Report On

A competitive Analysis on Media & Advertising

Agencies in Bangladesh

By
G.A. Faisal
ID: 18364069

An internship report submitted to the Graduate School of Management in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Masters of Business Administration

Graduate School of Management

BRAC University

7th June, 2021

© [June 2021]. BRAC University

All rights reserved.
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Declaration
It is hereby declared that

1. The internship report submitted is my/our own original work while completing degree at
BRAC University.
2. The report does not contain material previously published or written by a third party, except
where this is appropriately cited through full and accurate referencing.
3. The report does not contain material which has been accepted, or submitted, for any other
degree or diploma at a university or other institution.
4. I/We have acknowledged all main sources of help.

Student’s Full Name & Signature:

___________________________________________

G.A. Faisal
Student ID - 18364038

Supervisor’s Full Name & Signature:

___________________________________________

Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed

Dr Rafiuddin Ahmed, Associate Professor (Adjunct)

Graduate School of Management, BRAC University

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Letter of Transmittal

Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed (Rafi)

Associate Professor,

Department of Marketing

Associate Professor (Adjunct)

Graduate School of Management, BRAC University

66 Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212

Subject: Submission of Internship Report

Dear Sir,

This is my pleasure to submit my internship report on “A competitive Analysis on Media &

Advertising Agencies in Bangladesh”. It was a great opportunity for me to acquire knowledge and
experience in respect of the functions and process of an advertising agency, while working in
Mediacom Beyond Advertising. I believe that the knowledge and experience I have gathered
during my internship period will immensely help me in my professional life. I have concentrated
as much as possible and tried my best to achieve the objectives of the practical orientation and
hope that my endeavor will serve the purpose. However, I will always be happy to follow any
further clarification that you may require.

Sincerely yours,

_______________________

Student Full Name: G.A. Faisal

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Student ID: 18364069

Graduate School of Management

BRAC University

Date: 7th June 2021

Non-Disclosure Agreement

This report is made and entered into by and between Integrated Mediacom Beyond Advertising
(MBA) and the undersigned student G.A. Faisal, ID- 18364069 at BRAC University for the
purpose of internship. During my job with MBA, I have acquired “confidential information” and
with acknowledgement of MBA management process. So, without prior permission and notice to
MBA & me this “confidential information” is strictly prohibited to share with any online, offline
& other news or print media.

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Acknowledgement
With the great opportunity given to us for writing this report, it has brought a sense of pleasure to
be able to submit it. I would like to thank all the contributors of this piece of writing. Unfortunately,
the list of expressive gratitude- no matter how extensive- is always incomplete and inadequate.

However, to start with, I would like to thank our Almighty God for bestowing me with patience
and courage to finish this huge task with the given deadline. In addition, I sincerely acknowledge
our debt to our honorable faculty Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed for his valuable counseling to better my
report. Without his encouragement, this work would have been extremely difficult to accomplish.

I am also grateful to the management of Mediacom Beyond Advertising for offering me the
Internship training. My special thanks to Director of Mediacom Beyond Advertising Rahat Sohail
Ananna, Media Manager Ahasnul Karim Sani, Senior Media Executive MD. Abdullah Al Jubair
and the staffs who have given me the practical knowledge about the processes of media buying.

I am also delighted to each person who I bothered inside and outside of Mediacom Beyond
Advertising, in carrying out this report.

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 Executive Summary
The modern period is the period of advertising, and the likelihood of advertising success is
determined by more than just the degree of creativity. Advertising messages frequently emphasize
the virtues of a product or service. Manufacturers or organizations are obligated to maintain the
promised attributes in order for customers to continue to buy these products or services; otherwise,
customers will buy less of their products or services and patronize their competitors instead. The
process of media planning, procurement, and implementation is critical for a successful campaign
to achieve the best possible advertising results. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the
effects and circumstances of various agencies in Bangladesh, as well as to learn how a media
agency operates and what function it plays in the marketing industry. In order to fulfill the above-
mentioned goal and complete the study flawlessly, I used both primary and secondary sources of
data collecting in a sensible and balanced manner. I attempted to conduct research using a
questionnaire that would serve the purpose in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
Due to variables such as expected lack of cooperation from some authorities and data
confidentiality, I had to rely on secondary sources such as the internet, websites, magazines, and
newspapers. Throughout this research, I have noticed a number of facts about advertising firms,
including their strengths, weaknesses, possibilities, and dangers, all of which ought to be
mentioned. Most advertising companies are primarily concerned with the demands of consumers,
regardless of the type of the product or service being marketed. People working at modestly
positioned advertising companies do not receive appropriate training. There is a lack of
specialization, improvisation, and dynamism as a result of this.

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Table of Contents
Declaration 2
Letter of Transmittal 3
Non-Disclosure Agreement 4
Acknowledgement 5
Executive Summary 6
Table of Contents 7
List of Figures 9
List of tables 10
List of Acronyms 11
Chapter 1- Overview of Internship 13-16
1. Introduction 13
1.1 Student’s Information 13
1.2 Internship Information 13
1.2.1 Supervisor’s Information 13
1.2.2 My Responsibilities 14
1.3 Internship Outcomes 14
1.3.1 My Contribution to company 14
1.3.2 Recommendations 16

Chapter 2- Organizational Overview 18-24

2.1 Purpose of the report 18
2.2 Company Name 18
2.3 Company’s Slogan 18
2.4 Company’s Mission 18
2.5 Company’s Vision 18
2.6 About the Company 18
2.7 Background 18
2.8 MBA in a Brief 20
2.9 Organizational Structure 21
2.10 Core Services 22

