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Jeff Rutti 

Name:   Jeff Rutti
Title and Company:   Senior Account Executive, RMD Advertising  
Education:   Otterbein College - Business Administration, Marketing
Work Experience: 3   years @ AMA
What I do:  As an account executive for advertising and public relations clients, my main responsibility is to act as a liaison between my clients and our agency's design department and media relations department, respectively. RMD is a twelve-person agency, making my day-to-day tasks impossible to describe in less than 200 words, but essentially when I am not in a client meeting or on the phone with a client, my time is spent brainstorming on ad campaigns/PR pitches/marketing strategy, writing copy, proofreading, managing traffic/production, etc. This position requires you to be on your toes at all times, ready to wear any hat that is needed at any given time. And in between all of the "typical" AE tasks, researching my clients' industries and staying as sharp as I can allows me to keep up with the rapid pace of my world and that of my clients. A recurring word in this description is "clients" and that is the truth--without AE's to cultivate and maintain strong personal and professional relationships with clients, the agency has no face, no brand and no client loyalty.
How I Got Here: First job out of college was selling copiers for IKON Office Solutions - a job that was not ideal at the time, but the cold calling and overall sales experience taught me more than I realized about people and how to manage relationships.  As much as I would have disagreed with this statement at the time, I truly believe that everyone who aspires to work in any business environment, should work in sales early on in their career in some fashion.  My next job was at a mid-sized (80 employees) advertising agency, where I started as an entry-level position of Account Coordinator.  Since joining RMD in 2001, I have moved up from Account Coordinator to Assistant Account Executive, to Account Executive, to my current position of Senior Account Executive.
 

Skills Needed: Critical thinking, pro-active thinking, attention to detail, strong personal skills, conflict management, and more important than any other skill set is a passion for this industry.

 
Where do I go from here? The agency world is filled with many titles, depending on the size of the agency, but the typical RMD chain of command from this point forward would be Account Supervisor, Director of Client Services, and then Managing Partner.
 
Advice:  Intern at an advertising agency at least once before you graduate. The agency world is very unique and it is not for everyone, nor is it what most people expect, so there is no substitute for experiencing it first hand.
 

Biggest Misconception: That an advertising agency is all glitz and glamour. Ad agencies are portrayed on TV as a bunch of creative people sitting around brainstorming on ad campaigns and while this does occur, it is one small part of what we do each day.

 
To enjoy and to succeed in this position you need to: Work hard to play hard. The emotional roller coaster that is filled with seemingly never- ending deadlines and stress is rewarded with a fun environment, a great team and a passion for success.
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