WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Advertising | |

Academic Differences

Advertising:

• College: Grady College of and Mass Communication

• Coursework includes: Media Planning, Advertising Message Strategy, Advertising and Communication Management, Advertising Research, Intro to Marketing, Advertising Campaigns capstone

• Skills emphasized: written and graphic communication, communication strategy, media planning and buying, social media, creating cohesive advertising campaigns, advertising research, account management/communicating with clients

• Key question for Advertising students: How can we most effectively communicate about our products/services to our customers?

Marketing:

• College: Terry College of Business (general business prerequisites are required, such as basic accounting, economics, finance, etc.)

• Coursework includes: Branding, Sales, Digital Marketing, Consumer Behavior, and Marketing Strategy, Management, and Research

• The Marketing program offers two emphasis areas in Professional Selling or Digital Marketing (a related internship is required for both)

• Skills emphasized: Interacting with Customers, Public Speaking, Business Strategy, Sales and Analytical Skills, Social Media

• Key question for Marketing students: What products will resonate with consumers, and what is the best way to develop those products and get them to our customers?

Public Relations:

• College: Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication

• Coursework includes: Public Relations Research, Graphic Communication, Public Relations Communication, Writing and Reporting, Law of Mass Communication, Intro to Marketing, and a full-scale Public Relations Campaigns capstone

• Skills emphasized: Writing for Public Relations, Social Media, Public Speaking, Communication Strategy/Planning, Designing Communication Materials, Media Relations, Communicating with Internal Clients (i.e. employees), and Account Management/Working with Clients

• Key question for Public Relations students: How can we communicate the desired image for our organization to our target audience?

Differences in Career Paths

While ALL of these degrees can lead to diverse and rewarding careers, here are some general pointers for each field:

Advertising Career Paths:

• Many advertising students choose to work in an advertising agency. Agencies vary in size and type of work they do, from three-people shops doing a full ad campaign or a large account team focusing on media buying for one client.

• Advertising traditionally focuses on paid media, such as commercial spots or outdoor ads/billboards. This now also includes topics like consulting on a company’s brand and how they represent themselves across paid media, their digital/social media identity and ways to utilize new and emerging media to get in front of an audience. It all depends on your client’s needs and what your agency offers.

• “Creatives” in advertising focus on the creation of ads, as either a copywriter or art director. Most will work in teams of two (a copywriter and art director) and may even get hired as a team. Many people on this career path choose to go to a portfolio school. Grady College offers a summer program in partnership with The Creative Circus in Atlanta, one of the nation’s best portfolio schools.

• Not everything in advertising is about creating ads! Other career paths in ad agencies include (but are not limited to): media buyers/planners, account executives, brand planners, social media managers, research analysts and even software developers.

• Many advertising careers begin in an “assistant” or “coordinator” role, often with opportunities to move up on an account, move to another account or move to another agency altogether. There is a lot of movement in this industry, and no one’s career path looks exactly the same!

Marketing Career Paths:

• Many Marketing careers begin by working in the sales field, and the UGA Marketing Department heavily emphasizes sales training in their program. Some student may choose to pursue the degree emphasis in Professional Selling.

• Sales experience is important because it allows employees to learn more about the industry and the customer base – sales can also be a highly rewarding and lucrative entry-level position.

• Within 3-5 years: Experienced Marketing graduates will begin to move into management roles, overseeing a larger geographic territory, monitoring key accounts, or doing more work on product development and brand management.

• Digital Marketing: A relatively new field of study, digital marketing involves the process of interacting with customers in online settings. Examples might include optimizing a website, designing a social media campaign, or coordinating online advertisements for a brand.

• Other career paths of note: Graduates in this field also pursue opportunities in marketing research, customer service, retail management, human resources/recruiting, or digital marketing.

Public Relations Career Paths:

• Many students also choose to begin their careers in public relations agencies, which vary in size and services depending on the client’s needs and what your agency offers. Working in-house at a company or business is also common.

• Entry-level positions also include “assistant” or “coordinator” roles in PR agencies, with opportunities to move in similar ways to the advertising industry.

• In contrast to advertising, public relations traditionally focuses on unpaid or earned media with the goal of communicating about the client, such as pitching the idea to cover your upcoming event to a journalist, rather than paying for an ad in that journalist’s magazine.

• Public relations practitioners can also work with clients on their image, and key messages they would like to communicate to their public(s)/audience(s).

• PR roles may have a stronger emphasis on writing and public speaking skills.

• Typical job titles and career paths you may see in the public relations industry include (but are not limited to): account executive, social media manager, media relations, event planning, graphic designer, publicist, healthcare communications, non-profit communications, corporate communications, or crisis communications.

ALL THREE DEGREE PROGRAMS:

• Students will need to apply for competitive admission to Terry or Grady (admission requirements are listed in the UGA Bulletin)

• Each program focuses on a different aspect of how companies interact with stakeholders (primarily external stakeholders)

• These programs can help you understand new technology (such as social media), which is changing the communications industry, and how you and your clients can utilize it to reach your audiences

• Each of these programs can lead to similar jobs/internships in collaborative advertising, sales, or public relations environments, focusing on many types of work that emphasize communication and/or working with clients and stakeholders

For follow-up questions for your Career Consultant, please make an appointment with the Career Center by calling (706) 542-3375. To learn when your Career Consultant has drop-in hours on campus, please see our Contact page on career.uga.edu.