Digital/Advertising Agencies

The digital age has revolutionised the concept of advertising, offering a raft of new ways to connect businesses with potential customers, who in turn can interact with advertising in a variety of new ways. The Internet has given rise to search and email ads, virals and contextual ads, along with numerous types of display ads including Popups, Flash ads, overlays, and banners. Meanwhile, interactive TV services have resulted in 'red button' commercials, and mobile ads are becoming more and more sophisticated. There are numerous ad agencies of varying sizes in the UK, with some offering specialist digital services and some offering services across several mediums simultaneously. While some companies prefer to create ads themselves (referred to as 'in-house'), the independent nature of ad agencies means they can provide a valuable 'outside view' of how to sell the client's product or service. Advertising agencies manage the creating, planning and handling of advertising for a client. Some agencies can also handle overall marketing, branding and promotion strategies for clients. You can hire an agency to produce a single ad, but they are more commonly taken on to produce a series of ads in an ongoing campaign. When dealing with the agencies, the two key divisions you will be dealing with are the creative and account departments. The creative department consists of copywriting and art teams assembled to generate creative ideas and design for the ads. Meanwhile, the account department finds business for the ad agency, working directly with clients and potential clients to determine what they need.