An advertising assistant works in a hotel or motel setting with the facility’s advertising manager or advertising agency. Individuals might work in an independent hotel or in a specific hotel of a major chain, or at a resort, health spa, meeting complex, or convention hotel. Duties of the individual vary depending on the size of the facility and the number of people in the advertising department. Responsibilities also differ if the hotel is using the services of an outside advertising agency. In either situation the Hotel Advertising Assistant’s main function is to assist either the advertising manager or the advertising agency in developing effective advertising for the markets the hotel must reach.
One of the more important responsibilities of the Hotel Advertising Assistant is to help develop the advertising budget for the following year. To do this, he or she will have to do extensive research on advertising rates in the various media. Research must also be conducted on the demographics, audience, and effectiveness of the media. The advertising assistant may develop a questionnaire to help determine which of the hotel’s current advertising programs are most effective.
The advertising assistant is responsible for calling or writing to the media in order to obtain their current rate cards, discount cards, and demographic information sheets. He or she must become familiar with reading, deciphering, and remembering this information in order to write a budget projection.
If the hotel is working with an advertising agency, the assistant acts as a liaison between the hotel management and the agency about the type of business they want to attract consumers, salespeople, or conventions. If no ad agency is involved, the individual helps lay out and develop advertising programs for the facility that will attract the desired type of business.
If the hotel is not using an advertising agency, and depending on the size and structure of the facility’s advertising department, the individual may be involved in the copywriting, graphics, and audiovisual components of the actual advertising. In other situations the advertising assistant may farm out these duties to freelance copywriters, graphic artists, or producers.
The advertising assistant may be responsible for creating any or all of the advertising themes for the hotel. In doing this, he or she tries to incorporate information about the facilities and services found at the location, such as swimming pools, ice skating rinks, health clubs, tennis courts, convention centers, and concierge floors.
Depending on the size and structure of the facility, the individual may be responsible for taking photos or supervising the photography for hotel advertising pieces, brochures, and sales and promotional pieces. In this capacity the individual may also be responsible for having releases signed by guests or models who are used in advertising photos. Even if the hotel is using an ad agency the Assistant is usually on hand to make sure things go smoothly.
The advertising assistant is responsible for developing or assisting in the development of advertising campaigns for the consumer market and the media. He or she may come up with the concept or may just do the research on the type of ad that will attract consumers. The individual also helps decide where to place advertisements. He or she helps determine if local, regional, or national advertising will be used. Decisions must also be made on whether to use magazines, newspapers, billboards, television, or radio. If the hotel is part of a national chain, the individual may work with the corporate headquarters when local specials, restaurant packages, or entertainment are advertised.
The assistant must make sure that ads are prepared properly and delivered on time to the correct media. He or she may also be responsible for keeping track of billing and other records. The individual may audit advertisements by tracking tear sheets as well as copies of audio and video advertisements. Another important function of the advertising assistant working in a hotel setting is to assist in the development of travel agency sales pieces. In order to continue to build business it is necessary for the individual to come up with interesting, innovative sales pieces for travel agents to show to their clients. The assistant also works on the development of advertising campaigns for the travel agency market and its media. He or she might write sales letters directed to travel agencies, trying to pique their interest in selling the hotel’s rooms.
The Hotel Advertising Assistant may help develop convention and group market advertising campaigns and write sales letters directed to convention groups. The Hotel Advertising Assistant works with and supports all of the hotel’s public relations and marketing efforts. If one of these departments is working on a special campaign, the Advertising Assistant may be asked to come up with the appropriate advertising to supplement the public relations and marketing project.
An advertising assistant working in a hotel setting usually works normal business hours. There can be a fair amount of stress in this position due to tight deadlines, advertising campaigns that might not reach the expectations of hotel management, and the strain of having to continually come up with creative ideas.
Depending on the structure of the hotel, the advertising assistant could be responsible to the hotel management or owner, the advertising director (if there is one), or the director of marketing or public relations.
Salaries for this position can range from $23,000 to $35,000 or more yearly plus fringe benefit packages. Annual earnings will vary depending on a number of factors. These include the size and location of the hotel and the responsibilities of the individual. If the Assistant is working in a situation where there is an out-of-house advertising agency, he or she usually earns considerably less than an individual working with an in-house advertising department.
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1. The Casino Credit Clerk works in the casinos credit office
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