Career Advice Detail India

Media, Advertising and Public Relations

Media, Advertising and PR jobs in India

Sector overview

The Indian Advertising and Public Relations industry caters to the marketing and communication needs of both foreign and Indian marketers operating in India.

Career options

Advertising

Jobs are largely in three discipline areas:

• Client servicing: Roles involve working with clients to develop and implement brand and communication strategies. Currently, most large agencies recruit students with MBA degrees for client servicing roles, as they prefer some familiarity with marketing and consumer behaviour theory and models. However, smaller agencies may be open to hiring graduates with initiative and a willingness to learn the ropes.
• Creative development: Involves roles in copywriting or visualizing, both of which call for lateral thinking and the ability to link artistic expression with the needs of a brand. While many candidates with degrees in Literature, Fine Arts, Design or Visual Communication gravitate towards these roles, they are usually not barred to people from any academic background.
• Media planning and buying: These roles call for well-developed analytical abilities at a minimum, while understanding of brand strategy is also essential. For this reason, media planning hires tend to come from MBA backgrounds. Sometimes, candidates from a background in Statistics may also be considered.

Public Relations

Often looks for people with a background in literature, journalism or other communications related areas. While there has been a recent trend of recruiting MBAs in order to better understand client needs, careers in public relations are usually open to graduates from any discipline. A flair for language, the ability to generate communication hooks and strong interpersonal skills are must-haves.

Key employers

• NDTV
• OutlookIndia.com
• Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd
• Hindustan Times
• Crayons Advertising
• Havas Worldwide India
• Madison World
• Sasi Advertising Pvt Ltd
• Ogilvy and Mather
• Xebec Communications Pvt Ltd
• J Walter Thompson India
• DDB Mudra Group

Postgraduate view

Key advice from an experienced UWE postgraduate:

"In the current economic boom, there are all sorts and sizes of media agencies doing business in India. The big names such as JWT and Ogilvy have their own recruitment processes for which you need to be in touch with their HR department while the medium and small size agencies are flexible and open to people with a mix of educational and industry backgrounds.

There is also a growing demand for freelance work. Agencyafqs.com is a popular media related website in India, with the most up-to-date jobs section for jobs in advertising and PR. It is better to try directly with a small sized company and slowly gain experience and move into a big sized agency."

Gautam Vazirani, former Brand Manager with Mahindra & Mahindra Limited and current MBA student.