Do you like doing offbeat things? Do you have a fearless, outgoing personality?
Then you might want to consider becoming a promotions manager.
Promotions managers are commonly found at radio stations. At small stations,
like college radio stations, they may handle all the station publicity, publish
the programming guides and manage the giveaways. At larger stations, they
handle promotions on a much larger scale, but they may have assistants and
writers who support their efforts.
Radio stations do promotions everywhere, from the local bagel shop to the
hottest concert venue. Often, promotions are tied to fund-raisers. At larger
stations, the sales staff handle prizes and sponsors. Promotions managers
coordinate the giveaways and hand them out on site.
Promotions managers often work part time and have other duties, such as
programming or production. When they work full time, they work irregular hours
and long weekends. Tanya Odorizzi, a part-time promotions assistant for a
radio station, was "the events person of the summer" in 1997.
"I wish it were more predictable, more like a 9-to-5 job," says Odorizzi.
"Sometimes I wish I could just go to work and come home at the same time every
day -- if I could even call that a downside."
Promotions managers may have to travel to events, professional conferences
or meetings with suppliers and clients.
Expect to work under pressure. "To be able to handle change is a big, big
plus," says Odorizzi. "Teamwork is essential to pull anything off. You have
to coordinate everything with announcers, the engineers who set up the equipment,
salespeople, [and] creative writers. The best part of working here is that
you can count on the people."
Valerie Rogers, owner of a promotions company in Louisville, Kentucky,
works at least 40 hours a week. "It's very hard to separate work from my life.
I never know when an idea will present itself."
Almost any industry makes use of some form of promotions. Some very large
companies employ their own staffs, but most farm out the work to advertising
or promotion agencies. Promotions people who work for the firms contracting
with larger companies often do so on a contract or freelance basis.
In companies, promotions managers oversee programs in a host of avenues:
direct mail, telemarketing, TV, newspaper or radio advertising, in-store promotions,
special events, contests, gifts and purchase incentives.