makin ads book

8/11/2019 Makin Ads Book

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HOW TO START YOUR CARE

ADVERTISIN

a makin


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If you ask a handful of people who work on the

industry how they got there and why they chose ad

answers. Some might be artists who didn!t want to

have been guided by their love of writing or

uncontrollable enthusiasm for creative ideas. It can

inspirationbeing moved by a great commercia

commercial and thinking, I could do better than that

However you got to this point, we!re glad you did.

We wrote this ebook because we love what we do

your questions and help you decide if advertising

creative side of the business is your cup of tea. Andare now to where you want to be.

YOU ARE HE

Topeka? Wichita?

were glad


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Some people think of advertising as the rock "n! roll side of the business world.

You get paid to come up with cool ideas that thousands, maybe millions of

people will see. You don!t deal with spreadsheets, rarely wear suits (unless you

really want to), and earn your paycheck by sitting around with your feet up on

the desk with interesting, like-minded people, asking, What if?

No wonder people want to be in advertising. And it!s no wonder that the

competition to get a really good, really rewarding job is pretty intense.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ROCK !n"RO

AND THE CORPORATE BOARDROOM


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Let!s start with the broad view: Marketing. Marketing covers everything

from the creation of a product, service or an idea, to how it !s consumed.

It!s a pretty big field, and there are a lot of marketing services out there.

Design firms to create everything from business cards to your soda bottle.

Public relations agencies to help companies present a good image in the

news media. Direct mail agencies that specialize in creating what you

probably refer to as junk mail. At some point, pretty much everything is

touched by marketing. Advertising is just one part of marketing (but it!s

maybe the most fun part).

Most advertising that you see was created by an advertising agency. Ad

agencies are companies that specialize in creating commercials, print ads,billboards, websites and anything else that helps get a message out about

a product or brand.

When a company wants to advertise, they!ll usually hire one of these

advertising agencies. Some agencies are huge, with offices all over the

world that bill billionsof dollars each year. And there are some very small

onesjust a few people housed in a downtown loft.

In advertising, the size of your agency doesn!t matter. It!s all about the size

of your ideas.

ADS ARE COOLwho makes them?

[idea not to s


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Most*advertising is pretty bad. Boring. Uninspiring

moron. You mean I should act now? Because this sa

repeat the part about 10% off? You only mentioned it

And then there!s the other kind. The kind that speak

something in a new or interesting way. Makes you lau

you something you didn!t know before.

The best creative advertising is surprising. It conne

way. In short, it!s the kind of work you want to be doin

If you!ve ever watched a commercial that was so fun

thought, I wish I!d thought of that, then you!ve tak

advertising creative.

*By most, we!re talking roughly 97%. Maybe 96% d

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CRE

o hair style cool glasses rubber chickeno ideas


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Really, everyone!s creative. One of the great things

that there are a lot of very diverse, very smart p

Everyone contributes.

But let!s break it down a little. In an ad agency, this is

When a company wants to advertise, it finds an ad

call that company the client. To help manage the

account department. They!re the people who run th

They talk with the clients every day, relay message

make sure everything is running smoothly.

The agency!s planning department is different

Planners develop the outline, called a brief of wha

the ads. Who is the audience for the ads? What do

we want to say to them?

The brief then goes to the creative department. Wh

are a creative, that means they!re a member

copywriter, art director or creative director.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CRE


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So you have a creative brief. You know what to sa

your job to come up with howto say it. What!s going

What!s going to keep them from changing the c

connect with the audience and move them?

In the typical creative department, art directors and

as creative teams. Strictly speaking, the copywriter

and the art director is in charge of the visuals. In rea

fluid. Art directors sometimes write, and copywriters c

The big job of the art director/copywriter team is to

idea for the ad. They usually work together for w

ideas (although having less than 24 hours to co

unheard of). Then they take their best ideas to t

creative director is usually the senior, more experie

she reviews the ideas, makes suggestions or revisio

down to the best few, and in the end gives the sta

ideas will be taken to the client.

