Modern advertising agencies usually form their copywriters and art directors into creative teams. Creative teams may be permanent partnerships or formed on a project-by-project basis. The art director and copywriter report to a creative director, usually a creative employee with several years of experience. Although copywriters have the word "write" in their job title, and art directors have the word "art", one does not necessarily write the words and the other draw the pictures; they both generate creative ideas to represent the proposition (the advertisement or campaign's key message). Once they receive the creative brief from their account team, the creative team will concept ideas to take to their creative director for feedback. This can often be a back and forth process, occurring several times before several ads are set to present to the client. Creative departments frequently work with outside design or production studios to develop and implement their ideas. Creative departments may employ production artists as entry-level positions, as well as for operations and maintenance. The creative process forms the most crucial part of the advertising process.
Broadcasters rely entirely on advertising, excepting a proportion made from programme
sales and spin-o
ffs, and allowing for the special case of the BBC whose main
income is derived from a licence fee. Even the BBC raises money through sponsorship
deals, providing cash to put on event shows such as the Royal Variety Performance or
something like a tour by the Teletubbies (characters from a popular programme for
young children).
In 2002 these deals were worth £2 million, contributing to the £500
Movies vary – low budget films rely on box office and TV sales for their income. Big
budget and mainstream films rely more, though not mainly, on income from product
placement deals or spin-off rights. But in both cases the box office take relies a great deal
on the amount spent on promotion – advertising and publicity – which might add an
additional 20 per cent to the production costs for a low budget movie, to about 50 per
cent for a big movie. And, of course, other media examples also need to promote
themselves.
So media institutions rely substantially on the work of, or on income from, advertisers.
In turn, advertisers depend on media for a vital means of communication with
customers. By advertisers I mean any organization behind the advertising text, from
cost and placing of the ad, to any business or organization that contracts the ad. But
advertisers do have other means of communication apart from obvious examples of
mainstream media.
I am arguing that the meanings of media texts, the dominant
discourses which produce certain kinds of meanings about how the world should be, are
a consequence of the patterns of ownership and of the production practices of media
owners. They are also the result of a collusive relationship with advertising. This interest
in the work of institutions in manufacturing discourses within a text is part of a political.
Your last paragraph seems truncated. It lends itself to a good discussion but you need to add how this research into institution will help you understand what you need to produce.
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