essay

1. Learning Aim A
The MediaIndustries:
The varioussectorsof the mediaindustrywithinthe UKplaya large role inour culture andheritage,
the firstsector of discussionisaperfectexample of that.The Britishfilmindustryranksamongstthe
leadingfilmproductionsectorsworldwide,havingproducedroughly200 filmsin2016 alone,as well
as contributinganestimated16.4%of global box office revenuesInthe same year.Manyfilms
producedinthiscountryare fundedbythe BritishFilmAcademy,whichusesraisedlotterymoneyto
give upand comingdirectorsa chance to contribute toBritishcinema.The nextsectorwouldbe
television,the revenuesof whichamountedto16.18 billionpoundsin2018. Much of thismoney
comesfrompaid subscriptionsandadvertisements.The most well-knownproductsfromthissector
wouldbe Newsbroadcastssuchas BBC Newsor soapsincludingEastEndersandCoronationStreet.
Furthermore,the radiosectorinthe UK producesa large varietyof content,rangingfromdramas,
comediesormusicstationssuchas Smooth Radio,Capital FMor Heart Radio.Thisparticularsectoris
dominatedbymusicandcontributestothe popculture of thiscountry,influencingwhichsongs
become populartolistentoforaudiences.Alongside radio,uk animationisanotherinfluential
sector,bothin the countryand worldwide. Witha long-standingtrackrecordof creativityand
success,productslike Wallace andGromit,HorridHenry& PeppaPighave become notoriousacross
the globe. Thishas giventhe UK a large amountof leverage whenit comestoleadershipinartistic
visual production.
The interactive mediaindustryprovidesproductsandservicesondigitalcomputerbased systems,a
great example wouldbe appsonmobile phones.Applicationsare downloadedontothe device and
presentthe userwithcontentsuchas videogames,audioortextinresponse totheiractions.If the
useropensa game on theirphone,thiscontenthasbeenprovidedtothemasa response toclicking
on the screenandplayingthe game itself.Thissectoriswidely popularandassuch employsroughly
53,100 people inBritainalone.Anotherflourishingsectorwouldbe publishing,providingthe country
witha luxuriousrange of books,electronicreading,magazinesandnewspapers.A sectorinthis
countryso successful ithasan annual turnoveror roughly£6 billionandemploysaround29,000,
exportingtheirproductsacrossthe globe.
Pressinthe UK are one of our mainsourcesof informationwhenitcomestocurrentnews,thisis
indicatedbythe factthat an estimated 47.7 millionadultsconsumeuknewseverymonth.Products
oftenprovidedbythissectorconsistof newspapersandmagazinesinbothdigital andprintformat,
live newsshowsbroadcastedfrequentlythroughoutthe dayandhighlightspostedonline forbusy
individuals. Collectively theseproductsamountedtoroughly£5.3billionin2015. The Britishvideo
gamessectorhas oftenbeenclaimedasone of the largestinEurope,in2014 there were an
estimated1,902 active gamescompanies.Some of whichhave wenton toproduce majorgame
franchisessuchasBatman and Legoas well as RuneScape.
The final sectorsto discussare advertisingandmarketing,whichcanfrequentlygohandinhand.
Accordingto skillsetcreative 153,000 people are employedinthese sectorswithinthe UK. Tobegin
with,the advertisingindustryisone of the largestsourcesof revenue forbothonandoffline media,
providingadvertisementsforcompaniesetconnewspapers/magazines,social mediaandwebsites
as well asbillboardsinpublic. Combinedwithadvertising,marketingprofessionalsare often
responsible forresearching,planning andnegotiatingthe legal contractsof these advertising
campaigns. Togetherthese twosectorsare large contributorstothe Uk mediaindustryandits
continued success.

2. The advertising industry
The advertisementindustry,whichiswhatIwill now be goingintodepthabout,islargelycomprised
of whatare knownasadvertisementagencies. Thisisaterm giventoa companywhose mainrole is
implementingmarketingconceptsfortheirclientsonlarge scales.Whethertheyworkasstand
alone,oras a group, theytraditionallycome upwithanideafor a clientandproduce campaignstoa
mass audience onthe fourtraditional platformsof tv,radio,printand posters. To name a few of the
popularmajorcompanies:Adam&EveDDB,VCCP,MCcann,OgilvyandMother.Afterestablishingthe
basicsof the howthissector isstructured,itistime to analyse how agenciesthemselvesrun.