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2.11 Clients of MBA 22
2.12 SWOT Analysis 23
2.13 Recommendation 24
2.14 Conclusion 24
Chapter 3 – Main Project 26-54
Sub chapter 1: Introduction 26-40
1.1 Flashback 26
1.2 Objective of the study 28
1.3 Scope of the study 28
1.4 Significant of the study 28
1.5 Research Methodology 29
1.6 Limitations 29
1.7 Media & AD agencies in brief 30
1.8 SWOT Analysis 40
Sub chapter 2: Literature Review 41-42
Sub chapter 3: Methodology 43-44
3.1 Data Collection Procedure 43
3.2 Interpretation 43
3.3 Comment 43
3.4 Number of respondents 44
3.5 Data Analysis 44
Sub chapter 4: Findings 45-51
4.1 Survey Analysis 45
Sub chapter 5: Recommendations 52
Sub Chapter 6: Conclusion 54
References: 55
Appendix: 56-57

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List of Figures:
Figure 1: Organizational Structure of MBA 20
Figure 2: Clients of MBA 21
Figure 3: Departments and Organizational Structure of Advertising Agency 32

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List of Table:
Table 1: SWOT Analysis of MBA 23

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List of Acronyms:
MBA Mediacom Beyond Advertising

AD Advertising

IMC Integrated Marketing Communication

B2B Business to Business

E-Commerce Electronic Commerce

BBF Bangladesh Brand Forum

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 Chapter 1
Overview of Internship

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1. Introduction:

1.1 Student’s Information:

G.A. Faisal
Name
ID 18364069

Program Master of Business Administration

Major Marketing

1.2 Internship Information:

Period : 5 Months ( 27th December 2020 to 31st May

2021)
Company Name: Mediacom Beyond Advertising(MBA)

Department: Media Buying

Address: L-7,P-116, R-11, Block –E, Banani,Dhaka-1213,

Bangladesh

1.2.1 Super visor’s Information:

Name: Rahat Sohail Ananna

Position: Director

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1.2.2 My responsibilities:

I was selected for the Media Buying department. But at first my supervisor Rahat Sohail Ananna
(Director) did not provide me much work. She asked me to observe and learn before being assigned
any work.

Some of my major duties:

• Monitoring advertisements, press releases, broadcast coverage and assessing whether

stories are favorable or detrimental to clients.

• Summarizing and finalizing data of TVC’s of Merico Bangladesh. (Our client).

• Focus primarily on learning and developing new skills and gaining knowledge in various
fields of Media Consultants Ltd.

• Billing financial transactions of ACI (our client).

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1.3 Internship Outcomes:
1.3.1 My contribution to the company:

As I said before I joined in Media buying Department, here the employees have to be responsible
for negotiating the best rate, quality, and placement of digital advertisements and should also be
able to establish trust and build rapport with clients and partners while closely working with the
internal Brand Services team.

Some of my contributions:

 I helped the buying team mostly by monitoring the advertising spots of TVC’s.
 I helped them to create Work Order of TVC’s.
 I communicate with various media executives especially with Choyon Da, senior media
executive of Bangla TV to ensure that the work order which we gave them it could be
maintain properly.
 I also helped the accounts department too by billing my transections.
 I also sat in digital marketing department sometimes in absence of their regular employee.

Benefits for the students:

 Student shall be paid a monthly honorarium of BDT 5000 during the time of his/her
engagement as intern.
 Opportunity to work in dynamic and fun environment with one of best team among the
media agencies.
 Hands on experience working with top brands.
 Opportunity to learn immensely in a short time.
 Tea & evening snacks. Occasionally treat in the reputed restaurant.
 Departmental tour occasionally.

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1.3.2 Recommendations:

 Media planners should concentrate more in online advertisement especially in Facebook,

YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
 Clients give them very short time to prepare the plane. So, planners should ask for more
time from the client to prepare the plan efficiently.
 Planners have to enhance their creativity to understand the behavior, insights, interest of
the customer.
 The planners always neglect few errors which is occurred preparing the plan. For this, I
faced little bit difficulties to monitoring the work orders. So, they should concentrate more
to avoid to these silly mistakes.

They have a good number of clients but compare to the number of clients they got, they have very
few employees in the office. For this problem the world load for per employee is very high. So,
they need more employees especially in the Accounts and Media buying departments.

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 Chapter 2
Organizational Overview

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2.1 Purpose of the report:

Though it is a non-credit course but to complete my MBA degree, as per University policy, I have
to prepare this internship report.

2.2 Company Name:

Mediacom Beyond Advertising (MBA) / Media Consultancy Limited.

2.3 Company’s Slogan:

“In MBA we believe a media plan can deliver more than just a brand promotion.”

2.4 Company’s Mission:

“Keep evolving in size and dimension and provide complete solutions to your communication
needs in ever changing landscape.”

2.5 Company’s Vision:

A shared belief that everything is connected- while we take great strides to reach new heights.”

2.6 About Company:

MBA is a subsidiary of GroupM, a multinational media conglomerate. In August of 2016, they

began their trip in Bangladesh. With just one client P&G, and grew by 130% by winning various
key clients. Currently MBA is working with their 14 clients. Within 5 years they able to get 13
more clients successfully. Their ambition is high, as they set out to confront their opponents with
their vast knowledge and processing powers. They feel that a media plan may provide an extra
effort that will help the company reach its goals.

2.7 Background:

Mediacom Beyond Advertising is global and growing fast with over 800 people in 42 countries. It
was founded 2009. Headquarter of MBA is situated in London, United Kingdom. MBA has the
most geographically diverse network of offices and expertise in the industry. MBA has started in
operation in Bangladesh in 2016. GroupM (concern of Asiatic 3sixty) brought MBA into

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Bangladesh, which made MBA the third media agency controlled and maintained by GroupM.
Now, MBA is operating its business having 14 clients in Bangladesh.

