An advertising agency play varied roles in terms of the contributions they make to their respective clients' businesses.
The following are the departments of an advertising agency:
1. Account Handling
2. Planning Department
3. Creative Department
4. Media Department
5. Production Department
Account Handlers (Executives)
They will provide day-to-day liaison with the client company and will be responsible for ensuring that the essential work required by the client is fulfilled both on time and within budget. Most importantly they represent the channel trough which the dialogue between the client and the agency is conducted.
They have the responsibility for presenting the resultant work of the agency back to the members of the client team. They are also responsible for communications such as attending meetings, writing reports and generally liaising between the client and the agency.
Planning Department
The role of planning is a comparatively new function within the advertising agency, but one which has evolved dramatically to change the nature and function of the agency response to its clients' communications needs. Account planners have an important strategic responsibility with in the agency. They are required to provide a far deeper understanding of both the consumers and the brands which they purchase.
Five key functions to define Planning Department
Discovering and defining the advertising task.
An account planner has full responsibility to organize information regarding the consumer and the market place.
An account planner uses variety of inputs, which includes both existing clint and agency data, as well as desk research.
Preparing the creative Brief
The account planner is the person within the agency who prepares the creative brief which will both inform and inspire the creative process.
Creative development
An account planner takes part in all stages of creative department