Accounts Management

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• 5. Gender equality

Objectives

• Learn about the day-to-day running of an agency's accounts department. What is account management?
• Familiarize yourself with the department's work tools and understand the agency-client relationship. What is day-to-day life like in an agency? What does this professional relationship entail?
• Discover the role of the professional called "account director". Who is this professional? What does he/she do? What tasks does he/she perform?
• Know how to resolve briefings raised by the client.

Learning outcomes

• Identify the advertising and public relations theories, processes, structures and techniques that give rise to the functions of the different departments of an advertising agency, creative boutique, consultancy or media center in conventional, virtual and emerging environments.
• Examine information in the environment from the knowledge and analysis of sources and information search and retrieval systems.
• Carry out the responsibilities of the communications area of a company or institution from within the company or from an external agency, through knowledge of the theory and practice of the processes and structures of public relations and communication. Including effective management and development taking into account the evaluation of relations with the organization's publics internally and externally, with a proactive attitude and aptitude and cognition in the field of relations from a constructive and open-minded perspective.
• Apply different conventional and non-conventional advertising communication techniques to convey the message with the highest level of effectiveness, built under the parameters of creativity and innovation in a context that respects linguistic diversity and diverse social, cultural, gender and economic realities.

Content

Block 1. Introduction to accounting management

• Agency. Bases, foundations and management
• Historical review in the professional communications sector

Block 2. Basic aspects of account management

• The universal principle of the account director
• Duties of an Account Manager
• Marketing plan.
• From global vision to delegation of functions
• The dual management of the account director
• Internal relations with other departments

Block 3. Account planning

• Phases and development of a communication plan

Evaluation

Continuous assessment

• Participation (10%) It is assessed based on a case study presented in a group to the rest of the class. Not recoverable.
• Follow-up activities (15%). This 15% is distributed in three exercises worth 5% each, in which students apply and link the concepts of the subject in a practical way. These exercises are group exercises and are carried out with follow-up tutorials in the classroom. They are then presented in class. Two out of three exercises may be retaken, if they were initially graded with a mark lower than 5.
• Specific test (25%). A multiple choice test is given on the content of the subject. Retaken. This test must be passed with a minimum grade of 5. If not, the student must take a repeat exam.
• Assignments (50%). This 50% is divided into two practical sessions of 30% and 20%, in which students go into practical depth on the theory of the subject by simulating an agency in groups. The teacher hands out the fictitious briefing that they must complete.

Any assessment activity not completed, not submitted or submitted late is scored as 0. Late submissions are not accepted.

Methodology

• The teacher explains the theoretical knowledge of the different topics in the sessions with the whole class and then the corresponding practical cases are solved. Despite having a very important theoretical part that should allow the basic concepts to be acquired correctly, this subject has a very practical approach.
• As a follow-up to the different evaluation activities that require it, the teacher carries out various tutorials in the classroom.
• It is necessary for the student to dedicate a few hours of individual work each week to the subject in order to consolidate the knowledge acquired in the different topics. It is a process of continuous growth and monitoring. Most of the assessment activities require an oral presentation in the classroom in front of the rest of the class. Late assignments are not accepted (unless there is a major reason and the teacher is informed beforehand).
• It is necessary to carry out at least one workshop with invited professionals from the sector in order to be able to develop real cases in the classroom.

Bibliography

Key references

• Medina, Pablo; Ferrer, Ignasi (2014). De director de Cuentas a director de agencia: 50 casos prácticos sobre Agencias de Publicidad. Dykinson.
• Medina, Pablo; Ferrer, Ignasi (2014). Dirección empresarial para publicitarios. Dykinson.
• Solanas, Isabel, Sabaté, Joan. (2008). Dirección de cuentas: Gestión y Planificación de cuentas en publicidad. Editorial UOC.
• Steel, Jon. (1998). Verdades, mentiras y publicidad. El arte de la planificación de cuentas. Eresma Celeste.

Further reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.