Discuss the departments of advertising agency.

Ans.

Department of an Advertising Agency

Following are the main departments of an advertising agency:

1. Contact Department: Contact department is helpful in getting new business from new clients. Creation and extension are the main tenets of this department. It tries to acquire new business and to maintain the existing business.

2. Media Department: Media department is involved with the work of selection of media for the advertiser. This department selects the best possible medium. Media department chooses the channels of communication.

3. Copy Department: This department is headed by copy director. Advertising copy contains the message. It requires imagination and method of representation.

4. Production Department: Advertising agency generally uses outside units. Copy is proceeded for mechanical production.

5. Research Department: Research department is engaged in the study of the effects of sales activities. Assistance can be taken from analysts, investigation, and marketing assistances etc.

6. Public Relation Department: Public relation department establishes mutual understanding between the organization and the public. This department performs a liaison work between clients, customers, shareholders and middlemen etc.

7. Art and Visualization Department: This department of advertising agency is headed by art director. He is assisted by artists, layout-men and visualizers. This department should get the visuals and layouts prepared for press advertisement, calendars, posters, printed bulletins etc. Advertising agency can get this work done by the outsider artists.

8. Finance Department: Following are the responsibilities of the finance department –

(i) Maintaining accounts and bills,

(ii) Collecting the dues from its clients,

(iii) Verifying the appearances of advertisements in different media in individual cases,

(iv) Checking media invoices against order,

(v) Paying the bills to the advertising media owners,

(vi) Looking after all the routine matters relating to accounting, recording etc.

An advertising agency may have above departments. The departments may vary from agency to agency.

The advertising agency may take help from outsiders or specialists instead of establishing a full fledged department or the activities of some departments can be carried out only by one department.