Why Advertising?

Mallory Pomerantz

A few years ago, I was in your shoes with not a wonder in the world of what I wanted to do with my life. Doctors were impactful, teachers seemed insightful, and accountants seem tired. I found myself all over the place. I felt that I had a lot of different interests, and I wanted a career path that could encompass all those interests. For example, I loved research, collaboration, brand strategy, consulting, and using my creativity. I found myself inspired by the idea of doing business that could be fun, and that’s where I landed in Advertising. 

I found myself inspired by the possibilities of creativity and collaboration. Creativity can help brands to create a following as well as promote their products. This is all about creating something that stands out whether it be something funny, something referencing pop culture, or working with an idea outside the box. In this industry, you’ll work on an advertisement until you’ve knocked it out of the park and that hustle keeps me motivated to keep working and learning.

There is also a wide pallet of careers you can take on in the advertising industry. If you find yourself wanting to be apart of the creative process with design, graphics, and layouts, a role as an art director may be for you. If you find yourself creative as well as analytical, a job in account management maybe for you. Here, you create long-term relationships with clients to make sure the creative work is meeting the client’s needs. Furthermore, if you have interests in research, data trends, and defining key elements for your brand, you may be interested in a role in brand strategy. As you can see, there are many different roles you can take on within the advertising industry whether you are creative, analytical, or a problem solver.

Furthermore, advertising provides a way for collaboration. In my past 3 years in the College of Media, I am constantly assessed through group projects. Instead of being assessed through exams, we are assessed on our creative advertisements, presentations, and business/brand strategies. This has not only allowed me to work on several different projects, but I’ve created relationships with several of my colleagues while tackling these projects. It has been so fun working with different people on different projects. As a group, we’ve had to throw out ideas that didn’t work, constantly tweaking ideas until they click. The hustle is tough, but hard work always pays off.

If you’re looking for a career path that can showcase several different skills and interests, advertising may be for you. This is a way to work in an ever-changing industry while collaborating and constantly crafting new ideas. Learn more about Advertising at Illinois at http://catalog.illinois.edu/undergraduate/media/advertising-bs/