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What skills does an advertising account executive need?

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• A proactive attitude, with the ability to use initiative and be flexible
• Excellent organisational skills
• The ability to work under pressure and assimilate large quantities of information quickly, while maintaining attention to detail
• Effective team working skills to work with a range of people including account planners and media planners
• Influencing and negotiation skills when winning new business
• Commercial awareness
• An understanding of what makes a good advertisement
• Resilience and the ability to deal with problems and constructive criticism
• An awareness of how advertising and marketing is developing in light of new communication technologies
• The ability to present and brief a range of stakeholders
• Understanding of social media platforms and digital marketing and strategies
• Interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Creativity – the ability to come up with ideas for campaigns and ways to promote brands
• The ability to monitor, analyse and report on data and results from campaigns
• You may also need the ability to manage budgets.

What does an advertising account executive do on a daily basis?

Advertising executives' responsibilities include managing accounts and advertising campaigns, and communicating progress clearly to all stakeholders. They work closely with clients, creative teams and marketing professionals to coordinate and deliver advertising campaigns. Meeting client deadlines and business objectives might require working beyond normal office hours.

How do you become an advertising account executive?

Advertising executives come from a variety of educational backgrounds. However, studying a media, marketing or communications degree could be particularly beneficial. Alternatively, you can progress into this position with relevant work experience. Graduates are generally preferred, especially in large and international agencies. 

Recommended courses

• BSc Business Management with Marketing
• MSc Marketing
• MSc Psychology (Conversion)

Lots of advertising companies offer training schemes for graduates. As employers value experience, it would be beneficial for you to gain as much as possible during your studies. A degree with a work placement year, or a summer internship, could give you a competitive advantage. 

Useful links

For more information on jobs and what to expect from this career, please visit some of the most widely used sites for careers support.