THE CREATIVE PROagency style

[art director] [copywriter] [client]


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The agency presents the idea or ideas to the client, and the client either

buys an idea to produce, asks for revisions, or rejects the ideas altogether

and sends the creative team back to the drawing board. If the client buys

an idea, the creative team is responsible for bringing it to life. They workwith producers, directors, photographers, editors, musicians, actors,

designers and anyone else to make sure that their creative vision is

realized.

The entire process can be very fun, stressful, frustrating and exciting at

the same time. But in the end, when you have a well-crafted commercial

on television, billboard on the highway or website up and running, it !s a

great feeling.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS IS LONso we continue

its description

here


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When you!re applying for a job as an art director or copywriter in an ad

agency, no one will ever, ever, ever ask to see your GPA. They probably

won!t look at your resume. They won!t care whether you have a BS, an

MS, a PhD or a police badge.

To get a job as a creative in advertising, you!re going to need one thing: A

portfolio. A portfolio, often called your book, is a collection of ads you!ve

come up with that proves you can think and execute creatively.

Forever ago, there were many doors into an agency. English majors,

journalists, and stand-up comics might be hired by an agency based on an

interview. Or someone might take a job as a receptionist just to be around

the creative director, with the hope of some day writing copy. It used to be

that agencies would train and mentor these fledgling creatives. But those

days are unfortunately gone. There are always exceptions, but the best

way in is through the front door with a good book.

THE FRONT DOOR WITH A GOOD


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You need a portfolio to get a job in advertising, but

develop your portfolio. Catch-22 right? Not necessari

Fortunately, creative directors don!t care if the ad

magazine. In fact, they expect that ads in your b

looking for are big ideas, well executed. They w

strategically and creatively, and that you can design,

bring your ideas to life.

WHY YOUR BOOK MA

and then we see a

battalion of rapping

ninja-monkeys

riding unicycles

and nothing

else does


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Advertising is a business that loves award shows. And there are a ton of

them.

Every year in late spring, the One Club for Art and Copy holds its award

show (the One Show) where a board of judges selects the very best work

from around the world. All that work is bound into a huge bible of a book

called The One Show, which is usually published at the end of the year.

Other global award shows worth checking out are Cannesand D&AD.

Communication Artspublishes its Advertising Annual each December,

and Luerzer!s Archiveand Creativityare a couple other publications that

feature great creative.

These publications and annuals can be expensive ($24 - $60 each), but

most of them also have websites that feature the award winners. And if

you want to do great work, you!re going to have to see what great work

really is. These books are as close as you!ll come to finding a creative

textbook.

ANNUALS AND AWARD SHOWSand why theyre

important
http://www.commarts.com/http://www.luerzersarchive.us/luerzers-products.asp?http://http//creativity-online.com/http://www.commarts.com/http://www.canneslions.com/http://www.dandad.org/http://www.canneslions.com/http://www.dandad.org/http://http//creativity-online.com/http://http//creativity-online.com/http://www.luerzersarchive.us/luerzers-products.asp?http://www.luerzersarchive.us/luerzers-products.asp?http://www.commarts.com/http://www.commarts.com/http://www.dandad.org/http://www.dandad.org/http://www.canneslions.com/http://www.canneslions.com/http://www.oneclub.org/http://www.oneclub.org/


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Putting your book together and slugging it around from agency to agency

is one way to get a job in advertising. But working by yourself is a hard,

usually inefficient road. There!s a lot of competition, and often you !re going

to need all the help you can get.

A number of schools in the United States specialize in helping students put

together a solid portfolio and get a job in advertising. Usually called

portfolio schools, they!re advertising!s equivalent of medical school.

The benefit of going to a portfolio school is that you learn from people

who!ve been in the business a long time. And you!re in an environment full

of creative energy, where you can partner up with other creatives and

mimic the kind of atmosphere you!d find in an agency.

Each school has its own advantages. The VCU Brandcenter is the only

one associated with an accredited university, and you leave with a Masters

degree. Miami Ad School has branches all over the world, from San

Francisco to Amsterdam. The Chicago Portfolio School is just a one-

year program (most of the others are two years).

