The great thing about having an advertising degree is that advertising never dies, it only transforms. Over the years, advertising has built products, companies, careers, and has transcended the ages. Its written and visual cues have distracted us on billboards, magazines, newspapers, or on the sides of buildings. We’ve laughed, cried, and sung the catchy tunes of the radio ads, the infomercials of television, or the interactive ads on the internet. As long as there has been business and commerce there has also been advertising, and as long as there is still a product left on earth to market, there will continue to be advertising. Talk about job security!

Understanding what comprises a top advertising program can be difficult though. What is it exactly that builds such a program into one that produces successful candidates for the world of advertising? These days a top advertising program must have the capacity to change and stay current with or even ahead of the swiftly moving trends of internet advertising. It must also have the ability effectively to balance a student’s curriculum between the creative aspects of advertising and its business side. It is also the role of a top advertising program to prepare students for the real world through professional networking, internships, mock presentations, and projects that mimic what will be encountered in the workforce.

But you might say to yourself, “I’m talented, with a quick wit and charismatic personality. Why do I need a top advertising program to get a job in the field?” While someone might indeed have a personality fit to the advertising world, there are things a top advertising program can do that will harness those skills and allow someone to more effectively and efficiently utilize their natural talent. Building public relation skills, studying the most recent computer development programs, and taking courses that will prepare you for creating constructive client relationships or developing marketing strategies, can provide an educational background that will allow you to begin an advertising career in higher level executive positions sooner than those without such a degree.

So what types of careers are available to someone with a degree from a top advertising program? The scope and range of career opportunities in advertising are wide ranging and spread throughout numerous industries. The possibilities broaden even further when potential candidates have the educational background with which a top advertising program provides them. Those with more outgoing personalities may opt for a position as a manager in promotions, sales, marketing or public relations, while those less comfortable in the limelight might select a career path that focuses on the creative side such as being a market research, product development, pricing or advertising strategy. In whatever advertising role you may be interested, there is plenty of latitude when it comes to deciding on what is right for you. From account executives to public relations officers to the aspects of development and design of advertising campaigns, promotions, and marketing there are niches for just about any type of personality or background within the advertising field.

Disclaimer:

This article is for informational purposes only. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is at the reader’s discretion.…

In today’s challenging economic climate it’s sometimes hard to find good news on the marketing front, but I have some.

 

After years as a hotel general manager, I am all too familiar with the onslaught of requests from the dozens of worthy charities and schools in our communities. The process includes sifting through the requests, processing them, responding to the approved and disappointed contacts and then supervising the on site presentations. This can become a tremendously time consuming community service that often times delivers little measurable marketing value. So, when I learned about an online charity auction marketing program I was impressed (and relieved!).

One company called BiddingForGood hosts thousands of online charity auctions and has determined that it is the commercial item donors (us) who are not getting much of a win/win. The company has set out to fix that. Their approach to charity auctions is multi pronged…they not only provide a turn-key marketing program that delivers advertising value, leads, and paying customers, they also provide an online item request tool that allows properties to streamline requests. Their marketing program enables consolidation of these events into a performance based opportunity that delivers measureable ROI. They then track the respondents and even provide follow-up outreach to auction participants…it’s a total marketing package to a targeted demographic which has been previously been relatively untapped in the hospitality industry.

What’s so special about Charity Auctions? The charity donor base is highly attractive with hundreds/thousands of influential members of the community. The power of the charity auction is that the marketer reaches these donors through their trusted causes. This is important because the decline of traditional advertising has ultimately offered us alternative marketing opportunities, such as these charity auctions. These auctions reach people just as they are making purchasing decisions which are many times in the travel category.

Who are these charity auction bidders? In general, they are influential, affluent baby boomers – typically, an upscale demographic with a high demand for travel experiences and traditionally, a very expensive market to reach. A recent study completed by BiddingForGood shows that 36% of bidders in online charity auctions have a household income of $150,000 or more (47% for private schools) and 31% have a net worth in excess of $1 million. They travel extensively with 51% planning to travel internationally in the next year and 91% planning domestic travel. These are consumers of travel experiences with travel being the largest item category in the $16 billion charity auction market. Since 40% of online charity auctions are schools (most of them private schools) many of the bidders are parents who are booking travel for 4, 5 and 6 individuals. While females comprise the majority of bidders (68%) males typically have bids that are on average 60% higher. These are socially minded consumers who are looking to support a trusted cause such as their child’s school fundraiser and they spend money against this goal because it also meets their travel, dining, entertainment needs.