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2.8 Mediacom Beyond Advertising (MBA) In brief:

Website Global:
http://mediacombeyondadvertising.com/
Bangladesh:
https://www.asiatic360.com/our-
companies/mba/

Industry type: Marketing and Advertising

Company size: 501-1000 employees

Headquarters: London
Type: Public Company
Founded: 2009
Company Size in Bangladesh: 16 employees are currently working
there. (Except interns)

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2.9 Organizational Structure:

Mediacom Beyond Advertising (MBA)

Chairman (Asiatic 3Sixty &

GroupM)

Vice Chairman

Executive Director
(GroupM)

Director of MBA

Media Digital Media

Planning Finance &
Media Buying Accounts

Assistant Assistant Media Manager,

Director Director Accounts &
Manager
Finance

Senior Media Assistant

Executive Senior Media Senior Finance
Manager Executive
Executive

Media Media
Media Executiv Executiv
Executive e e

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Figure 1: Organizational Structure of MBA
Chairman of Asiatic 3sixty & GroupM:

 Sara Zaker
 Asaduzzaman Noor
Vice Chairman: Iresh Zaker
Executive Director: Morshed Alam
Director: Rahat Sohail Ananna

2.10 Core Services:

MBA offers its client different services according their needs. Some of the services they provide-
Strategic Media Planning & consultancy
Media Buying & Execution
Social Media Marketing
Media Investment & Management
Implementation

2.11 Clients of MBA:

Figure 2: Clients of MBA

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2.12 SWOT Analysis:
A SWOT analysis is a list of your company's advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and
threats. The fundamental goal of a SWOT analysis is to assist firms in developing a complete
understanding of all the aspects that go into making a business decision.

Strengths: Weakness:
 Multinational recognition  Lack of financial capacities.
 Working with well-known local and  Lack of enough employees
foreign clients  Lack of proper management in Finance
 Maintaining a good relationship with & Accounts Department
the clients for a long time

Opportunities: Threats:
 Demand of Social media advertising  The number of media agency is
increasing day by day increasing, and the new comers are
 As MBA is a multinational firm, they doing very well
can get more global clients in near future  As new companies doing well, and
 As they are maintained by Asiatic 3sixty there's a big chances of losing potential
which is a reputed giant advertising firm clients
in the country, MBA has a huge  Pitch process
opportunities to get more local clients

Table 1: SWOT Analysis of MBA

Explanations:
The main strengths of MBA is it is a Multinational agency. That is why they got a good number
of local and international clients. As it has international recognition, so the clients are keeping a
long relationship with MBA. We know that the demand of social media advertising is increasing
day by day. As they have digital media department so there is more opportunities for them to get
more clients.
MBA is maintained by Asiatic 3sixty. Which is a giant advertising firm in the country. So, the
combination of having liked with Asiatic and international brand reputation they will get more
clients in future. But the biggest threat is the number of media agencies are increasing rapidly in
Bangladesh. And most of them doing very well. So, if they do well continuously there will be
chances of losing or not to get more clients.
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Though it has multinational recognition they are facing lack of financial capacities. They have a
very small office in Banani with a very few employees. So, they often faces world load and have
to work long hours so often in every week. For, this some employees are looking for better
opportunities for switching. Their accounts & finance department is facing lack of proper
management. So, they should bring a well-organized and experience person to control the fianace
& accounts department.

2.13 Recommendations:
 They need more capitals.
 Media Buying and Finance Accounting departments need more employees.
 They need an expert in Accounts & finance department. For this they can hire a qualified
candidate for Accounts & finance department who has more than 10 years experiences in
Accounts & finance department at any advertising agency, who can lead the Accounts &
finance department effectively.
 They have to come with more innovate thoughts and ideas.
 They can extend their departments/Services such as Digital Media Sales, Branding and
Strategy Development, Query Management, Website and App Solution etc.

2.15 Conclusion:
I was selected as an intern in MBA for three months. After completing 3 months they offer me to
stay 2 more months and I accepted it happily. Working with MBA always very interesting and
enjoyable to me. The company provides me very wonderful atmosphere. All the employees are
very friendly and gentle at me. Before doing Internship in MBA, I never heard about any
advertising agency. I have learned lots of information and tactics about advertising and media
industry. It was a great learning opportunity for me. The combination of creativity and pitching
skill has shaped me into a creative thinker who can also think about what clients want and how
ideas may be pitched to them. This has been an excellent stepping stone for my future employment
opportunities. I strongly believe that MBA is an ideal place for intern who wants to build career in
media & advertising industry.

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 Chapter 3
Main Project
(A competitive analysis on Media & Advertising
Agencies in Bangladesh)

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Sub chapter 1: Introduction
Since my freshman year of university, I've wanted to pursue a career in the creative arena. While
studying in the Graduate School of Management in spring semester I created an account in OCSAR
for searching internship. That was probably my second last semester of MBA program in BRAC
University.

One day I found an advertisement in my dashboard in OCSAR, where I saw GroupM(leading

advertisement agency in the country) was searching for interns for their Media Buying
Department. So, I did not think twice to apply there. After some days they called for the interview
and then they selected me to work as an intern in their media buying department at MBA
(Mediacom Beyond Advertising), which is a GroupM company.

I learned about the tremendous influence of advertisement in our country while working there.
Earlier I used to believe that commercials could only be found on billboards, television, radio, and
newspapers. However, during my internship, I discovered that agencies present a variety of new
means of advertising, making them trend setters.

1.1 Flashback

Advertising in Bangladesh is becoming increasingly difficult. It's challenging for companies to

reach out to everyone in a country with such a varied and large population as Bangladesh. It is
critical for any company, whether it is e-commerce, telecom, automobiles, or any other, to market
their products using the appropriate strategies. Advertising and media firms are always coming up
with fresh ideas and innovative concepts to market items and make an impression on the audience.
The function of marketing – selling a product, hasn't changed through the decades, but the
strategies certainly have. From the Egyptians carving public notices in steel to advertise in 2000
BC to today's widely used viral and online advertising, the world of advertising has undergone a
constant and dynamic change, in an ever-increasing competition to break through the clutter of
advertisements and reach consumers. Promotional strategies and advertising tactics for brands

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have changed dramatically over time, primarily to adapt to changes in how customers view and
experience products, as well as to stand out in today's advertising clutter. An advertising agency
writes and develops commercials for clients, places ads in newspapers, creates advertising
campaigns, and manages all aspects of a client's advertising. Marketers and creative agencies are
increasingly moving away from traditional advertising methods such as television and radio
commercials, as well as a plethora of billboards in Bangladesh. While marketers are recognizing
the importance of differentiating their products not only in terms of their USPs, but also in how
they present and promote them to consumers, it is the creative agencies that truly believe in the
advertising era's constant change. Advertising agencies recognize that they will need to constantly
identify and develop creative new approaches in order to adapt to significant market changes. One
of their most important responsibilities is to assist their clients in understanding and appreciating
why only TV commercials and billboards are no longer effective in attracting and retaining
customer attention.

