The induction of the young and enthusiastic individuals in this profession has changed the face of advertising as a whole. Unique concepts, crisp taglines and innovative slogans are coming from these young professionals that enrich the field of ads.

Most executives of the advertising agencies said they more or less face the same pattern of questions in the interviews for entry. They are asked about their career plan, which ad the applicant liked the most and what should be the strategy of communication for an advertisement campaign for a specific product.

Rashed, a student of North South University (NSU) completing his bachelor's degree in business, has recently joined an ad agency. He said: "That was my first interview for a job. The friendly behaviour of all in the interview board increased my confidence."

"My first day of work was amazing. One thing which drew my attention is -- in an advertising firm everyone's creative idea is considered, be it an idea from a sweeper or an accounts officer or any other mid or lower level staff," he added.

Another ad executive said the individual executives are the parents of the brands. Therefore, detailed knowledge on the particular brand is a must.

"An ad agency can be the happiest and most creative place to work. One gets a chance to handle many brands and has to deal with different types of interesting people," said Arafat Kazi who works for Bitopi Advertising as a copywriter.

"The working environment is excellent. If someone works sincerely, he or she can excel in his field of work with handsome salaries and deserved promotions," Arafat added.

Neelia Sharmeen of Interspeed Advertising Ltd described the working environment as very cosy. She said they have picnics and other social gatherings regularly.

Some executives said working hours can sometimes be long. Clients like multinational companies and local business giants sometimes want multiple creative ideas about a product's campaign in a very short time. "We always need to be careful and think about what changes are being made by clients in a particular ad," said an intern executive.

Most of the ad agency executives interviewed by this correspondent said their office starts at 9:00am and they sometimes work until 10:00 or 11:00pm. But all of them enjoy the work and they want to build their career in the field of advertising.

"Anyone from any background can choose this profession, provided they have the knack for advertisements and are able to produce creative ideas," said Salahuddin Shahed, strategic planning manager of G3 Communications Ltd.

"You have to be a good team player with good communication and analytical skill. You must convince your client before persuading people to buy a product," he said.

"Basic knowledge of marketing principles and related concepts are becoming crucial as the whole industry is becoming more mature and demanding day by day," he added.

Most of the agency executives said that the advertising industry is growing and has very good prospect for career development.

AZM Saifuddin, member, chief executive officer (CEO)'s office of Grey Global Group, said: "We are doing very well along with the agencies working in neighbouring countries in terms of providing quality service."

"Agencies from Bangladesh has made huge impact by winning the Srijan Samman, a creative excellence award introduced by the Dainik Sangbad Pratidin, a Bengali daily, for excellence in Bangla advertisement, in Kolkata."

He said the ad industry is developing and he believes within the next few years, the industry will contribute immensely to the national economy.