Teaching about the Evolving Agency Relationships between Project Managers, Creative and Account Service

Abstract

Students in advertising have always been taught about the big four positions of research, media, account management and creative. However, other positions should be considered as the field evolves. To better understand evolving agency relationships with creative and account service teams, we interviewed 16 advertising professionals about a fifth career option, project management. This article outlines the tasks, knowledge bases, and roles of project managers based on the industry literature and interviews. We offer advertising educators insights into how to discuss the expanded role of project management as a viable option for students’ long term careers in advertising.