Ever dreamt of a career in advertising? Any idea what goes on behind the walls of an ad agency? We thought so! Few people do, so GOLD staff writer, Luyanda Mbi, visited Bester Burke Slingers, an award winning advertising agency in Cape Town, to get the inside track from the people who know.

Bester Burke Slinger's offices are in funky Greenpoint, with huge glass windows looking out onto Table Mountain. When I arrive, the office is buzzing and I'm shown around and introduced to the team before I get to grill them on the nitty gritty of life in an ad agency.

First up, I meet Tracey Burke who's worked in advertising for 20 years.

Q: Tracey, tell me about your job

A: I'm in Traffic and Production, so this means I coordinate workload and schedules amongst our production crew. There's a whole lot of planning that goes with my job. I need to see what needs to be done, when, by whom and how. I then delegate the different tasks to relevant people, for example I'd ask the Art Buyer to source models for a shoot. I also need to keep track of people and their tasks. Basically making sure a campaign is smooth sailing.

Q: Why did you choose this career?

A: The advertising world is catchy, it's vibey. The people and the environment are great – it's just fun you know. In Advertising we work hard and we PLAY hard!

Next I meet Underground Managing Director Steve Jones, also with 20 years experience under his belt!

Q: Why did you choose advertising?

A: I believe that anyone who works in the marketing field is indirectly in advertising, they share the same values and beliefs so I guess advertising was and still is perfect for me. I am happy and it fulfills me.

Q: What don't you like about your job?

A: There's a lot of competition in Advertising, so one needs to be very cautious about the client's charges. With the recession, capital is very low so we have to cost less to get more clients and this gets really hard when you have to perform at normal standard at a low expenditure rate.

Finally, Wallace Seggie, a Creative Director with 8 years experience in advertising, introduced us to his world.

Q: Describe your job as Creative Director.

A: Ok, I oversee all the work in the creative studio – the place where we play and jot down ad campaign ideas - and ensure that the clients' needs are met.

Q: What did you study after you left school?

A: I studied Art and Graphic design at AAA School of Advertising. I've always been artistic. I did Art and excelled at it at school.

Q: Your job sounds incredible. Is there a not-so-nice part?

A: When we have to meet a deadline we have to meet it and that's that. This means putting in long hours. So, I suppose the long, demanding hours are sometimes not so nice. Well, I've certainly learned a lot chatting to these guys. I've always thought the world of advertising was one big playground, but after spending time at Bester Burke Slingers, I can see that advertising is all about hard work, creativity and enthusiasm – and having lots of fun!

 

Interested in a Career in Advertising?

Why not approach an agency and offer to be an intern for a few months. There are a lot of internship opportunities, so find an agency near you, send in your CV and a letter explaining why you'd be a brilliant asset to the company and see what happens. Otherwise, check out the different careers and what you need to study on the next page. Start working towards making your career dreams come true by focusing on your school work so you get good grades and can go on to further your studies.

 

Advertising Career Profiles

Account Executive

What does the job involve?
Advertising Agencies have big brands as clients. One agency could have Pick ‘n Pay and Omo washing powder and adidas shoes and usually a whole bunch of others. An Account Executive is assigned to one, or a few clients, and it is his/her job to deal directly with those clients. If Pick ‘n Pay wants a new TV ad, they'll call up the Account Executive and arrange a meeting. The Account Executive will then write up what is required by the client and give that information to the creative department so that they can think up some great ideas for ads.

What skills/talents do you need?
You'll need good people skills and to be able to handle stressful situations.

What qualification(s) do you need to be able to do this job?
You'll need a BA in Communications.

Starting Salary R4000 – R6000

Traffic

What does the job involve?
No, you won't be standing at an intersection directing cars. You'll be standing in an ad agency directing the workload of the creatives and the production crew. Without Traffic an ad agency would shut down. He/she makes sure all the work is done on time.

What skills/talents do you need?
The main thing you need for this job is excellent organisational and planning skills. And because Traffic tells who to do what work and when – you need to have a strong personality and be good at communicating with fellow employees.

What qualification(s) do you need to be able to do this job?
No specific qualification is required, but administrative and organizational experience is a must.

Starting Salary +- R6000

Copywriter

What does the job involve?
Well it involves writing copy. Copy is the ad-name for all the writing you see and hear in adverts, so that includes funky catch phrases, radio ads and the clever things people say in TV ads. But writing is only half the job, the other half is thinking of cool ideas for ads. A Copywriter works in a team with an Art Director and together they have to figure out the best ideas to sell anything from washing powder to life insurance.

What skills/talents do you need?
You'll need excellent language skills and the ability to come up with creative ideas. Seeing as you'll be working with an Art Director, teamwork is also essential.

What qualification(s) do you need to be able to do this job?
A Copywriting diploma from an advertising college is what you'll need. Some advertising schools offer a course that you can do straight after matric, but most require that you've done a degree first (preferably in English).

Starting Salary +- R4000

Art Director

What does the job involve?
An art director is in charge of making all the visuals in adverts look great. But that's not all, Art Directors work in a team with a Copywriter and together they need to think of cool ideas that will help clients to sell more products. Art Directors work on all types of ads from posters to billboards to TV ads – but they leave the radio ads to the Copywriters.

What skills/talents do you need?
If you're good at art this could be the job for you. Art Direction requires a good sense of design as well as the ability to draw. You'll also need to know how to design on a computer using programs like Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. But above all that you'll need to be good at thinking up ideas and working in a team.

What qualification(s) do you need to be able to do this job?
You'll need a diploma in Art Direction from an advertising school which you can apply to go to straight after matric. The diploma is usually about 3 years long and they'll teach you how to use the computer programs you'll need as well as train you to think of great ad ideas.

Starting Salary +- R4000

Creative Director

What does the job involve?
A Creative Director oversees all the creative teams at an agency. (A creative team is an Art Director and a Copywriter.) His/ her job is to make sure that the work that is produced is of a high standard. Creative Directors also deal with a lot of the administration behind the running of the agency.

What skills/talents do you need?
You need to be a good leader – after all Creative Directors basically run the creative department of an ad agency. On top of that you'll need good people skills – Creative Directors often deal directly with clients if they have any questions or problems with the creative work produced for them.

What qualification(s) do you need to be able to do this job?
You can't study to become a Creative Director. Creative Directors are usually ex-Art Directors or ex-Copywriters who, being senior enough in their position and having the right experience, administration and people skills, then apply to become Creative Director.

Starting Salary +-R20 000

 

PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTION:
What steps do you need to take to make sure you can have the best chance of getting into your dream career?
Do you need to make some changes in how you approach your: studies, friendships, romantic relationships, work, social life?

TALK GROUP DISCUSSION: How to Get Ahead
1: What are the things that could hold us back from getting into our dream careers?
2: What are the things we have control over that we can do to give us a better chance of making our career dreams a reality?
3: How can we support each other to realize our career dreams and in the process uplift out entire community?