Traffic coordinators are responsible for helping projects get completed smoothly.
Traffic coordinators play an important role in advertising agencies by ensuring a smooth work flow as products go from the account planning team to the creative teams. An individual in this position is responsible for knowing what projects the agency is working on, whom they are assigned to and the status. From delivering jobs to graphic designs and copywriters to updating production schedules and keeping track of samples, traffic coordinators have a fast-paced job with a high level of responsibility.
Maintain a Production Schedule
Advertising agencies create product schedules that outline the projects they're working on in a given time period. The schedule lists items they are preparing for a client, along with due dates. Whether it's a commercial being produced, a new website or a print magazine advertisement, it's listed on the schedule. Traffic coordinators are responsible for updating the production schedule, so that the rest of the agency knows the status of each job. If a due date changes or the needs for a project change, the traffic coordinator notes it on the production schedule.
Track Jobs
With the help of the production schedule, traffic coordinators at advertising agencies are able to track the status of each job. Tracking jobs may entail speaking with designers, copywriters or illustrators to determine whether a project will be completed on time or to identify if there's a holdup in the project because more information is need or resources aren't readily available to complete the job.
Report Status of Jobs
Traffic coordinators are responsible for reporting the status of jobs to the appropriate account planning team and creative team members. If a project is being held for editing, the traffic coordinator would let the creative know and if a project is going to take longer than initially planned to be designed, the traffic coordinator would inform the account planning team, so they could decide which measures to take to get back on schedule.
Quality and Content Review
Before handing a job off to the creative team, a traffic coordinator ensures that all necessary project forms are complete so that the creative team has adequate information to start. In the reverse, once a job is done and ready to go back to the account planning team, the traffic coordinator may apply edits to copy or design and ensure that what's being given to the account planner matches the original project plan.
Keep Inventory Samples
Once a job is complete, the traffic coordinator ensures that the agency has samples on file for future use. They organize a sample file, typically online and in a file cabinet.
Tags: account planning, account planning team, planning team, traffic coordinator, Traffic coordinators, coordinators responsible, creative team