Right now in Bangladesh there are lots of advertising and media agencies available. But few of
them are doing well. Those are: ADA, Asiatic Mindshare Bangladesh, Wavemaker Bangladesh,
MBA, Bitopi, Mediacom Limited etc. Among them Mindshare, MBA, Wavemaker is the concern
of GroupM. Right Now, I am doing my internship in MBA (Mediacom Beyond Advertisement)
which is a concern of GroupM. ”.In this report, I have totally talk about a comparative analysis
on Media & Advertisement Agencies in Bangladesh.

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1.2 Objective of the study

Major Objective: The primary objective of this paper is to competitive analyze media and
advertisement agencies in our country.

Specific objectives:

 Checkout the current practices of advertising agencies in Bangladesh.

 To explain the current state of Bangladesh's advertising agencies.
 To determine the issues faced by advertising agencies in Bangladesh.
 To learn about the role of advertising agencies in the Bangladeshi economy.

1.3 Scope of the study

This research study is conducted on Mediacom Beyond Advertising. The data and information of
the report has been collected from Mediacom Beyond Advertising website, office documents and
social network platforms.

1.4 Significance of study: By doing this report, I have gained potential information about
media agencies. It will help the organization to know their weakness and strengths and also the
company will know their current situation and the expectations of the employees and other general
people’s.

1.5 Research Methodology:

Sampling method:
In this paper I will the non-probability sampling method. Non-probability sampling is described
as a sampling approach in which samples are chosen based on the researcher's subjective
assessment rather than random selection. Every person in the population has an equal probability
of getting chosen.

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 Data type & Data sources:

1. Primary Data: Survey Data. -The resultant data acquired from a sample
of respondents who did a survey is referred to as survey data. This data
is complete information about a given issue obtained from a target
population in order to perform research. Survey data collecting and
statistical analysis may be done in a variety of ways.

2. Secondary Data: Articles, Journals, Websites, Magazines, Internet, social

media etc.

Data gathered by someone other than the primary user is referred to as secondary data. Censuses,
information gathered by government departments, organizational records, and data acquired for
other research objectives are all common sources of secondary data for social science is called
secondary data.

1.6 Limitations:

All findings may not be representative across industry. The approach requires interviewing
corporate employees, time might be a big constraint. . Time saving aspect may lead to scarcity of
usable data.

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1.7 Media & Advertising Agencies in brief:

What is Media Agency?

- An agency who advises businesses about how and when to advertise, as well as how to
show themselves to the public in a positive light.
What is an Advertising Agency?

-An advertising agency, also known as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a company that
specializes in the development, organizing, and execution of advertisements and other types of
promotion and marketing for its clients.

What does a Media / Advertising agency do?

-Media agencies ensure that clients fully comprehend their customers' behavior; they ensure that
advertisements are properly targeted; and they ensure that clients fully comprehend the potential
of new technologies and have access to the most up-to-date offers from key media owners.

Why do we need Media/ Advertising agency?

-A media agency may use the combined budgets of all of its clients to support each client
individually. With this purchasing power, you can improve the cost and ad placement of your
campaigns. Purchasing media in bulk is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your
advertising dollars go as far as possible.

Types of Advertising agencies:

 Full service agencies: The majority of full-service agencies work on a fee-based and
commission-based remuneration model.
 Interactive Agency: Web design/development, search engine marketing, internet
advertising/marketing, and E business / E commerce are all services that interactive
agencies may provide.
 Tradigital Agency: who are experts in both traditional and digital advertising.

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Roles of media/advertising agencies: The primary function of an advertising agency is to work
with clients to develop and maintain the brands that they both serve, utilizing consumer
understanding and insight, as well as creative and media delivery skills, to provide the best advice
and execution for those brands' advertising to those clients. Another role of media and advertising
agencies is to help with the conversion of a product or service into a brand by clearly presenting
the offering to the customer. By expressing the brand's unique personality, as well as its mission
and benefits. In a nutshell, its goal is to create genuine differentiation through the consumer
relationship.

Some major functions of media / advertising agencies:

o Talent & Creative productions.

o Research
o Media planning
o Media Management
o Media Investment
o Monitoring feedback
Some other variety functions of media agencies:

o Public relations
o Organizing exhibitions and fairs
o Preparing all kinds of publicity material
o Planning and organizing special events
o Direct marketing
Reasons of hiring media/ advertising agencies by clients:

o People with the necessary skill and experience in the numerous sub-disciplines of
advertising are brought together by an advertising agency. As a result, ad firms employ
copywriters, visualizers, researchers, photographers, directors, planners, and individuals
who solicit business and deal with clients. All of these people are moulded into a team by
an agency, which provides them with a very favourable working environment.

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 o Advertising agencies are well-versed in their field. Ad agencies are known for their
objectivity.
o It is cost effective.
o Advertising agencies give their clients with highly qualified professionals who are experts
in their industries.
o Media agencies have better relationship with the TV channels, radio, newspaper etc.
compare to companies.

Media Plan of agencies:

TRP (television rating points- collected from a third party research agency)

RRP (ratio rating points- collected from a third party agency)

Campaign duration

Budget of the campaign

Target consumer of the campaign

Making work-orders for TVC’s.

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Structure of a Full Advertising/Media Agency:

Figure 3: Departments and Organizational Structure of Advertising Agency

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The History of Advertising Agencies:

Ads were originally distributed to different media outlets by lobbyists who, in the early days of
advertising, sold and re-sold advertising space with a discount, before the bona fide advertising
agencies were born. This were the humble beginnings of full-fledged advertising firms, also known
as agencies. Such individuals will gradually assume more duties, including planning, writing,
designing, and organizing, as well as a variety of other services.