Job roles
Like manyotherworkplacesinthe world,advertisingagencieshave aclearhierarchy withineach
companyinorder to achieve maximumefficiencyandqualityof workbeingproduced,togive an
example of atraditional advertisinghierarchy,atthe verytopwouldbe the general manager.This
personwill oversee anyprojectsandtasksthe company will undertakeandwill dividethisworkload
to lowersectionmanagersaccordingtothe requirementsof saidtask.Below thisindividual will be
the sectionmanagers,advertisingcompanieswill have multiple departments/sectionsthatcarry out
a differentrole. Havinganoverall managerandleadersforeachsectionensuresthe agencyruns
smoothlywithexcellentcommunication.
One jobrole in the advertisingindustrywouldbe Accounting/Financial,thesepeople oftenmonitor
the flowof moneyinand outof the company,communicatingwithclients.Withoutthese peoplethe
companywouldn’tbe able totrack the flow of moneycominginand out,clientsmaynotendup
beingchargedcorrectly. Nextwill be administration/managerial,thisdepartmentdealswithhuman
resources, general office managementtohelpco-ordinationmultiple projectsbeingundertaken
betweenthe departmentsandare effective inmaintaininganorganisedandhealthyworkspace for
employees.
Marketingwill have itsown department;itislikelythisgroupof employeeswill helpplanfor
campaigns.Thisjobrole isincrediblybeneficialto the companies/industry, because they helpthe
advertisingdepartment. Byprovidingthemwithan indepthmarketanalysisandstrategyonthe
currentmarkettrends,theyensure the campaignsare as successful ascan be while following media
laws.The nextdepartment/jobrole inanadvertisingagencyisthe creative directors themselves,
these will oftenhave varioussub-divisionsfordifferentareasof creative productionincluding
camera operators,photographers,lightingspecialistsand copywriters. Naturally,the existence of
thisjobrole withinthe advertising hierarchy iscrucial tothe actual successof the campaign,while
marketingisgreatat providingthe statsand strategy,these people are the oneswhobringproject
plansto life. Utilisingtheirowntechnical skillsetandtheoretical knowledgetoapplystrategy and
produce campaignsthatcompel the audience.
The existence of suchhierarchy andsystemsallowseachjobrole toflourishandproduce the most
high-qualityandeffectiveadvertisingcampaigns tocompanyclients,whilemakingsure the be an
ethicallysuccessful andfinanciallysuccessful company inthe longrun.Eachrole has a functionIn
these companies,contributingtheirownskills towardsthe overall campaignproject.

3. Recruitment in the media sector
Like manyothersectorsin the media,a large part of recruitmentinadvertisingisnetworkingand
wordof mouth.Many individualsworkinginthe industryhave statedthatyourchancesof
employmentincrease everytimeyou’re able tositdownwithpeoplealreadyinthe business.The
benefitof thisnetworkingisthatyouwill be atthe forefrontof an employersmind the nexttime
theyhave a vacancy to fill,oryoucouldevenbe recommendedbystaff. Of course,toschedule these
meetings andmake these connections youwillneedtomaintainasocial media accountsuchas
twitter,ablogand evena LinkedInaccount.Advertisingislargelyadigital career,andso beingable
to put yourself outthere online will attractothersinthe industry.Therefore,establishinganame for
yourself willopendoorsforyouthe more youtry. Meaningthat whenyouapplyfora jobonline or
inreal life,youhave awebof professionalsthatcanvouch foryour success and a portfolioof work
online tobackthat up. You mayalreadyknow the interview oremployer,they’ve alreadyseenyour
workand skillset,you’re alreadyaheadof the othercandidates aimingforthe same job.
Contracts of Employment
While itcan be a challenge topindownemploymenttrendsinanever-changingindustry, there are a
fewcommonthemes fora typical advertisingcompany.Forexample,more senioremployeesinan
advertisingcompanywill be full-timeandpermanent.The general manager,headof finances,head
of marketingoradvertising needtobe highlyqualifiedandtrained. Higherupsin anyagency
regardlessof whichareaof the sector,needtohave connectionswithother businessesandclients.
Changingthe higherupscould leadtocrumblingrelations. Therefore, thesestaff are important to
the successof the agency. The marketingand financingdepartmentsare similartoseniorstaff,
these are the oneswhoneedto be fullyfamiliarwithhow the agencyruns,tomaintainstrong
communicationbondsbetweendepartments.Meaningthese jobrolesare mostproductive when
hiredfora longterm9-5.
