top of page

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Advertising is like an iceberg. We see the tip of it. We see the glossy print ads taking up the first half of September Vogue, the often infuriating YouTube ads that may or may not be skippable, and beautiful bloggers shoving sponsored goods in our faces and wiping our bank accounts clean. What we don’t see is the monstrous backbone of the iceberg, the multi million dollar generating industry that has managed to insert itself into virtually every facet of our lives.

 

Its presence often goes unnoticed, even though most of us as consumers are convinced we’ve seen it all. In addition to advertising’s reign on television, print and social media, advertising has transcended the original divide between the product and the consumer. What we mean by that is advertising is experience. Agencies are moving past the traditional methods of catering to consumers. Ads are no longer things you watch. They are things you live.

RISE OF DIGITAL

According to Statista, over 180 billion dollars were spent on advertising in the US alone and it’s expected to reach a whopping 200 billion this year! In turn, the average revenue for this kind of spending is roughly 82 billion dollars for television, 18 billion for radio, and 23 billion for print media.

 

However, by far one of the fastest growing sectors of advertising is “digital”. Digital refers to all online advertising, either through sponsored content on websites, endorsement from influencers, or of course the traditional banner ad we all know and love. People’s shift to mobile and digital content has forced a complete reinvention on ad agencies (Mashable). The people they try to reach out to are no longer spending their time watching giant TVs or reading physical newspapers. As we all have personally figured out ourselves, they are spending their time on the Internet, and more specifically on mobile devices! Agencies have become obsessed the idea of meeting their consumers where they are. 

MAJOR COMPANIES TO WATCH OUT FOR

Because of the rise of digital, “advertising agencies” are no longer as big as they used to be. Basically, everything you learned about them in MadMen is no longer relevant! Agencies are very rapidly integrating digital-focused advertising and media. Longtime standing agencies are growing their digital sector and are becoming either entirely digital industries or equal parts traditional advertising and digital.

​

These are just a few of the major companies leading the industry.

​

​

START YOUR CAREER IN MEDIA & ADVERTISING

Lucky for you, advertising cannot be defined by one specific skill. Whether you are looking for creative work, or something more Excel and math heavy, it’s important to emphasize that pretty much everyone has a place in the advertising world! It all begins with your education.

 

If you are still in high school and applying for college, here are some of the best US colleges to pursue advertising:

  • University of Pennsylvania

  • New York University

  • Northwestern University

  • University of Texas at Austin

  • Emory University

  • Rutgers University in New Brunswick

  • Miami University

  • Duke University

  • Syracuse University

 

Some of the best advertising-specific schools and portfolio schools include the ever-popular Miami Ad School, The Creative Circus, Chicago Portfolio School and the Savannah College of Art & Design.

 

So! You’ve graduated from your fancy ad program and portfolio school and now you are ready to work! What’s the next step? Hop on over to home page and read about the different careers! Making the Mural provides tons of industry insight and advice on your first steps into the advertising world.

© 2016 Making The Mural | American Association of Advertising Agencies

bottom of page