How Advertising Agencies Operate

This paper outlines the agency organizations most commonly used, and describes the process of creating an advertisement.

How Advertising Agencies Operate

Jonathan LangeMcCann-Ericksonn Worldwide, Los Angeles

The first advertising agencies had no copywriters. They had no art directors, and no account executives either. In fact, a career in advertising during the late 1800's required virtually no experience with advertisements and no particular insight into the product being sold. The first advertising agencies were simply brokers of media space, buying pages in newspapers and periodicals and selling them to advertisers. Agencies were rarely staffed by more than a couple of people and their motivation was not to help companies attract customers or sell more goods, but to...

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