As we move furtherdownthe typical hierarchy,we reachthe differentteamswithinthe agency.
Agencies maybringInnewcreativesbettersuitedsotheycanproduce the bestpossible workor
theirclients. Differentphotographersorcopywriterswill have differentspecialities unsuitablefor
currentprojects.While itisimportanttobe flexibleinthissector,sometimesisiteasyforagencies
to bringIn a part-time ortemporary staff memberto theircreative teamto workon products.
However,agencieswillalsohave permanentteammembersinboththe creative sectionand
otherwise,thattheyhave trainedandcanbe reliedontowork regardlessof changestolowerstaff.
Anothercommonpractice will be casual labour,whichwouldbe briningona memberof staff ready
to work on short notice andalreadyproventobe skilledenoughforthe job.Thispractice can often
be usedto replace temporarilyunavailablestaff,forexample if aphotographerisoff onsickleave
for a while,theycanbringina replacement. Finally,there canbe volunteers,oftenthese people are
studentslookingtogainexperience inanadvertisingagency.Theyoftenundertake the smallertasks
that can free upmore senioremployeestodotheirownprojects.
Freelancingand selfemployment:
As we previouslydiscussed,creativesof manyskillsetsare oftenbettersuitedforsome tasksthan
others.Thismeansthat manyup andcomingor seasoned mediaprofessionalschoosetohone a
particularskill andworkon similarprojectsthatway,andthisiswhere freelancingand self-
employmentbecomesrelevant.Whetheryoudecide tobecome afreelancer,ora self-employed
individualthiskindof route isappealing largelybecause of the level of freedomthatcomeswithit.
Good examplesof thisinthe advertisingindustrywouldbe becomingafreelancingphotographer,

4. enteringintoshorttermcontractsto do photoshootsforcampaigns.Orstartingyour own
advertisingagency,hiringyourown permanentandfreelancingworkers. Thesejobroles oftenbring
a freshsetof eyestoagencies,keepingeachproject interestingandavoidingrepetition.
In the worldof tax payment,youwill oftenhave tolooktowardsHMRC,thisiswhere anyfreelancing
or self-employed individual will needtodeclare theirstatusto.Thisis alsowhoinformsyouhow
much tax you will pay,inthe eyesof thiscompanyfreelancersand self-employedindividualspaythe
same in termsof tax and national insurance.Firstly,the average wage foranassistantinadvertising
inLondonearns onaverage £22,922 peryear.For these people,if theirownpersonal profitswere
£22,922, that meanstheywill be onthe 20% tax bracket.You will get£12,500 of yourprofitstax free
and will pay20% on the remainingmoney.Now fornational insurance,if we keepthe remaining
figure fromearlier,youwillpaybothclass2 and4. Class2 chargesat £3.05 a weekif youearn over
£6,457 and class4 chargesan additional 9% if you earnover£8,632. The regularemployee will pay
20% if we keepthe estimatedwage fromearlier,with12,500 still tax free andalso12% fornational
insurance.
As a freelancerora self employedindividual inthisindustry,itisyourresponsibilitytopromote your
workyourself.Anexample of measuresyoucantake toachieve thisisto have a website online to
promote yourservices,thiscancontaina digital portfolioof yourworktopotential clients.Asyou
shouldbe familiarwithadvertisingtechniquesitisimperative,theyare puttouse,thismeans
puttingyourself onbusinesslistsforrecommendations,showingyourserviceswhenclientssearch
possible businessonline.If youdon’ttake measurestopromote yourself itislikelyyouwill limit
possible successdrastically,andasa professional inthe advertisingsectorthiscanbe tellingfor
clients.Afterall,if youcannotpromote yourself how canyoudo itfor them?
Fundingcanbe hard to come by forthose inthe advertisingbusiness,especiallyforthose not
workingundera well-connectedestablishedagency.There are afew methodshowevertohelp
supportnewadvertisingprofessionals,the firstbeingthe numeroussmall businessgrantsgivenout
by governmentagencies.Withthe currenteconomicstrugglesinthe 2021 pandemic,the chancellor
has setaside £4.6 billiontosupportbusinesses. However, there are alsothe optionsof crowdfunding
and private investments. The firstinvolvesusingyourownadvertisingskillstoconvince the public
your workisworth theirinvestmentin,the second canbe yourowninvestmentintoother
businessesinhopesof areward.Or it can be you pitchingyourservicestoprivate investorsinhopes
of themgivingyoufunding.
