If you are a fan of the television show Mad Men, you know that the last episodes of the series will air this spring. This much buzzed about show depicting the advertising business during the 1960’s, introduced the character of Don Draper, the enigmatic creative director who has been called one of the most influential characters in television history.
Fans of the show could argue that equally important to the telling of Don Draper’s story is that of Peggy Olson, whose first day on the job as Don’s secretary kicks off the first episode of the series. Some of the most poignant moments in the show revolve around these two characters. Watching Peggy’s rise from meek secretary to chief copywriter during a time when women working outside the home was more a novelty than the norm, seems like a peek into a time that existed in stark contrast to the present. Peggy Olson might be surprised and disappointed to learn however, that 40+ years later there are very few women serving as creative directors in advertising.
Maybe not a surprise would be the rise of computers in the industry. Fans of Mad Men may remember the episode which saw the arrival of “the computer.” The hulking and noisy machine was met with suspicion that it was there to take the place of the humans. And while the folks of Mad Men may be relieved to know that people still run the show in the 21st century, the level of human dependency on machines in the advertising world might be alarming.
Today the focus is on ads being seamlessly included in the consumer’s every day experience. Mobile and native advertising are becoming a bigger part of the conversation and budget at most agencies. The Mad Men world saw the television as king: families sat transfixed with the glowing box that replaced dinner conversation with dinner watching. Fast forward to a time when television is conceding its reign to digital video and consumers viewing habits have shifted from a shared social experience of scheduled programming to an individual experience of on-demand consumption and the advertising world must adapt to the preference for a portable, multiscreen life.
Sampling of Possible Interview Questions for Advertising Account Professionals:
Have you ever failed to deliver on a commitment to a client?
How do you convey to your clients that your priority is what is right for his/her business?
Have you ever “fired” a client? Why?
How do you measure the impact of native advertising?
Discuss three reasons why account managers need to be proactive with clients.
Describe your process in determining whether or not to take a client’s business.
Have you initiated new ideas or better ways to do something than was currently being done?
How would you approach me if I was a potential client to get my business?
Talk about a time when a client disagreed with the advertising plan. How did you resolve the problem?
What is the best way to show you disagree with an idea?
How do you go about becoming an expert on the client’s business?
Have you ever said “no” to a client? If so, why?
Have you done anything to promote the agency to the client, beyond the work on your account?
Have you gone out of your way to integrate yourself into the client’s business? How?
What is the biggest crises with a client you have handled? What happened?
What trade publications do you subscribe to?
Do you think there is an ethical boundary in native advertising?
How do you identify possible client objections to the creative work?
Do you believe that native advertising is a fad or here to stay?
Describe your experience with programmatic advertising tools.
What is your level of experience with data mining and analytics?