Profiles of Advertising Students: Are “Creatives” Different From the Rest?

Abstract

Data from a national survey of U.S. advertising students compared those who planned to seek creative jobs in advertising with those who desired management positions and “Generalists,” who chose both. Male and female students were equally likely to aspire to be Creatives, despite current U.S. agency estimates that men outnumber women by more than 2 to 1. Creatives self-reported higher grade-point averages (GPAs) than other students but were less likely to have held an internship or to have had a job offer senior year. Viewed within the theory of situated learning, the lack of a creative internship and mentoring may pose a disadvantage as creative students attempt to assimilate into the advertising community of practice after graduation. Implications for advertising educators who teach and counsel students about the advertising job market are discussed.