The first advertising agencies were established in 1786 in London by William Taylor, who is now
regarded as the world's first advertising agency. While the UK company is credited with being the
forerunner of advertising agencies in Europe, it was Volney B. Palmer who brought the concept
across the Atlantic. Palmer founded the first agency in the United States in 1840. Palmer describes
his services as "the duly appointed agent of most in the best newspapers of all the cities and
regional towns in the United States and Canada, for which he is regular obtaining ads and
subscriptions," according to Adland: A Global History of Advertising. Some agents produced
directories with advertisement rates for newspapers in New England at the request of their clients.
Many agencies profited from purchasing newspaper space and reselling it at a higher price. Until
the 19th century, when N.W. Ayer & Son was established in New York, several other advertising
companies adopted the same business model.

Historical Perspective and Evaluation of Advertising Firms/Agencies in Bangladesh:

Due to a lack of industrialization and education, there was very little advertisement practice in
Bangladesh prior to independence (1971). Specialized advertising companies were in short supply.
Bitopi, East Asistic (now Asiatic), and Interspan were among the first to enter the market, almost
in 1967. Other ad agencies began operations after the country gained independence. Now the total
numbers of advertising firms are almost seven hundreds.

In the region, there is no structured system for monitoring advertising agencies. Bangladesh has
150 registered departments, according to official media reports. Television is an excellent source
of information (BTV). The top nine advertising agencies in the world, on the other hand, control
the majority of the market. GroupM, ADA, Asiatic, Bitopi, We Host Dhaka, Digitalvast, Mediacom,
and Matra are among these firms.
34
In Bangladesh, there are different types of advertising agencies. Based on the placement approach,
advertising media in Bangladesh can be divided into two categories: Above the Line (ATL) and
Below the Line (BTL). Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and satellite and cable television
are all part of ATL. Event management, in-house advertisement (company conducting own
advertisement) at point of purchase, outdoor advertisement (billboards, hoardings, neonsigns),
creative events (jatra, streetdrama), and advertising on vehicle bodies and fliers are all examples
of BTL placement strategies.

Since 1967, the growth of the advertising industry has shown a clear link between the country's
economic growth and buying power. This industry's economic growth in our country is slow but
steady. In order to compete with traditional advertising agencies, informal advertising agencies are
constantly springing up. Advertising agencies' clients are mainly private national companies
(PNCs), multinational corporations (MNCs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
(NGOs). The MNCs have the largest media share, followed by the PNCs. Export-oriented
businesses have gradually begun to rely on advertising industry expertise, particularly in the area
of brochure growth. The government regulates the legal aspect of advertising by requiring the
media to sign contracts with advertising firms or the advertiser for all forms of advertisements.
Advertisements for medicines, cigarettes, and other similar products require approval from the
Ministry of Health. In addition, the government has developed an ethical code of ethics for
advertising agencies and the media, but it has not been enforced as a legal document. In general,
the media is required to follow social norms and moral values, refraining from overt attacks on
any religion, individual, or organization, as well as obscenity and vulgarism, and refraining from
using historical and political figures in advertising.

Trends in modern media and advertising:

Our way of life has changed dramatically as a result of the industrial revolution and its subsequent
communication revolution. Our lives have gradually become more materialistic and competitive,
and as a result, developments in the advertising landscape have occurred. However, these reforms
were brought about by advertising companies because the primary function of advertisements is
to advertise a product, and for proper marketing, commercials must be of sufficient quality to

35
persuade customers. There are several businesses on the market today that sell the same goods.
People nowadays think twice or even three times before buying a commodity. Since people are
becoming more brand aware, it can be difficult for customers to decide which brand to use. For
example, we all know that Gucci is a globally recognized brand. When a person uses this brand's
products, they can make a positive impression on others. People notice and speak about the person
who exhibits his brand consciousness, and as a result, he achieves a notable social standing.
Because most customers desire this level of prestige, the ‘status factor' is also a major phrase in
ads, and it is the16 job of advertising companies to create ads that meet customer needs.

Top 5 Media and Advertising Agencies in Bangladesh at a glance:

Asiatic 3Sixty & GroupM: Asiatic 360 is one of the country's leading marketing and advertising
strategy companies, providing brands with a variety of marketing solutions that are innovative.
The journey started on May 15th, 1966, under the name East Asiatic, with the aim of serving
conventional businesses in the absence of brands at the time. In 1966, Asiatic partnered with J,
Walker Thompson (JWT), one of the world's oldest global agencies, with 150 years of experience
in marketing relations and growth to become the 4th largest international communication agency,
to help them provide pioneering innovation and marketing solutions to their clients through global
guidance to international guidelines. Communication, public relations, analysis, experiential
marketing, audio-visual processing, media purchasing, publishing, outsourcing, broadcasting, and
digital marketing are just some of the services provided by Asiatic. Overall, Asiatic 360 employs
890 people across all wings and is regarded as one of the most sought-after businesses in the world.

WPP Group founded GroupM, the world's leading full-fledged media service investment
management operation, to manage its assets in this market. Maxus, MediaCom, Wavemaker, and
MindShare are among these properties. GroupM focuses on the intelligent use of volume and size
in trading, as well as creativity and service quality, to support clients and the companies it works
with. In Bangladesh it is a concern of Asiatic 3sixty but work independently.

Bitopi : Bitopi is a major advertising correspondences company in our country. They started as
Bitopi Promotions, serving traditional businesses without establishing a brand at the time. Early
36
this year, Bitopi Advertising Limited started working with global advertising agency Foote Cone
and Belding (FCB). Bitopi is one of Bangladesh's most well-established businesses. This ad firm
expanded their company to new heights, cementing their place as the nation's leading 360-degree
promoting arrangement provider. When it first started out, the promotion department was small,
and one of the most important areas of business was improvements distributed mostly by the
government.