How It Works; When hotels are contacted by local charities, the charities are directed to the hotel website where they are asked to fill out a request form. This administrative online tool (Automated Item Request System- AIRS) enables the hotel to accept or decline requests with the simple click of a mouse thereby sending an email response while tracking everything.

BiddingForGood works with the brand to develop an appropriate offer that enables upsell and cross sell to the winning bidder (their research suggests that properties are giving away too much). The auction network also works with the brand on an item page which tells the hotel story and thereby controls the brand presentation. The specially built item page enforces brand integrity and locks in the minimum bid to properly represent the brand in this marketing-rich auction environment. The page also allows for deep engagement awareness, often up to 50 seconds per consumer (essentially virtual trial). And, this item page typically includes rich media (imbedded video) and numerous photos (which can’t be done when an item is displayed on a clipboard). Lastly, the links from dozens/hundreds of these auctions to the property’s website improves the hotel’s all-important Google natural search rankings (i.e. where you …

Marketing is expensive, right? Frustrating? Confusing? It doesn’t have to be when you have 50 marketing and advertising choices to pick from. One of these will suit your needs.

1.)Blog tours

2.) Social blasts

3.) Blog posts

4.) Articles and excerpts

5.) Flyers.

6.) Postcards.

This option can be expensive unless you order your supplies in bulk and work from your local phone directory for the addresses.

7.) Special, deals, and freebies.

8.) Contests.

9.) Business cards.

10.) Newspaper ads.

Again, can be costly but think of how many people you are reaching at one time for that money.

11.) Widow writing

12.) Hats and T-shirts.

13.) Bumper stickers.

14.) Booths at the mall or flea market.

15.) Signs and product displays in stores and offices.

This option for advertising is often overlooked by a first time business owner. Public areas you control, like bulletin boards, can also be a great place to market your product.

16.) Email marketing.

17.) Youtube videos.

18.) Press releases.

19.) Radio and TV commercials.

20.) Phone campaigns to stores, libraries, etc…

21.) Postcard followups

22.) Reciprocal linking.

Be careful with this option. We all have heard links matter in search engine rankings but the wrong links can also hurt you in that area. Be sure you only get from and link to, sites with high page rank.

 

23.) Craig’s list and ebay

24.) Opening and release parties.

25.) Word of mouth-tell people

26.) Links only on your sites to your products.

27.) Internet blog radio.

28.)Adwords and other pay per click campaigns.

29.) An infomercial.

The average order from QVC,(Shopping network) is 1,000 units. Unless you have that many ready, don’t go this way or you’ll have more orders than you can possibly fill in time.

30.) Product dvds and videos.

31.) Buy a complete marketing package from the Cloud 9 Agency.

32.) Get local endorsements.

33.) Joins groups and forums.

34.) Premier listings with distributors. For example, for books, Baker and Taylor has an initial startup fee. For a higher cost, your title can be features in their catalogue’s premier spots(First 20 pages).

35.) Register your stats with agencies who keep track of product sales. It generates links and attention.

36.) Get reviews and use them to your advantage.

37.) Banners and logos.

38.) Email signature advertising.

39.) Email campaign.

40.) Register all art and don’t forget links and keywords, (Called alt tags in photos).

41.) Slideshow created for free on Flicker.

42.) Appearances, preferably with a famous person….

43.) Speaking engagements.

44.) Award ceremonies and dinners.

Even a small gathering of friends and family can be enough. Take photos and include them in your press kits and releases and post them on your sites and blogs. People love to see other ‘real’ folks celebrating.

45.) Local, state, regional, and international fairs, workshops, and festivals.

46.) Live chats.

47.) Public billboards and bus bench ads.
48.) Internet shows, like blog talk radio, which is free on many hosts.
49.) PLace your material samples on scribed and sell the full edition.
50.) Sign up for Yahoo Pulse and blast your information for free.

Marketing and advertising choices can be confusing. Hopefully, this list of 50 helped.…