Account Executive: from head to toes of advertisement
TURN ON the television or walk on the streets, and you will find yourself surrounded by advertisements wherever you go. In today’s world where visual and auditory media have become obligatory for successful marketing, the advertising industry is prospering noticeably. At the core of this industry lies the AE (Account Executive). 
Mission of an AE
An AE is a person who analyzes products, consumers, and the market to plan the best advertising strategies in order to meet the clients’ marketing goals. According to Kim Se-young, an AE at Daehong Communications Inc., advertising companies are often up against tough competition in order to earn advertising projects from clients. He says, “If we do not succeed at this stage, the effort and money invested in the pre-production presentation become worthless.” In this regard, an AE is in a crucial position at an advertising company who gives presentations to clients and persuades them to work with his/her company.
Park Jong-wook, an AE at TBWA Korea, says, “An AE starts as a messenger who facilitates communication between clients and producers.” Moreover, an AE guides the creative team through writing slogans and building storyboards, overseeing the overall direction and concept of each product’s ad. Kim explains, “The storyboard goes back and forth between the AE and the creative team at least five times, until it becomes as close to the visualized commercial as possible.”
Are you an AE material?
In order to be a successful AE, several qualities are necessary. One of them is having confidence and even some degree of impudence when working with people. An AE is also recommended to have a wide range of interest in various areas which will enable him/her to deal with many different areas of the job. Another quality is to be meticulous because a simple mistake, such as placing commercials on the wrong TV schedule, can cost the company a lot of money.
Ready, get set!
Since the Korean advertising industry has grown to be the tenth largest in the world, there are many job opportunities for college graduates in advertising companies. Currently, AEs’ majors vary from business administration to engineering, since there are no specific university majors required by employers. However, it would be somewhat favorable for one to be familiar with economics, business or mass communication.
The field of advertising actually comprises of many different aspects. Thus, it is preferable if one has many experiences in various fields during university. Kim says, “This means that even if an applicant has worked passionately in an advertising *dongahree* as his/her only activity, another applicant with experiences in community service, debate club and orchestra may be favored by employers.” Park also advised, “One should read many books and build a wide spectrum of knowledge.”
Merits of an AE include the opportunities provided for learning various business skills in the company such as planning and managing strategies which can be applied to almost all kinds of business. Also, when they finally see their ads in public, they feel pride and a sense of accomplishment.
On the other side, the job can be stressful at times because AEs are always in a position where they have to serve people. They serve the advertisers, who are their clients, as well as the creative and media teams in their company, who make the advertisements. Moreover, “Late nights are common in this job. It is challenging not only mentally, but also physically,” Kim warns.
Today’s world is full of all sorts of advertisements. We, as consumers, come in contact with advertisements in our daily lives, and are prone to be swayed by the 15 to 30 seconds of subliminal images. Have you considered being a conductor bringing together the orchestra to create advertisements?