Advertisiment Industry

Most companies have grown and gained popularity through advertising since it’s the key way of passing messages to consumers. An advertisiment could also be defined because the art of creating public announcements with the aim of informing and convincing people to get a product, service or the conveyed ideologies. The advertisements could also be in various forms starting from billboards, posters, on television, orals i.e. radio newspapers and magazines or social media channels. The art directors are the individuals behind the planning of the visual and artistic appeal of advertisements made to draw in and send a message to consumers.
The advertising industry has undergone various changes since invention thanks to factors like the increase of the web, government policies, as well as the international community. This paper gives some of the historical changes and the factors that influence the nature or the mode of advertisements. It also expounds on the roles, qualifications, and the benefits of being an art director who is a personnel responsible for design and artistic styles of images and videos in advertising.
The Industry
Advertising Industry
Advertising is mainly done through the media such as Radio, the internet, television, and printing press media. The advertisement industry has therefore advanced from visual to audio through radio commercials. Advertising by any company is done for diverse purposes such as building a business reputation, persuading people to buy certain products or service, educate, or request for various sorts of contributions through service, devotion, or material. The Advertising industry has gone through revolutions mainly because of changes in national and international policies, business demands, preferences, cultural contexts and advancements in media technologies. Looking back during the colonial period, advertisements were mainly done on consumer goods while some were on the sale or announcements of lost slaves. The print media like newspapers only highlighted small portions for advertisement, and the major focus was the content.
The invention of television in the 1920s brought about changes in the way advertisements are conveyed. The advertising industries have increased the creativity in the creation of short movies bearing the message intended for the audience. The invention of cable television brought about diversity availing more channels and facilitated narrowcasting (Economist 10). Before then, advertisements targeting women could be aired during the day giving room for the ads aimed at women such as beauty products while those targeting men and older people were aired in between the news in the evening. Cable TVs allowed specialization in music, sports, fashion, and food, for instance, music lovers can tune into MTV making it easier for the advertisers to make advertisements based on the people’s interests.
In the 21st century, marketers and firms have recorded changes in marketing coverage and increased tools to analyze the target market hence a drop in the reliance on the mainstream media to air their advertisements. Based on marketing research done by Adobe, the rise and the popularity Internet and the technological advancements in gadgets and communication platforms have for the past two years taken more than a quarter of the approximated $500 billion in the advertising business, and an increasing trend was also noted. Advertising companies and platforms such as Google and Facebook are eventually taking up increasing margins in the firm by offering the firms the ability to deliver tailored ads to the potential market (Economist 12). The internet allows profiling, and thus the advertisers reach out to people based on their interests, location, and also the browsing history and display specific ads (Wharton University). Digital marketing has also expanded using algorithms to offer more personalized advertisements, for instance, using Google and Yahoo search engines tailored to the particular interests of the user.
Pre-digital advertising methods have faced the consequences of the rise of internet due to the high competition. The internet offers unlimited market space at low prices thus some of the firms prefer digital marketing to television or print advertisement. The companies also make use of the digital advertising due to the high amount of time spent on digital media (Young). A report from eMarketer on market research revealed that Americans spend six hours of their day on digital media platforms out of the average 12 hours devoted to media. Also promoting the boom of digital marketing is the rise in portable devices such as tablets, iPads, and smartphones that increase the accessibility of the aired ads through the digital media. Today, above 1.7 billion people use smartphones across the globe that translates to about 20% of the overall world population. The development of applications that aid in specific tasks or games is also a gearing force towards personalized advertising in recent days (Wharton University). These portable gadgets have brought about massive changes in advertising, newspapers, and magazines have, and desktop industries have eventually contracted with time, some i.e. the newspapers have also gone digital to be at a competitive edge.
The other trend that has fostered internet marketing is the social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that offer the marketers a larger audience created by the combination of the mobile devices and these social networks thus increasing the ease to navigate and filter the relevant content (Economist 14). People express and give information about themselves such as on location on social media presenting their likes and preferences, these platforms offer valuable information to advertisers and thus can be used in capturing their attention. Internet marketing has also come with a development that allows real-time bidding (Young). Through this systems, advertisers can use electronic media to place bids on adverts directed to particular consumers at their comfort and within a short time. This bidding process gives firms a room to reach a wider coverage of customers to the digital platform users within seconds.
The government
The government has set up the policies that govern the advertisement industry. These systems shield the consumers from being fed with forceful information on product or a service that may be misleading. For instance, a company may advertise products and quote discounts that do not exist, in the case of violations a consumer applies the punitive damage policies and seek compensation. In the US the children and adolescents have been the target group in the advertisement of toys, food and beverage products (Kolish 69). This advertising affects the children’s choice of food increasing their likelihood to live on junk food that is a threat to their health and a major contributor to increased obese children across the world (Kolish 73). The U.S and some other European countries have set up regulations to protect the children from such advertisements and promotions both in schools and on television.