Mediacom Limited: Brand consulting, marketing communication, social communication, event

management, media planning, print productions, and other associated advertisement and
marketing services are all provided by Mediacom. It's been nearly 18 years since Mediacom first
opened its doors. This clearly demonstrates the level of expertise in the field of advertising. It has
had a lot of success in the Bangladeshi market, thanks to their experienced staff. Since they are
interested in brand creation and consumer goods trade promotion, the personnel's expertise is
extremely valuable.

ADA: ADA (Analytics. Data. Advertising), a subsidiary of the Axiata Group, was founded on the
most strong telco roots and aspires to be a digital leader in a market where change is the only
constant. ADA is a company that combines parts marketing consultancy, data science, and
marketing consultancy to break down barriers in this stereotypical industry by using its vast and
infallible data hub, then translating those insights into actionable tactics and business plans to win
in the market. It is Asia’s largest company that amalgamate data, insights, contents and media to
takeout epic business outcomes.

Grey: The Grey Group has grown to become one of the world's largest advertising and marketing
agency networks. GREY Advertising Bangladesh Ltd, the Grey Group's Bangladesh branch, is the
country's first and only truly global advertising firm. Grey Adverting Bangladesh Ltd has become
the country's most awarded and sought after agency by adhering to the global ethos of generating
"Famously Effective" works. Grey is, above all, a people-centered firm. They feel that their
employees are what makes Grey Bangladesh a terrific place to work every day.

37
Ad Agencies Contribution in Bangladesh Economy:

Today, the Bangladeshi advertising sector is abuzz with activity. It has grown from a small-scale
operation to a full-fledged enterprise. It has expanded its borders in terms of innovation, capital,
and the number of people involved, becoming one of the important industries and tertiary sectors.
In a short period of time, the Bangladeshi advertising sector has carved out a position for itself and
established itself on the worldwide stage. Bangladesh's advertising business, which is worth a lot
of money, has created a lot of buzz.

Advertising is being viewed as a tool for businesses to capitalize on attractive commercial

prospects. Business expansion has resulted in a rise in the advertising industry as well. Both
national and international initiatives are handled by Bangladeshi advertising nowadays. Client
servicing, media planning, media purchasing, creative conceptualization, before and post
campaign analysis, market research, marketing, public relations, and branding are among the
services provided by the industry. The industry will contribute significantly to GDP in the future.
With all of this, the Bangladeshi advertising industry is positioned to achieve international
recognition.

Problems and Challenges of Media & Advertising agencies are facing in Bangladesh:

 Insufficient media data & tools.

 Lower investment
 Advertising takes a lot of time and effort. As a result, it is costly. Acquiring new
technology comes at a significant price.
 People who work in advertising companies are not treated with the respect they
deserve.
 Insufficient technological support
 Lack of employees.
 Many local businesses are unconcerned with or uninterested in advertising. These
businesses either invest less in advertising or have no interest in it. As a result, they
are unable to compete with those businesses, particularly multinational
corporations.

38
1.8 SWOT Analysis:

Strengths:

 Almost all the agencies are have modern facilities.

 All most all agencies have vast knowledge of handle clients.
 Strong local networking.
 Some agencies connected with global clients.
 Most of them have good local & international recognition.

Weakness:

 Not always able to complete all campaigns using internal support, due to shortage in
manpower.
 Insufficient scope of training.
 Lack of investments.
 Slow career growth rate of the employees.

Opportunities:

 Brand building practice increasing.

 Future market growth possibilities.
 Increasing Competition in deferent categories Influencing higher Media Spending.
 Global clients are increasing.

Threats:

 Global advertising giants are investing in Bangladesh.

 When an agency experiences losses, the promotional budget is the first thing to be reduced.

39
 Clients have their own media department.
 Local businesses don't always recognize the value of branding.

40
Sub chapter 2: Literature Review
Advertising has become a part of a nation's economic and social fabric, according to Sohel Ahamed
S.M. (2011). It contains information on the product, service, and ideas, among other things. It has
an impact on the decisions we make. A descriptive framework was created in order to comprehend
the history of advertising in Bangladesh, advertising categories, advertising costs for various
channels, key advertising customers in Bangladesh, and the legal aspects of advertising in
Bangladesh. This research is qualitative in character. This study allows academics to learn about
the history, trends, and impact of advertisements in our nation. Following this investigation, the
general trends and quality of advertising in Bangladesh will be revealed.

According to Jamil Md Abdullah (2012), Bangladesh's advertising sector has been institutionalized
for about four decades. When information and telecommunications technology was first
introduced, the business saw a significant slowdown in all of its areas, including the number of
advertising agencies, patron businesses, research organizations, models, and production
companies, to name a few.

According to Rahman, M. (2010), the advertising sector in Bangladesh is estimated to be around

tk.1200 crore. Print media dominates the business with a 43 percent market share, while television
comes in second with 36 percent of the country's advertising market. The sector is expanding at a
ten percent annual rate, owing to increased competition among the major mobile providers.

The Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF) researches and distributes quantitative statistics on
advertising expenditures by businesses and sectors in Bangladesh. It demonstrates how the
industry is growing, how expenditure transfers from one medium to another, from one firm to
another, and so on. The proportion of advertisements distributed in various forms of media was
shown by BBF in 2007. (The Daily Star, 02 March, 2008). It was shown that print media received
the biggest percentage of advertising (43%) followed by television (36%), radio (4%), outdoor,
cinema, and the Internet. They estimated that large firms' ad expenditures increased by 7% in 2007.
They discovered the most expensive firms in eleven categories, including telecom, banking, real
estate, education, soft drinks, mobile phones, personal care, electronics, shampoo, and snacks. It
was projected that the top 10 sectors accounted for about 80% of overall media expenditures in
that year.

41
Institutions such as ‘Dhaka News' and ‘Ryan's Archive,' among others, are recording and
evaluating commercials and news on both news, newspaper, and television channels in
Bangladesh. Dhaka News reports on the advertising expenditures of Bangladesh's various mobile
phone operators in 2010. According to the report, television ads are the most expensive type of
advertising in the country (Rahman, M. 2010). In July of 2010, it is discovered that ‘Robi' had
surpassed GrameenPhone. It also investigates the possible cause of the company's significant
increase in advertising costs.

