Advertising Research Skills Advance Careers in Account Management
The best endorsements for everything from products and service to shows come from personal testaments. College programs are no different. “I gained everything I needed and more from this program,” says Chris Rotolo a graduate of Centennial College’s Advertising Account Management program. “I learned a bit of everything. All the professors were still involved in the industry. They had very specific knowledge and a large breadth of it.”
Professionals in this advertising field are in charge of managing clients’ accounts within advertising, sales promotion, event marketing, interactive marketing and direct marketing. They work for account executives and their job includes advertising research, dealing with client budgets and administration. Specific tasks may include managing a portfolio of accounts, dealing with all aspects of an advertising campaign, researching new business leads and “pitching” ideas, achieving sales targets by using existing networks of industry contacts to generate revenue, leading project management activity, attending client meetings and completing administrative work, as required. This field is ideal for those who have already had experience in advertising but are now looking and ready take on a managerial role.
That’s where Centennial College’s Graduate Certificate Advertising Account Management program comes in. The three-semester undertaking is designed for those who have a previous post-secondary education. Applicants to the Advertising Account Management program must submit an official transcript demonstrating proof of successful completion of a post-secondary diploma or degree program. They will also have to attend a program admission session during which a writing test and questionnaire will be conducted. Centennial College will also consider applicants presenting a combination of partial post-secondary education and relevant work experience.
The Advertising Account Management program balances both practical practice and academic lectures in order to ensure students are ready for employment in a short amount of time. To enhance training, professional computer software, media planning and research systems are available on-campus. Students participate in courses such as Advertising Research, Integrated Marketing Foundations (emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of marketing and sales promotion, event marketing, public relations/publicity, Internet marketing and direct marketing); Account Management Practices (students develop communication, teamwork and project management skills, examine agency systems, procedures and the process in the development of advertising strategy); Media For Account Managers (students learn what is involved in planning media campaigns that best fulfill a client’s communication goals); and many others.
Training in this advertising program is rounded out with a 15-week placement, which gives students the opportunity to use the skills and knowledge they have acquired in the previous two semesters of the program. Exposure to advertising agency personnel and the daily tasks they perform is a valuable, practical experience. Students select their own Account Management placement position in an advertising agency or closely related specialty area to match their career goals and interests.
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