Ad agency

Short for 'advertising agency' is a business organization with purpose of promotion, marketing, and public relations. Ad agencies employ a wide range of talents and skill sets with a general goal of providing a full-service to their client. The strategy is that a client should not need to go outside of the relationship to obtain a particular format of communication
To that end, an agency will have a core set of services, and will hire contractors to cover the services that are not part of their standard business offering.

Note: some ad agencies specialize in a particular service and are sometimes called a Design Boutique.

Core Service Offering

Products that are offered and considered a main-stay resource for all clients. Core services tend to be presented and promoted aggressively with any of their own advertising. Generally, core services are accomplished through a team or multiple teams that are comprised of a similar skill with varied levels of expertise.

Examples of Core Services include:

Television Advertising and/or commercials
Internet Advertising and/or banners
Newspaper, Magazine and publication advertisements
Campaign Web sites
Consumer/Ecommerce website design
Brochures, Catalogs, and printed pieces
Business cards, Letter head, and collateral
Brands
iPhone application development
Web site usability testing
Social media integration & games
Flash development

Secondary Service Offering

In order to remain flexible with the market needs and/or with their clients, they are often called to provide a service not expressly in their core offering. The focus is less about being a leader in these fields, but more that they can provide integrated solutions that combines secondary and core offerings into a unified service. Secondary services are generally out-sourced to a temporary contractor, or a specialized company that works behind the scenes. Note: Some ad agencies will develop a niche specialization which mean that some of the services that are secondary for most, become a core offering. The most recent field has been usability

Examples of Secondary Services include:

3D Illustration & Animation
Short Films & cinematography
Console Video games
Industrial design
Usability Testing Labs
Taxonomy
Off-shore development
Enterprise-level software development
Android software development

Employment

While ad agencies often develop their own way of hiring staff, there are a couple of trends that can be seen amongst the larger agencies.

Closed Job Pool
Ad agencies have over time, developed a specialized set of cultural and professional requirements. So specific are the needs, that professionals often develop a dedication. Professionals who work in ad agencies tend to work only for ad agencies. When they might leave an agency, generally it is to join another ad agency. Thus the market becomes closed to professionals who lack ad agency experience. It also means, that the finite pool.

Creative Management
Ad agencies often times hire and promote individuals with the ability to communicate and express ideas to clients. They tend to manage creative teams, and often times create the initial design concept. While they tend to be a mixture of skill set, they are generally serve as the center piece of any service.

Committed Subordinate

While management tend to provide high-level vision of a creative direction, the subordinates are tasked with the responsibility to complete the service in its entirety. Working as a subordinate in an agency can be considered extremely difficult, since it requires sacrifice of all other activities, sleep, relationships, lifestyles.

Common Markets

Though each ad agency develops a specific range of clients, there tends to be a trend in the fields they serve. These markets have over time developed dependency on ad agencies to provide core services.

Common Markets can include:

Consumer Electronics
Consumer Brands
Consumer Manufacturers
Television & Film
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Automotive
Retail clothing
Retail fashion
Insurance
Banking & consumer financial services

Specialized Markets

There are times when an ad agency develops a specialty regarding a specific market. They are able to gain pronounced success by understanding business goals comprehensively, as well as match the tone and culture.

Specialty Markets can include: