing. A career in advertisement is quite glamorous and at the same time challenging. Whether its brands, companies, personalities or even voluntary or religious organizations, all of them use some form of advertising in order to be able to communicate with the target audience. The salary structure in advertising is quite high. Today, new areas are emerging within advertising like event management, image management, internet marketing etc. In the last three quarters of 2009 mobile and internet advertising grew by 18.1% and 9.2% respectively. JOB OPPORTUNITIES: The job in this field is categorised into two1) Executive Department

Client Servicing: It is the front face of the agency, represents the agency to the client and the client within the agency.

Account Planning: It involves evolving the overall strategic plan including the budget, selecting the right media after interacting with the client, the creative team, the media planning department and if necessary, the market research agency.

Media Planning/Research: It helps ad agencies choose the best outlet or medium to reach the customer they want. They plan, schedule, book and purchase space in the print media (newspapers, magazines) or outdoors (billboards, kiosks and bus panels) and time (TV & radio, internet).

2) Creative Department

Creative Department: The creative department's task is to harness the right words, the most appropriate and arresting visuals - anything and everything that will grab the attention and prompt a sale.

Copywriters: the Copywriter gets down to the task of putting across the message in words headline, followed by the body copy in the case of a press ad, a dialogue or jingle for a radio spot, or a detailed story board in the case of a TV commercial.

Visualisers/ Art Department/ Photographers: Takes care of the overall "look and feel" of the campaign starting with a "scribble" or rough sketch which accommodates the various components i.e. headline, visual, picture, text, logo, etc. in a balanced format within the given space.

Top Advertising Agencies in India: Some of the major Advertising Agencies in India where one can think of making a good career in the Advertising areLintas India Ltd, Ushak Kaal Advertising Pvt Ltd, Triton Communications Pvt Ltd, Ogilvy & Mather Ltd, Madison Advertising Pvt Ltd, Mudra Communications Ltd etc. India is also good destination for starting a career in Public Relations. Some of the good PR agencies in India are- Howard Ruben public Relations, Insight Communications Services, Porter Noveli, Allison public Relations, Eileen Koch and Company, GCI Group, NM Marketing Communications Inc. etc.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Education and training: For marketing, sales, and promotions management positions, employers often prefer a BBA or MBA with an emphasis on marketing. Courses in business law, management, economics, accounting, finance, mathematics, and statistics are advantageous. For advertising management positions, some employers prefer a bachelor's degree in advertising or journalism. For public relations management positions, some employers prefer a bachelor's or master's degree in public relations or journalism. The applicant's curriculum should include courses in advertising, business administration, public affairs, public speaking, political science, and creative and technical writing.

Most advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales management positions are filled through promotions of experienced staff or related professional personnel. In large firms, promotion may occur more quickly. Other qualifications: Computer skills are necessary for recordkeeping and data management. Also, the ability to communicate in a foreign language may open up employment opportunities in many rapidly growing areas around the country. For becoming advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers should be mature, creative, highly motivated, resistant to stress, flexible, and decisive. The ability to communicate persuasively, both orally and in writing, with other managers, staff, and the public is vital. The managers also need tact, good judgment, and exceptional ability to establish and maintain effective personal relationships with supervisory and professional staff members and client firms. Various Job Profiles available in this sector: Mudra Communications Pvt. Ltd. (naukri.com) Experience: 3 - 5 Years Location: Mumbai Compensation: Rupees 3,50,000 - 5,00,000 Education: UG - Any Graduate - Any Specialization,Graduation Not Required PG - Any PG Course Any Specialization,Post Graduation Not Required Industry Type: Advertising/ PR/MR/Events Role: Client Servicing/Key Account Mgr Functional Area: Marketing, Advertising, MR, PR

Eulogy India(naukri.com) Experience: 4 - 6 Years Location: Mumbai Education: UG - B.A, B.Com PG - Integrated PG - Journalism / Mass Communication, Management, PR/ Advertising, MBA/PGDM - Advertising/Mass Communication, Marketing Industry Type: Advertising/ PR/MR/Events Role: PR & Media Relations Mgr Functional Area: Marketing, Advertising, MR, PR

APT Media(shine.com) Area of Work: Internet Marketing,Marketing / Communication,Sa... Industry: Advertising / MR / PR / Events Location: Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida Experience: 0 - 2 Yrs Magnum Media Communications(shine.com)

Key Skills: Space Selling, Advertising Experience: 1 - 5 Years Specialization: Advertising / Media / Arts Job Function: Sales / Business Development Industry: Entertainment / Media Qualification: School & Graduation - Any Graduate Location: Chennai

Overall employment of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers is expected to increase by 13 percent through 2018. Job growth will be stimulated by competition for growing number of goods and services, both foreign and domestic, and the need to make ones product or service stand out in the crowd. Also new and different ways are being developed to advertise and promote products and services to reach potential customers. Therefore this sector would be a boom in future.