FindingEmploymentopportunities
Whenlookingfora jobin a competitivesectorlike advertising,itisimportanttobe proactive and
activelypromote yourself inordertosource employmentopportunities.Promotingyourself comes
inmultiple forms,the firsttacticbeingcreatingashow reel.Thisisa shortvideoeditedtogetherto
showcase yourperviousworkwithcameraandvideos,foradvertisingthiscouldbe acompilationof
past videoadvertisementsyouhave createdtoshow possible employersyouhave thisskillset
alreadydeveloped.Showreelsgohandinhandwithportfolios,whichcanbe posteddigitallyto
showcase samples of yourbestwork.Foran advertisingcareer,yourportfolioshouldcontain
samplesof pastcampaignworkyou have done (Postersandbillboarddesignstoname a few). Itis
critical that youhave both of these things,theycanbe postedontoyour social mediasandwebsite
for possible employers,clientsandnetworkingconnectionstoview quickly. Social mediais
extremelypopular,andwhenyouwanttoimpresssomeoneinadigital dominatedsectoritis
beneficial tohave avarietyof active social mediaaccountsshowcasingsome of yourwork.

5. Furthermore,websitesare evenmore convenientforpossible employerstoview becauseitcanbe a
hubcontainingall of your information.Includingyourportfolio,show reel, cv,referencesand a
galleryof yourworkwithpast clientspairedwiththeirfeedback.Employersare usuallyextremely
busypeople andassuch theydon’toftengosearchingfor extendedperiodsof time tofindyour
details,havingsocial mediasandwebsiteshelpthemunderstandeverythingaboutyouintheirshort
amountof viewingtime.All inone place theyhave beenable tosee yourpractical work(and
therefore yourcompetence inapractical setting),how well youhave beenable tomeetaclient
brief, theycanread yourcv and referencestolearnyoureducational andemploymenthistory.This
meansthat byactivelypromotingyourself online,youcancatch the attentionof numerous
employersInthe business,theycansee whetherornotyou are suitedfor the jobwithinafew
minutes.Yourpossibilityof gettingapositioninthatcompanyhasincreasedbecause of this,they
can knowwithproof youcan handle workinginanagency.
Whenpreparingyourcv, make sure to include all of yourskillsyoubelieve make youagood
employee.Talkaboutyoureducationandemploymenthistorybrieflybutwithenoughdetailthat
your interviewercanfeel like theyknowaboutyou.Keepthe cvaround1-2 pages,
employers/interviewersdon’thave time toreadalongcv andmay not botherat all.While sending
your cv off make sure to include ajobapplicationletteralongside it,thistellsthemwhatjobroles
you’re applyingfor,whyyouare interestedinthiscompanyspecificallyandwhatskillsyoubelieve
make youfit forthe position.Inorderto getthat employmentopportunity,youneedtoletthe
interviewergettounderstandyourmindsetandworkethic,followingthese tacticshelpsthat.
Finally,youwill needtohave some references.Preferablythesewillbe fromemployersinpast
advertisingagencies,buttheycan alsobe your lecturer,aslongas theycan vouchfor your skillsetas
an employeeitwill helpconvince yourintervieweryouare the perfectapplicantforthisjob.
Interviewtechnique:
Interviewingisacomplicationsituationthathasmanyintricacies,itcanbe shorteneddowntoa few
importantrulestoremember.Firstly,alwaysdressthe part.Yourinterviewerwill likelyseemultiple
people thatday,itsimportantyourfirstimpressionispositiveandmemorable,itcanmake or break
thisinterview.Because thisindustryisbothbusinessandcreative,smartcasual wouldbe the best
style of outfit.Clothesthatare office appropriateandlookprofessional,butunique enoughtoshow
you’re a creative individualisticperson.Advertisingprofessionalsshouldbe able toinnovate,your
outfitneedstoshowthat.Secondly,yourinterview technique will show youremployerjusthow
professionalyouare.Youneedtoshowinterpersonal skills,communicate clearly,constantlyand
effectivelytoyouremployersotheyknow youwill be able toworkinan advertisingagencythatruns
on collaboration. If youcan’t communicate withtheminthese ways,youwillappearincapableof
the teamworkthatis requiredinmediaindustriesandthe interview will notbe successful.But If you
stall tall,sitwitha back straight,shouldersback,smilefrequentlyandmake eye contact youare
showingyouare engagedandinvested.Professional practice in the mediaindustry iscrucial, itwill
showyour intervieweryouare a reliable employeepassionate aboutthisindustryandtheiragency.
