BrainTrack's information on colleges and careers is drawn from many sources, including government databases, BrainTrack's own research, and results from original data analysis algorithms.
Advertising is a form of marketing used to communicate the availability and benefits of products, and motivate customers in target markets to buy. Constantly looking for new ways to promote brand awareness, advertising managers plan and implement advertising campaigns through different channels including:
in print through magazines, newspapers, catalogs
on radio through advertisements and interviews
on TV through commercials and infomercials
through product packaging and coupons
on the Internet through banner ads, videos and sponsorships
through direct advertising such as mailed flyers, postcards and letters
on bulletin boards and sports fields
sponsoring or coordinating promotional events
through purchasing commercial property such as stadiums or buildings
on software, DVDs, CDs and other media
on buses, taxis, trucks and other transportation
Advertising managers may oversee:
account executives, who assess the need for advertising for the company or clients
media directors, who select the advertising channel to use and oversee the dissemination
creative directors, who manage the design and written copy of advertisements
activities of advertising and promotions agencies that have been hired as contractors
Many small businesses either outsource most of their projects to an advertising firm or expect advertising managers to do a lot of the implementation work themselves within tight budgets. Larger companies may combine teams with outsourcing, using multi-million dollar budgets.
Advertising Manager Degrees and Advertising Manager Schools
Most advertising managers have a bachelor's degree from a college or university in journalism or advertising.
Advertising Manager Classes
Students of advertising typically study:
Advertising theory and marketing strategy
Communications and sales
Business management and law
Consumer behavior and psychology
Accounting and finance
Media management
Statistics and mathematics
Creative writing and journalism
Market research and data analysis
Graphic design, photography and art
Significant lab time is usually required to learn graphic design and other software and equipment. Participating in an internship during school, or gaining related work experience, are excellent ways to bolster employability. Job seekers can also gain leverage by obtaining optional certification through organizations such as The Public Relations Society of America.
Online Advertising Manager Classes and Programs
There are a few online degree programs for advertising. For the most part, because of the need for significant lab time, complex group projects and internship opportunities, on-campus programs are more common. Online programs ideally should be accredited through direct-learning oversight organizations.
Advertising Manager Requirements
Most employers consider a bachelor's degree in journalism or advertising to be the minimum requirement for hiring advertising managers.
How to Evaluate Advertising Manager Schools
Aspiring advertising students should evaluate degree programs for:
Course offerings - Does the program prepare the student for both entry level and management positions? Is significant lab time required?
Tuition, fees and amenities - What financial aid options such as grants, scholarships, student loans and work/study are available? Are computer labs well-equipped with state-of-the-art software and technology? Are students required to purchase expensive software programs and manuals?
Class size and experiential learning - What is the ratio between students and teacher in popular classes? Does the program coordinate internships and if so, is there a good selection of desirable ones from which to choose?
Graduate success - What is the percentage of students who find employment in their field upon graduating?
Reputation - Is the program recognized as a leader by industry associations and word-of-mouth?
Example Job Titles for Advertising Managers
(Titles per survey respondents and career experts.)
To help students currently pursuing a business or management degree, BrainTrack's Business Schools Scholarship offers a winning and second place award every semester. Applicant essays are designed to help others considering business and management career paths in general management, marketing, advertising, sales, accounting, finance, management analysis and consulting, and more. Eligible degrees include associate, bachelors, masters, or higher.
For recent winners and a selection of entries please visit BrainTrack's Business Student Stories section.
The BrainTrack Scholarship for Business helps current students pay for their education. Entrants must respond to essay questions that are geared toward helping people evaluate business as a potential career path. BrainTrack will publish those essays which prove most helpful to future students.
The scholarship is open to students with at least one semester of credits towards graduation with an appropriate degree in business. One student award of $1,000 for the best entry and one of $500 for the second best entry is planned for each of two semesters, on an annual basis. Entry deadlines are November 1 and March 1, with awards payable towards the student's current or following semester.
Winners will be selected based on the creativity, focus, overall thoughtfulness, accuracy, and practical value of their responses to essay questions. Determination of winners will be undertaken by a committee that includes independent judges familiar with business as well as BrainTrack staff.
Submit answers to questions designed to help those considering business as a career path. All answers must be entered into the scholarship entry form, which is started by clicking the I Agree button below.
Rules
Scholarship entry deadlines are November 1 and March 1 of every year. The deadline for the next scholarship award is March 1, 2010.
The scholarship competition is open to enrolled students who have completed at least one semester of credits in a business degree program and are currently pursuing a degree. Students must be enrolled in one or more relevant classes at the time of the entry deadline. Students may be in either a full-time or part-time program. They may also be enrolled in an on-campus and/or online program.
Winners will be notified by email and telephone, typically within six weeks following the entry deadline. All award payments are made to the school, toward the student's tuition.
Candidates may submit only one entry every 12 months.
Entrant's school must be in the US and have accreditation recognized by the US Department of Education.
Entrant must be a US citizen, have permanent resident status, or have an appropriate student visa.
Entrant must be living in the US or if living abroad entrant must be a US citizen or permanent resident currently enrolled in an online degree program with a qualified US-based school.
All submissions become the property of BrainTrack's publisher, FutureMeld LLC, and entrants grant permission to FutureMeld to use their essay answers, school name, and degree status for promotional or other purposes.
Entrants that are selected as finalists will be contacted by FutureMeld to provide one or more references from their school. FutureMeld will contact the reference(s) to verify an entrant's qualifications for the scholarship.
For non-winning entrants, FutureMeld will keep a student's name, contact information, and references private for use only in conjunction with this scholarship.
Winning entrants will have their name published. Winners must agree to a brief telephone interview with a BrainTrack staff writer for publication as part of the winners' announcement.
BrainTrack reserves the right to change rules between scholarship competitions at its discretion and to make rule clarifications at any time as needed.
Questions or comments? Please contact BrainTrack using our contact form.
Relevant Schools for Advertising Managers Which Respond Quickly to Info Requests Through This Site
School names link to detailed profiles. Use the Info from the School link to contact the school directly for more information. You may request information from as many schools as you like.
Career Highlights for
Apply For a BrainTrack Business Scholarship