There is no institutional mechanism of tracking advertising companies in Bangladesh, according

to BANGLAPEDIA. According to official media sources, Bangladesh Television has registered
150 agencies, with the total number exceeding 500 when both the legitimate and informal sectors
are considered. The top nine advertising firms in the country, however, control more than 70% of
the formal market share. Adcomm, Asiatic, Bitopi, Unitrend, Grey, Interspeed, Popular, Madonna,
and Mattra are the agencies in descending order of market share. Other advertising agencies
account for just around 13% of the market, with the balance going to in-house advertising by
businesses.

42
Sub chapter 3: Methodology:
The underlying plan and logic of your research effort is referred to as methodology. It entails
researching the methods employed in your profession, as well as the ideas or ideas that behind
them, in order to design a strategy that is tailored to your goals.

3.1 Data collection procedure: Data collection is the act of acquiring and evaluating
information on variables of interest in a systematic manner that allows researchers to answer
research questions, test hypotheses, and assess outcomes.

The report is conducted by using primary and secondary data. For primary data I have made a set
of questionnaires. Secondary data is collected from Journals, newspapers, websites, Google, social
media, magazines etc.

3.2 Interpretation: The process of explaining, reframing, or otherwise demonstrating your

own understanding of something is known as interpretation. An interpreter is a person who
translates one language into another and explains what a person is saying to someone who doesn't
understand it.

I have described the findings of each questionnaire which I have taken from respondents through
Google forms.

3.3 Comment: A statement that expresses an opinion or emotion, either verbally or in writing.

I have given some feedback by analyzing the responses of the respondents. Here I applied some
rules to give proper comments.

 I kept it simple
 I Wrote the Comment as I read Instead of after.
 Treat it as though it were a commentary
 I was not afraid to leave criticism

43
3.4 Number of respondents: The number of respondents are 40. There are different types
and people having different professions participate the survey. Both male and female jointly
participate. I selected those 40 people, who are always very co-operative with me.

3.5 Data analysis: The process of analyzing, cleaning, manipulating, and modeling data with
the objective of identifying usable information, informing conclusions, and assisting decision-
making is known as data analysis.

Try to analyze the respondent's data in respect of percentage of majority. Neither hard nor fast
calculations are carried out for data analysis. I thought it would be the best way to understand their
thoughts and suggestions. After analyzing those data I prepared my recommendations. Those data
help me a lot to fulfil the objective of my report.

3.6 Limitations:

 I had not get enough time to prepare the report

 Most of the information I collected from internet, and some directly from internet. So there
is a huge chances to get some controversial information.
 Every establishment has its secrecy that is not shared with everyone. So this confidentiality
of information was also an obstacle that I faced to prepare this report.

44
Sub chapter 4: Findings

4.1 Survey Analysis

To analyze the standard of our media & advertising agencies of our country, I have made a
questionnaire survey. In order to achieve my report objective this questionnaire was asked among
40 respondents by using Google forms. There were five questions I have asked them to answer
through online platforms. I choose only five questions because from my previous experience I
have found that most of the people feel disturbing to answer a lot of questions. They are encouraged
to answer all the parts if you ask them as less questions as you can.

Among the 40 respondents 60% were aged between21-30 and 30% were between15-20.
Remaining 10% were aged between31-50+ or above. So, most of the respondents are aged between
21-30.

Besides, Among 40 respondents we see, 42.5% were Female and 57.5% were Male. So, we can
say almost Male & Female equally participate.

Q1) Media & Advertising agencies play an important role in the modern
era of digital marketing.

45
Interpretation: From the pie chart, we can see 37.5% are strongly agreed with the statement.
47.5% of them were agreed and 12.5 remain neutral. Very few percentage of people disagreed with
this statement. So, we see most of the people are agreed with the statement.

Comment: All most all of the respondents believe that Media & Advertising agencies play an
important role in the modern era of digital marketing. Because, advertising has revolutionized the
way we raise awareness about any product or service in our society. It has given customers the
opportunity to learn more about a service or product before making a purchase. On the levels of
originality and originality, advertising has progressed.

Q2) Do you prefer to work in Media & Advertising agencies?

Interpretation: In the pie chart, we can see 62.5% were agreed to work in media and advertising
agencies. 32.5% were not sure about whether they would like to join media & advertising agencies or not.
And a few percentage of people do not like to work in Ad & Media agencies.

Comment: Most of the respondents want to be a part of our media & advertising agencies.
Because they can get there:

46
 Social environment
 Great learning opportunity
 Focus on what they love
 Opportunities for Advancement
 Opportunities to Network

47
Q3) What type of environment do you prefer to work in a media agency?

Interpretation: In this question 40 respondents replied in 40 different way, but I can share you
some common things which most of them wanted to work in media and advertisement agencies.

 Friendly working environment

 Job security
 Flexibility
 Has to be global and multinational agency
 Supportive
 Near from residence

Comment: People always prefer flexible and friendly working environment with the highest
level of job security. Working at an advertising firm might be challenging, but it may also be
advantageous to your career. Because you are confronted with a variety of duties on a daily
basis, agency life may be rather lively. Working at an agency needs you to put in long hours
and overcome obstacles. Every consumer is unique, and you're always learning something
new.

48
Q4) Advertisement agencies of our country are adapting well in today's
world by their innovation & creativity compare to advertising agencies of
developed countries.

Interpretation: in the graph, we 22.5% were strongly agreed with this statement, 52.5% agreed
and 22.5% were remain neutral. Only few people disagreed with this statement.

Comment: Most of the respondents think that our Advertisement agencies of are adapting well
in today's world by their innovation & creativity compare to advertising agencies of developed
countries. Advertising creativity is the capacity to come up with new, original, and relevant ideas
that may be used to solve communication issues. A creative concept must be relevant to the target
audience in order to be appropriate and effective. Many advertising firms in Bangladesh
understand the necessity of generating innovative and unique advertising that delivers vital

49
information to the target audience. A creative advertising message, according to the firm, is one
that is created around a creative core or power concept and uses exceptional design and execution
to transmit information to the target audience.