International Community
International trade is inevitable in today world; goods can now be quickly sold from one country to another. Firms also engage in international marketing to create awareness and market products or services. The communication in international advertising takes into consideration the diversity of culture, attitudes, and values (Terpstra and Sarathy). Therefore the advertisers are required to have knowledge of the culture and the language of the targeted consumers, for instance, advertising goods in China in English rather than in Chinese may not deliver the intended message as required. Various regulations also apply while engaging in international advertising especially those regarding women as sexual object (Terpstra and Sarathy). In Saudi Arabia for instance, advertisements are not allowed to air unveiled women. The social organization such as the role and perception of women in the society and the mode of governance also influences advertising to the international community. The level of education also affects the type of advertising made in various countries, in those with low literacy levels, advertisements made are audio-visual form rather than written.
The Profession
Art Director
An Art Director is the individual responsible for the design of the visual arts, images, and styles in various media such as the movies, television, newspapers, or magazines. Art directors work together with the art developers in coming up with the desired layouts and designs (Sharavsky). With this profession, one can work in advertising industries, print and television media houses, theater, or in public relations firms e.tc.
Education Needed
An art director is required to be a holder of a bachelor’s degree in visual arts or design. Prior experience of about five years in graphics and design, photography, editing or in arts is also necessary for this position. An art director undertakes some managerial roles, and thus a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) serves as an added advantage to the experience required. Also to add on their creativity in arts, a Master’s degree in Fine Arts (MFA) could spice up the experience. With this education and capabilities, an individual can showcase his/her skills in styles, arts in previous work that are used in decision making by the hiring individuals or clients (Sharavsky). The art director must show innovative skills, ability to coordinate and motivate the staff and finally offer timely and quality work.
Duties
The art director oversees the work done by other designers, editors, writers, and artists involved in the production of images and films, small videos or advertisements. He evaluates the clarity, tone and even the design of the photographic or any other artwork and ensures that the final submitted product meets the required standards. He/she is expected to review the concept and design the best ways to represent it visually. The art director also communicates with the clients on the preferred and the progress of the applied artistic styles and eventually present the final designs to the customer for their approval. He/she also ensures there is coordination of procedures between the different art departments. The art director is also expected to come up with the budgets and work timelines of the assigned projects. In advertisement industry, it is the role of an art director to ensure that the applied art and design delivers the message of the client to the consumers (Sharavsky).
Average Salary
The salaries of art directors vary from firm to firm, but the average pay is $85, 000. The highest pay for an art director is about $167,000 while the lowest is $48,000.
Benefits of the job
An Art director gets to enjoy handsome salary and allowances. It is also an interesting position since one gets to utilize his/her creativity at the level best which to many it is part of their hobby. The position involves handling new projects and creating diverse marketing campaigns while meeting different clients which makes it an interesting exercise. Being an art director gives room for flexibility in hours and location, and one can work from home.
Some of the websites or publications connected to the job
There are a number of websites that are connected to the position such as “creativeskillset.org, “Institute of practitioners in advertising (IPA)” that offers training and job markets as well as description on Art director position (Sharavsky). Internships opportunities for an art director are readily available in big media companies through programs such as Summer internship programs Campbell Elwald that allow people to get exposure in the field.
Conclusion
Technology has changed advertising dynamics; advertisers can access a pool of data from the consumers using digital platforms and offer specified ads. The vast online purchasing methods have also boosted the online marketing industry. Television advertising remains the most common mode of advertising, especially during live events and shows. Some companies still find the newspaper, radio or Newspaper advertising better some because of the target market or the fear of violating the consumer privacy policies in digital marketing and having to face the consequences. However, it can be noted that many of the pre-digital methods of advertising have contracted with the recent popularity of online marketing.
Most of the revenue generated in the media is through advertising. However, the advertising industry has diversified bringing down the revenue generation in the media industry. Native advertising in media houses has also taken the central role of advertising industries by producing more advertisement content. The advertisement industries should venture into content creation and invest in the internet to deliver the ads through the digital platforms. An art director plays a significant role in advertising, and hence skills on graphics and designs, arts, photography and editing are necessary. Creativity, leadership skills, and the ability to motivate the designers working under the art director are also considered essential. The profession offers an individual not only a good pay but also a platform to utilize one’s creativity in an interesting way.

Work Cited
Economist, The. “The Radically Changing Advertising Business Has Profound Consequences”. Business Insider 2014: 10-17. Print.
Kolish, Elaine D. “Food Advertising To Children”. Nutrition Today 49.2 (2014): 68-76. Web.
Sharavsky, Alan. “What Is An Art Director, And What Do They Do?”. The Balance. N.p., 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.
Terpstra, v. and R Sarathy. International Marketing. 8th ed. Dryden Press, 2000. Print.
Wharton University, The. “Technology Is Changing The Advertising Business “. Knowledge@Wharton. N.p., 2012. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.
Young, Susan. “Getting The Message: How The Internet Is Changing Advertising”. HBS Working Knowledge. N.p., 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.