Advertising Agencies in the UK

More content leads inevitably to more competition. On an average base, a consumer will stumble upon more than five thousand ads on a daily basis, which definitely means that attention span is harder to garner and keep than ever. Alongside is the fact that organic reach on social media is continuing to decline. In such a scenario, many companies are wondering what are the best ways to make sure they are reaching to consumers. Ad campaigns and content are naturally the first things a company or business manager will consider. And they will be right to do so. However, without an in-house marketing and advertising team and no particular knowledge of marketing, the business owner will immediately consider the idea of hiring an advertising agency. However, do they pick up the phone and call the advertising agency immediately, or they are not sure what an advertising agency can actually offer in terms of services and help? For many people it will be the letter one, this is why this guide to what an advertising agency actually does may be very helpful to you.

What Does an Advertising Agency Do?

An advertising company is a business focused on creating marketing strategies, plans, and advertising campaigns for other businesses, companies, and individuals. An advertising agency uses and works with a number of marketing and promotional channels for creating effective advertising strategies intended and implemented for increasing the client’s exposure, presence, and market share. An advertising agency also works in building brand awareness and increasing a company’s revenue.

An advertising agency can use a number of advertising and communication channels, including television, radio, podcasts, paper and digital media for building effective advertising campaigns depending on what channels are the best for the specific advertising campaign. By doing so, the advertising agency is targeting the specific audience of the company.

An advertising agency can be divided in a few departments. For example, the creative department of an advertising agency is making sure that all marketing and advertising materials are resonating with and appealing to the targeted audience of the company. By this, the advertising agency is increasing customer engagement and maximizing the advertising results. The buying department of the advertising agency is responsible for analysing what media channels are the most suitable for delivering specific ads and promotional materials. A customer relations department of an advertising agency is responsible for maintaining and monitoring clients relations and communications.

An advertising agency can come in a different size. An advertising agency can be either a small one with not many departments or a bigger one with all departments. An advertising agency can also be home-based business or also a part of branches with offices in many cities around the country or the world.

What Are the Tasks of an Advertising Agency?

• Creating – Usually, a responsibility of the creative team of an advertising agency, some of the tasks and duties include the creation of graphics, videos, banners, concepts, copywriting and other advertising materials. A creative team of an advertising agency will show a high level of creativity in the creation of many different materials under the umbrella of one marketing campaign for a company.

• Planning – Planning is usually a responsibility of the buyers team of an advertising agency and includes duties such as researching the most suitable communication and marketing channels, understanding the audience characteristics of different media channels, collecting other sorts of crucial data and information for determining which media channels will work for a particular campaign or not.

• Buying – It is a process, part of the job of an advertising agency, that includes the acquiring of media space and time for displaying the advertisements. Pretty much, what buying means is the process when the advertising agency is buying advertising space. It can also happen through an automated platform and buying often involves negotiation that is performed by the advertising agency.

How Does an Advertising Agency Work?

An advertising agency will work together with clients for the creation of advertising campaigns that satisfy the needs, requirements, and desires of the client, but also their clients and customers. All departments and teams of an advertising agency work together for building a concept for an advertising campaign and making sure this message is delivered through the right channels in an effective way and it reaches the right audience. When you start working with an advertising agency, the first stage after you sharing and explaining more about your requirements and needs is the advertising agency coming back to you with a proposal. Based on that proposal you can decide whether you want to work with this advertising agency or not. Once you select an advertising agency, the advertising agency will begin gathering as much information from you, your products, markets, audiences, as possible. Based on that information, the creative team of the advertising agency is starting with the creative process. This process may take a while until both the creative team and the client are satisfied with the advertising campaign and the concept. Finally, the final product is distributed by other responsible teams of the advertising agency.

Different Departments of an Advertising Agency

An advertising agency will have different departments that work on different aspects of the process.

• Media – Can be divided in two sub-departments – planning and buying. Media planning includes the process of choosing the right communication channels for the campaign, while media buying refers to the purchase of the right advertising space and time.

• Creative – As already explained above, the creative department of an advertising agency is responsible for creating and designing content and concepts for all advertising campaigns.

• Admin and HR – The department of an advertising agency that handles employee’s paperwork and sometimes run some ad hoc tasks too.

• Client Administration – Usually a department part of a big advertising agency. Usually handles all communications with clients.

An Advertising Agency – Is It Expensive?

Every advertising agency will have its own way to charge clients. An advertising agency can work with a commission, charge service fees, or work with combined structures. All the possible fees or pricing structures an advertising agency can work with include: retainers, full time equivalents, project fees, fixed fees, media commissions, production mark-ups, licensing, percent of sales bonuses, pay for performance, value pricing.