Media Agencies

When you leave university you’ll discover a lot of jobs and industries that you never knew existed. I graduated in 2002 and left university thinking about a career in advertising. It wasn’t until I moved to London that I discovered just how diverse the industry was. I had no idea the variation of terms used to describe what I considered advertising. If I look back I think I would’ve been able to get a job quicker if I’d understood the different areas associated with advertising. Though I now work in the industry as an SEO consultant, I could have picked my path with greater consideration with some knowledge along the way. One particular area that was totally foreign to me was the media agency. Media agencies account for the largest proportion of client budgets but a lot of people wouldn’t know what they did. So here’s a quick guide to media agencies and what they do.

Media agencies

A media agency is a shortened name for a media communications agency. It might sound like a company that deals with news and press related request but that is necessarily true. Media agencies plan campaigns that target potential customers using the media. They will take the creative developed by an advertising agency and place it in magazines, newspapers and television programmes that are being consumed by the clients target audience.

If you follow the link in the previous paragraph it takes you to the Google search results for “media agency”. You’ll find a wiki page that gives a very detailed description of what the agencies do. I used the page to research this article. One thing I noticed on the wiki page that I thought was interesting was the phrases “above the line” and “below the line”. Industry terms like these seem pretentious from the outside. Once you work in the industry you come across as professional if you use the correct terminology. Talking the talk is as important as walking the walk.

Above the line

Above the line is the term media professional use for campaigns that use main stream media. If, for example, a campaign was broadcast on ITV during a popular show on in evening it would be considered above the line. This is because it is in the kind of media that can be taken in by everyone. You are putting your brand in front of a mass audience that will

Below the line

A below the line campaign would be using niche media outlets. If you were marketing a product that would be of interest to nurses you would use nursing magazines. As this is not going to be consumed by the masses it is classified as below the line.

As you can see the line is a rough description of active and passive media consumption. Those seeking out industry magazines will generally have made an active decision to find out about a topic. You are below the line. If it’s in a mainstream newspaper you will more than likely be a passive consumer, taking in the media without a greater motivation to find out. You are above the line.

Patrick is blogging for Yellow Cat recruitment. A London based creative and media recruitment agency.

Tags: employment, media jobs, student jobs

Category: Student News