An account executive, also known as an AE, is essentially a middleman between the creative department and the agency’s clients. Clients have demands, and the account executive is the person who takes care of them.
According to Paul Suggett, “AEs provide a critical liaison between the creative staff of the agency and its clients. They’re creative forces, but they’re also problem-solvers.” These means that AEs do not just cater to client demands. They also have to solve problems within their department and their accounts quickly, professionally, and correctly.
What does an Account Executive actually do? Well, there is no simple answer to that question. For an account executive, there is no “typical” day at work in the world of advertising. The day of an account executive can range anywhere from paperwork to playing golf with a client and dinner with another client.
Elisabeth Smith wrote that, “we’re [account executives] not just the messengers, we’re the crucial line of management and efficiency required to make your creative marketing a success. Dare I say, we’re the key to your happiness.” Account executives are very important within an advertising agency, even though at times their importance can be overlooked.
Account executives do not work a typical nine to five, forty hours a week job. Often times an AE will have to stay late during the week and even work weekends.
With the wide range of responsibilities that are part of being an AE, the general qualities and skills needed for the job are communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills. An AE also needs to professional in appearance and personal while handling pressure well.
For instance, an account executive could have to handle multiple accounts at once while trying to please potential clients. Gaining new clients or loosing potential clients while managing existing accounts is a recipe for a stressful job.
On top of these skills and qualities, an AE will have a minimum of a four-year bachelor’s degree in communication, business administration, marketing, accounting, journalism, finance, or economics. In certain cases, an AE will get a masters degree in any of those fields to stand out compared to others in the field.
On top of higher education, being an account executive takes experience. Many AEs worked internships early in their careers to learn the skills needed in the business of advertising.
An account executive is generally well compensated for their efforts in salary. The median salary for an AE is $134,780 annually.
Being an account executive is an exciting yet challenging career because of its nontraditional workload and schedule. Becoming an AE takes years of education and hands-on experience, but charismatic, social professionals find the job rewarding.
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