Media and Advertising: A Career for the Curious, Creative, and Culture-Conscious

Not Engineering, Not Medicine: Why Advertising Is Becoming the Hottest Career Choice for Curious Minds? “You are the product. You feel something. That’s what sells,” says Don Draper in the cult series Mad Men. While the show was set in 1960s New York, its core message still rings true today: advertising is not about products—it’s about people.

Now, more than ever, the notion is even more relevant.

In a social media dominated era by reels, memes, digital campaigns, influencer culture and viral storytelling, advertising has become one of the most powerful forces influencing people's thoughts, behavior and consumption. Advertising is, increasingly, a serious, future, proof option for students who are wondering about the world of people, culture, and communication, standing at the crossroads of career choices after Class 12.

More Than Just Ads

Contrary to popular belief, advertising is not limited to loud television commercials or skippable YouTube ads. Basically, the main point is to demystify human behaviour and use that knowledge to create stories that deeply connect with people. Why are some brands trusted and some not? Why do certain ads touch people emotionally? Which product is chic and fashionable and which is just ordinary?Even if both serve the same purpose.

Such questions are not only marketing but also psychological and sociological. Advertising experts explore people's minds, their desires, fears, and values. Afterwards, they reflect those insights in narratives that become a kind of collective behaviour. In a country like India, where culture, emotion, tradition and modernity cohabit, advertising is a unique kind of narrative mixing humour, nostalgia, social commentary, and aspiration.

Where Creativity Meets Strategy

Advertising is distinguished from other conventional careers within the business sector by its creative aspect. It gathers a variety of talent such as writers, filmmakers, designers, illustrators, photographers, psychologists, data analysts, and strategists all collaborating to produce a single campaign. Thus, depending on the talent and interest of the advertising professional, he can perform a wide range of functions such as script writing, brand logo designing, coming up with ideas for digital campaigns, customer behavior analysis, managing influencer collaborations, or even public relations for a company.

Advertising, unlike many other careers, which are quite rigid, offers flexibility. It is possible to start as a copywriter and later become a brand strategist or be a designer first and then change to a creative director. Such flexibility makes it very appealing to students who do not want to be limited to one role only.

Marks Don’t Define This Industry

Another reason advertising appeals to young people is that it doesn’t prioritise academic rankings over originality. Unlike medicine or engineering, where entrance exams often determine career trajectories, advertising values how you think, observe, and create.

A strong portfolio often matters more than a perfect report card. Many leading professionals in the industry were not academic toppers,but they were keen observers of life. Curiosity, empathy, humour, imagination, and storytelling ability are prized far more than rote learning.

A Career with Cultural Influence

Advertising does more than sell,it shapes conversations

From social campaigns on mental health and gender equality to sustainability-focused branding, advertising plays a role in shaping social values. A powerful campaign can normalize conversations, challenge stereotypes, and encourage responsible behaviour. That is why many consider advertising a cultural profession rather than just a commercial one. Ideas created in a small creative room can reach millions within hours, shaping opinions across age groups and geographies.

Is Advertising Future-Proof?

With artificial intelligence now writing content, editing videos, and generating designs, many students worry about job security. However, while machines can automate processes, they cannot replicate human emotion, intuition, humour, or lived experience.

Advertising depends on emotional intelligence—something no algorithm truly understands. As long as humans fall in love, dream of better lives, seek meaning, and form emotional connections, advertising will need storytellers.

A Career That Reflects the World

Advertising mirrors society. It changes with culture, politics, technology, and human behaviour. This is the reason why it is intellectually stimulating.

Students that enjoy interrogating, people watching, decoding trends, and creatively expressing ideas will find that advertising is more than just a jobit is a way of seeing the world. Nowadays when attention is money and narratives determine the world we live in, advertising is one of the most vibrant and powerful career avenues of our time.

And perhaps, that’s why it is not just a profession,but a way of thinking.

By Manikankana Shome