Increasingjob opportunities:
In advertisingthereare a varietyof differenteducational andtrainingrouteswillmake youmore
employable,itdoeshoweverdependonthe specificjobrole youwantaswell.Forexample,if you
wantto be a creative director,copywriterordesigneryoumaywishtoreceive aneducationin
advertising, design,publicrelations,communicationsormarketing.All of these subjectswill make
youmore employable inthesejobrolesbecause youwill be exposedtothe variousmediasectors,
includingadvertising,youwilllearnhowtoidentifyandtargetan audience asswell asthe media

6. lawsand practical designskillsforproduction. .Howeverif youpreferalesscreative agencyrole,any
subjectinbusiness,administrationorlaw wouldbe beneficial.These are all incrediblyusefulskillsto
have goingintothe workingworldof advertising,because youremployerknowsyou’re suitably
trainedgoingintotheircompany,sotheydon’thave to trainyouas muchthemselves.Youcoulddo
a degree inthese subjectsorthere are variousvocational training/educational coursesalso.
Educationisn’tthe onlythingthatwill make a candidate more employable,itisalsoimportantto
have experience inaprofessional mediaenvironmentoradvertisingagency. Thiscouldtake place in
a local,national orinternational advertisingagencythatyoufeel will give youthe adequate
experience togointothissector. Eitherinthe formof work experience orshadowingof a
professional,havingafewexamples(oracombination) of these will show youremployerthatyou
are familiarand comfortable inthissetting.Theywillbe more likelytoemploysomeonetheyknow
has beencapable ina similarrole tothe one theyare applyingfor;thiscandidate canapplytheir
theoretical knowledge inapractical setting.
Afteryouhave gainedsome experience andaneducationinadvertising,itisimportanttoshow
continuingprofessional development.Thissectorisconstantly evolving;therefore, yourpossible
employerwantstoknowyoucan grow withit.Developingnew skillsisagood wayto show that, you
can do thisby branchingoutin the stylesof advertisingworkyou have done,make yourportfolio
more diverse. Youcouldtake a trainingcourse ina new sectorof advertising,forexample doinga
businesscourse tocomplimentyourcreative skills.Afteryou’ve made progressinyourskillset,itis
importantyouupdate saidinformationonyourcv,portfolioand websiteetc. Thiswill make you
more attractive to employersbecauseitsoktosay youhave grown as a person,butitsmore
effectivetoshowit.
Professional behaviour
Once you have finallyobtainedyouremploymentinthisindustry,itisimportantyouhave the right
behaviourtomaintainit.Professionalismisthe wayyouremployerwill expectyoutoconduct
yourself inthe workplace,theywantareliableemployee thatwillshow uptoworkon time dressed
appropriatelyandgettheirworkdone toa highstandard.As well asprofessionalism, itisimportant
for an employee tomanage theirownactivities.Meaningyouhave tomaintaina calendaror diaryto
track all of yourprojectsand meetings,compilingaccounts andreceiptswhenappropriate andif yo
are self-employed/freelancingyouwillalsoneedtomarketyourownwork.
Afterworkinginthisindustryforanextendedperiodof time afteryoureducation,youmayfind
yourself lessskilledatcertainareas.It is importantfora professional,especiallyacreative,to
maintaintheirskillsevenafteralongtime intheirjob.Advertisingemployeesneedawide skillset,so
there isno shame inneedingtodosome freelancingworkortakinga shorttrainingcourse to remind
yourself of askill. Takingtime outsideof yourworkto practice yourskillswouldbothmaintainyour
skillsetandensure youstillhave apassionforthatjob role. Thiswill ensure yourworkistothe
higheststandard.
Finally,advertisingagenciesoftenrequire theiremployeestocollaborate onprojects.Therefore,it
isimperative thatanemployee isable tocommunicate withtheircolleaguesandcontribute toteam
projects.Itsnot onlycolleaguesyouwill needtocommunicate with,itisalsoyourclients.Youneed
to be able to talkto themand understandwhatitistheywishto achieve withthiscampaign.If an
employeeisnotable tomanage all of these thingsthentheyare notperformingtothe bestof their
abilities,theirworkmaynot be up to the employer’sstandardand itmightaffecthow longtheystay

7. withthat company.If the individualisself employedorfreelancing,thentheymightnotbe able to
attract enoughcustomerstobe self-sufficient.