Q5) Have you encountered any lacking in advertising agencies

operational activities? Explain the lacking in your words.

Interpretation: You cannot see any graph here, because respondents have to write short notes/
descriptions there.

By analyzing there replies, I am introducing you some of the lacking-

 Most of the respondents said, the career growth in media & advertising agency is very
slow.
 Sometimes they misjudge they target audience.
 They do not intend to work in serious issues.
 They sometimes don't give exact information of the actual stuffs.
 They make more irrelevant contents rather than focusing on anything relevant.
 Salary for the entry level employees is low.
 Lack of appreciation.
 There is lack of creating good content and creativity in advertising.
 Some things they are doing quite well apart from aggressive meme marketing. Meme
marketing is okay but aggressive ones that are being shoved in our faces is getting really
annoying.

Comment: Though our advertising and media agencies are doing well but they have lots of
lacking which should be reduce. . Every advertising firm must create an organizational structure
that meets the needs of its clients while also meeting their own internal needs. Most medium and

50
big organizations are organized into departments or groups. Each agency creates a distinct
department and acts according to it under the departmental structure.

51
Sub chapter 5: Recommendations:

 The career growth in advertising & media agencies are very slow. The agencies should
focus on this vital issue. There are lots of employees are working there who are working
5-6 years in same designations.
 Some agencies salary structure is also not up to the mark. So, the agencies should develop
their salary structure policy. Moreover, Employee benefit plans must be expanded to
encourage and retain employees.
 Agencies should provide more trainings to their employees. They can make more seminars
and workshops to enhance the skills of their employees.
 Most of the agencies are facing lack of manpower. The agencies should hire more
employees.
 They should invest more in media research and management to bring up more innovative
ideas.
 Commoditization is growing like wildfire in the advertising and marketing sector, and
creativity appears to be on the verge of becoming commoditized.
 Unfortunately, the majority of ad agencies, large and small, fail to differentiate their
services, and then wonder why they are consistently outperformed. Advertising & media
agencies are intended to specialize in differentiating brands.
 To improve advertising, cross-disciplinary collaboration should be promoted.
 It provides plenty of opportunities to mix literary clarity, historical fact, imagination,
scientific accuracy, and universal truth. To improve the sector, creative people from various
academic fields should be brought in.

52
Every advertising firm must create an organizational structure that meets the needs of its clients
while also meeting their own internal needs. Most medium and big organizations are organized
into departments or groups. Each agency creates a distinct department and acts according to it
under the departmental structure.

53
Sub chapter 6: Conclusion:
I would want to admit to my reader that this is not a compete one; there are many more aspects on
which I couldn't focus throughout preparing my report. Due to a lack of time and resources, I am
unable to address many topics in my report. It's difficult to get such ideas into you because we only
study a bit about the huge knowledge of advertising from our textbook. That is why, in order to
study this profession well, I must push myself past my limits. I think they will be more lenient in
the future when it comes to supplying data or information for this sort of research. Because my
topic was a competitive analysis advertising and media agencies, I attempted to combine both
theoretical and practical aspects of the industry. This brief view can provide some insight, but
learning about advertising and media industry which is mostly dependent on how well you read
books and articles.

The purpose of media agencies is to ensure that the message is heard or seen by the target audience.
Promoting organization has formed to examine the open door and satisfy the needs of their clients.
In MBA, It's been a fantastic adventure for me to work with so many different local and worldwide
brands, and it's been a fantastic learning experience for me. The combination of creativity and
pitching skill has shaped me into a creative thinker who can also think about what clients want and
how ideas may be presented to them. This has been an excellent stepping stone for my future
employment opportunities.

54
References:

 (n.d.). Academic Hosting & Event Management

Solutions. https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/EJBM/article/viewFile/464/349
 Article on ‘Advertising market in Bangladesh expanding fast’ Thursday, 06 March

2008, the Daily Independent.

 Belch, G., & Belch, M. (2008). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing
communications perspective. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
 http://www.bdyellowbook.com/catalog/Business___Services/Advertising_Agencies___C
ounselor
 http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/sectorsbangladesh/business/advertising_marketi
ng_and_pr/ Advertising, Marketing and PR organizations in Bangladesh
 Jamil Md Abdullah (2012): Advertisement Movement through Electronic and Print
 Media: A Study on Bangladesh, Developing Country Studies www.iiste.org, Vol 2 (3)
Sohel Ahmed S.M. (2011) Historical Perspective and Evaluation of Advertising Firms in
Bangladesh: European Journal of Business and Management, Vol 3(5)
 Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki, available on March 06, 2014
 Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php, available on March 07, 2014
 Retrieved from: http://banglaipedia.org/index.php, available on March 06, 2014
 Sandage, C.H. (1939), “The advertising Agency”, Advertising Theory & Practice,
 (Seventh edition), Business Publication Inc., pp.625-647
 The Daily Star, (March 02, 2008). Star Business, “Telecom operators’ battle fuels Increase
in advertising spends”.

55
Appendix:

Section 1 of 2

Email

………………………………………………..

What is your age?

o 15-20
o 21-30
o 31-40
o 41-50
o 50 or above

What is your Gender?

o Male
o Female

Section 2of 2

Media and Advertisement agencies play an important role in the modern era of digital marketing.

o Strongly Agree
o Agree
o Disagree
o Strongly Disagree
o Neutral

56
Do you prefer to work in Media & Advertising agencies?

o Yes
o No
o May be

What type of environment do you prefer to work in a media agency?

…………………………………………………………..

Advertisement agencies of our country are adapting well in today's world by their innovation &
creativity compare to advertising agencies of developed countries.

o Strongly Agree
o Agree
o Disagree
o Strongly Disagree
o Neutral

Have you encountered any lacking in advertising agencies operational activities? Explain the
lacking in your words.

…………………………………………………………….

57