A day in the life of an Account Executive includes ringing phones, on-the-spot problem solving, and of course, lots of coffee! Account Executives are basically the middlemen between the clients (brands) and all subsequent marketing & advertising projects. We’re responsible for the a-z organisation of all campaigns and so talking to a variety of people on a day to day basis is a key part of the job. You must be extremely organised and ensure that all involved parties are adequately briefed and have the right tools so that each project is completed as required and in the set time frame. Which also includes a lot of following up as well. 

The main component of being an Account Executive at Innovation/Leo Burnett is establishing close and open relationships with your client. The client is someone you’re going to be talking to daily for all matters, so you need to have a mutual level of understanding & trust. I always want the best for my client and their brand and that sometimes includes having to steer the client in another direction should you genuinely believe another approach would be more successful. And it works both ways! As well as having to constantly re-think out of the box and deliver over and above whilst always respecting the client’s budget and guidelines. But this is where some of the best work happens and the best ideas are born. 

There is no better feeling than working with a great team on a big project and then seeing it come together successfully towards the end. It gives you a sense of community and pride. And of course a happy client!

The job keeps you on your toes, no two days are the same. You will never have a boring day in the advertising industry, everything is fast paced, and your mind is constantly rolling; your daily life becomes inspiration and ideas pop out of nowhere. Each project is different and you work with so many people-from different backgrounds, there is always something new to learn and new waters to explore, which ties into my last point as well; I love having to keep myself relevant to stay ahead of the trends to suggest innovative and creative ideas for my clients. 

For me one of the biggest challenges is adapting communication styles depending on who’s on the receiving end. Each completed project is the collective work or numerous people ranging from partners, clients, external creatives, designers, collaborators, you name it; so it’s really important to be mindful and selective to convey only the necessary information to each individual involved.

In addition, having so many projects working alongside each other you have to properly prioritise each task and tackle the bigger components first to stay organised on top of things. This also includes thinking ahead to factor in any possible delays or obstacles that might occur along the way.

When brainstorming a new idea, you must think up creative new ways to stop consumers to pay attention to your message, whilst sticking to the brand identity and guidelines. It can be very restrictive at times, but this is where the real growth happens. 

Digital is exponentially on the rise and with trends evolving day by day it’s important we stay innovative with ideas and think ahead of the game to stay relevant. As AI and VR starts to emerge more and more throughout the industry, we can expect to see completely new, and creative types of advertising. Everything has to be about transforming the consumer experience and cultivating relationships with your audience and making any interaction they have with the brand meaningful and seamless. An exciting era of advertising is about to hit, watch this space! 

If you want to rethink and reshape the handling of your brand, send me an email at [email protected]

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