Advertising manager

To succeed in the fast-paced advertising industry you need a good balance of creativity, business intellect and be prepared for a lot of hard work, say insiders. Marianne Bess, who has worked in the industry since the mid-1980s, is client services director of advertising agency, Clemenger BBDO and one such insider.

“We are the intersection between the clients and the creative people and the rest of the agency,” Bess says of her role.
“We facilitate communication, work on strategy with the strategic planners, review the creative [material] with the creative guys and work with the clients to build
their business.

“The thing that I really like about it is that it’s great to work with clients, the creative people and the strategic planners. I like being involved in all facets of the client’s business,” she says.
Bess says she was drawn to the industry by it’s creative elements.
“I was always interested in popular culture and it was something that I found really interesting. It was an opportunity to have a great blend of real business acumen as well as tremendous creativity.”

Bess started her career in advertising in Washington where she worked as a copywriter in the mid -1980s. She says she decided to move from the creative area into the business side of the industry and has been working in that area ever since. However, she says having worked as a copywriter gave her a good appreciation for the creative side of advertising.

“I don’t think that I was talented enough to be a good copywriter but I thought that I could be a good businessperson,” she says.

One of her career highlights was being part of a team that won a Gold Lion, the Academy Award of the advertising world, at Cannes in 2002 for a Toyota campaign, She says people who are interested and passionate about communication, and those who are flexible and willing to take a risk, thrive in the industry.

“To be successful you need to be interested in popular culture and interested in figuring out things and seeing connections that other people perhaps don’t see,” she says.

How to be… an advertising manager
Many aspects can be learned on the job but a degree or diploma in Communications or Marketing can help you gain entry. For further information call the Advertising Federation of Australia on 02 8297 3800 or visit www.afa.org.au