It may sound blaringly obvious, but to work within the creative arm of a marketing agency you will have to be creative, free-thinking and open to new ideas. It also helps if you react well to constructive criticism, because no matter how perfect your work may look to you, more often than not, the client will suggest changes.
A ‘creative’ essentially creates ideas and, in the world of marketing, these ideas are the most important thing in the world (especially when they are good ones!). A marketing agency’s creative department is where all the ideas are mustered up. Careers in this area can often involve working closely with account handlers. The creative gets client feedback through these guys, and subsequently uses them as a spokesperson to make the client aware of any problems which the creative team is facing.
What kind of work is a creative in charge of?
Put simply, a creative is handed a problem (a.k.a. the brief) and is tasked with inventing an idea to address it. From here, they work with the production department in order to turn those ideas into a reality. A creative arguably has the most fulfilling role in an agency, as they get to see their ideas blossom from start to finish.
Ideas can be put into action through a variety of different media, including anything from television adverts and online viral campaigns, to on-pack promotions and quirky ad campaigns. One of the biggest challenges a creative faces is coming up with ideas that work across a range of different channels.
Your job possibilities within a creative marketing department can be literally endless (as long as the client approves!).
So if this brief overview has caught your eye then it seems we’ve marketed it pretty well (apologies if that made you cringe a little!) — why not apply for a few marketing roles? Alternatively, go ahead and explore the occupational profile of an Advertising Art Director to get some further insight into potential careers in creative marketing.