PORTFOLIO SCHOOLS

A few undergraduate schools, like the University

turn out respected portfolios, and there are also

advertising programs as well. Some schools are

others, but if you!re sure advertising is your desti

education. It!ll pay off in the long run.

One way to get an idea of which schools are doing

the award show annuals. Most have a student s

best work from the various portfolio schools. T

quarterly review of the best student advertising w

schools consistently place work in these publicatio

you decide which school is right for you before you
http://www.miamiadschool.com/http://www.brandcenter.vcu.edu/http://www.miamiadschool.com/http://advertising.utexas.edu/http://advertising.utexas.edu/http://www.chicagoportfolio.com/http://www.chicagoportfolio.com/http://www.miamiadschool.com/http://www.miamiadschool.com/http://www.brandcenter.vcu.edu/http://www.brandcenter.vcu.edu/


13/15

It!s hard to say how much longer any of this con

valid. Technology, the changing economy, and

advertising agencies to constantly adapt. For years

the death of the 30-second commercial because of

people are still getting paid to write and produce

more agencies are incorporating digital and gue

advertising into their repertoire.

How we reach people changes, but some things w

Advertising is about coming up with creative way

entertain and ultimately connect with people.

There will always be a need for ideas that do this. Aa need for people who can communicate in uniqu

Whether it!s on a shopping website or the label

advertising industry will always value big, creative

be one of the people who!re coming up with them.

TRADITIONAL AD AGENand where were

going from here

whats a

twitter?
http://twitter.com/http://twitter.com/


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1. Get a copy of a recent Communication ArtsAdvertising Annual orOne ShowAnnual and flip through it to see if that!s the kind ofwork you want to do. Or visit creativity-online.com and check outwhat creative agencies have been doing this week.

2. Email or call some portfolio schools and ask them to send youinformation on their programs.

3. Call a local advertising agency and ask if they have any internshipsin their creative department. (But don!t just look ADVERTISING upin the Yellow Pages and start calling. You!ll be crushed under theweight of mediocrity.)

4. Highly-recommended reading:Hey, Whipple, Squeeze Thisby Luke SullivanThe Houdini Solutionby Ernie SchenckCutting Edge Advertisingby JimAitchison

Pick Me: Breaking Into Advertising and Staying Thereby Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin

I READ YOUR E-BOOK.now what?
http://www.amazon.com/Pick-Me-Breaking-Advertising-Staying/dp/0471715573http://www.amazon.com/Pick-Me-Breaking-Advertising-Staying/dp/0471715573http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Advertising-Create-Century/dp/013012897Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Advertising-Create-Century/dp/013012897Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Houdini-Solution-Creativity-Innovation-thinking/dp/007146204Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Houdini-Solution-Creativity-Innovation-thinking/dp/007146204Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Hey-Whipple-Squeeze-This-Creating/dp/0471293393http://www.amazon.com/Pick-Me-Breaking-Advertising-Staying/dp/0471715573http://www.amazon.com/Pick-Me-Breaking-Advertising-Staying/dp/0471715573http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Advertising-Create-Century/dp/013012897Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Advertising-Create-Century/dp/013012897Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Houdini-Solution-Creativity-Innovation-thinking/dp/007146204Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Houdini-Solution-Creativity-Innovation-thinking/dp/007146204Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Hey-Whipple-Squeeze-This-Creating/dp/0471293393http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Whipple-Squeeze-This-Creating/dp/0471293393http://creativity-online.com/http://creativity-online.com/http://www.oneclub.org/http://www.oneclub.org/http://www.commarts.com/http://www.commarts.com/


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Please visit

makinads.com

A blog for students of advertising, portfolio school hopefuls and anyone else putting their book toge

This book written and created by Makin Ads. It was Illustrated by Copywriters.
http://www.illustratedbycopywriters.com/http://www.illustratedbycopywriters.com/http://makinads.blogspot.com/http://makinads.blogspot.com/

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