M-B Indicator and Advertising Careers - Empirical Study of Personality Types in Advertising Agencies

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Connor

This empirical study examines whether personality types differ across functional areas within advertising agencies using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). MBTI was administered in thirteen U.S. agencies with participation from personnel in all departments. Significant differences emerged between agency employees and the U.S. population, and also among functional groups within agencies. The findings guide marketing and communications students toward agency areas that better match their personalities, supporting more fulfilling and long-lasting careers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Advertising Industry

M-B INDICATOR AND ADVERTISING CAREERS Brian D. Till, Saint Louis University Srdan Zdravkovic, Bryant University Bob Morrison, The Project Group ABSTRACT This empirical study examines whether personality types vary across differentfunctional areas of an advertising agency. Oneof the tests available to assess whether one’s personality is suitablefora particularjobisthe Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Since students might wonder about the types ofjobs they would like to pursue; understanding personality differences resulting from MBTI could serve as a guide to students who are thinking about pursuing a career in advertising. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was administered in thirteen advertising agencies around the United States. Personnel from all agency departments participated in the study. Our findings (significant differences between ad agency employees and the U.S. population as well as differences between functional groups within the agencies) can help marketing and communication students (andfaculty who advise them) identify which area of an advertising agency is more congruent with their personality. Selecting a congruent area of employment could potentially lead to a more fulfilling, productive, and long-lasting career. INTRODUCTION The years of global economic slowdown seem to be nearing an end, but the job market does not seem to be recovering quite as fast. Many experts believe the unemployment situation will indeed get worse before it gets better. John Challenger (CEO of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas) believes that “in the aftermath of recessions, there’s always a period ofjobless recovery,” and is gloomy when he says “we are certainly not optimistic about seeing much improvement in the unemployment rate in 2010”(Steen 2010) . Supporting these claims is a recent study conducted by Economic Policy Institute (Bivens et al. 2010) indicating 2010 as possibly one of the worst years to graduate high school or college since the end of World War II. Their study suggests it will take a number of years for the labor market to recover to pre-recession numbers and shows unemployment rates for college graduates to be twice as large as pre-recession levels. The indicators for the marketing sector are a bit more promising. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS)(2010) presents a projection where the number of sales, marketing, public relations, and advertising managerial jobs will follow average growth. Specifically, USBLS predicts the overall employment in these four sectors will increase by 13 percent through 2018. With the U.S. unemployment rate around 9 percent (April 2011), many marketing graduates are embarking on a tough “jobsearching” journey. Today, the ability to easily switch jobs is more difficult then before, therefore graduates would benefit from systematically researching their job options and selecting jobs they will be content with for a longer period of time. Unfortunately there is a lot of risk and anxiety associated with choosing a career path. Students might not only wonder about which area of marketing they would bethe most comfortable in (“should I be in sales or market research?”) but also what kind of jobs they would most enjoy within that area. There are several career-assessment (personality) tests to help young people identify jobs and work environments that would be suitable to them. Personality has been outlined as one of the potential barriers to employment (McTurk and Shakespeare-Finch 2006), and one of the tests available to assess whether one’s personality is suitable for a particular career is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) . While still at university, students should expose themselves to innovative courses (Taylor 2003), experiential learning (Smith 2004), and marketing courses that include field site visits (Van Doren and Corrigan 2008) to help marketing students’efforts to prepare for today’s competitive job market. Students sho

FAQs

What does the study examine regarding advertising agencies?

The study examines whether personality types vary across different functional areas and roles within advertising agencies using MBTI results.

How was MBTI used in the research?

MBTI was administered in thirteen advertising agencies across the United States, with participation from personnel from all agency departments.

How can the findings help students or career planners?

The results can help marketing and communication students identify agency areas that are more congruent with their personality, potentially supporting more productive and long-lasting careers.

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Connor