Last Updated: November 10, 2020

The Don Drapers of the world may be a thing of the past, but advertising executives are still an essential part of any successful advertising campaign. While you won’t spend your lunches sipping martinis while thinking of product slogans, the creative aspect of the career still exists – even if it isn’t quite so glamorous.

Advertising executives are there from the beginning of an advertising campaign to the end. They’re the primary creative force behind a campaign, able to pinpoint where and when to implement a campaign. Read on to discover some of the main duties of an advertising executive, and how you can work to become one yourself.

Main Job Responsibilities

Location and Opportunity

Indeed.com shows the following cities as having the best job opportunities for advertising executives:

  • New York, NY
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Houston, TX

Advertising executives spend less time in meetings and client discussions and more time brainstorming and discussing creative direction with their advertising teams. Advertising executives present information based on market research to determine how to approach an advertising campaign.

Throughout the process, advertising executives stay in constant contact with account executives and coordinators to ensure that an advertising campaign is meeting the needs of a client. Some other typical careers advertising executives work with on a daily basis include:

Advertising executives must juggle multiple deadlines concurrently, meaning excellent time management is a must for any prospective executive. Read on to discover some other qualifications.

Qualifications

Our Recommended Schools

  1. Grand Canyon University (GCU)

    GCU's Colangelo College of Business offers leading edge degrees that address the demands of contemporary business environments.

  2. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)

    Explore the bond between business and consumer behavior with a degree in marketing.

It’s rare for someone to simply graduate college and enter an advertising executive position. While most jobs do require at least a bachelor’s degree in communications, advertising, or a related field, many also require several years of experience.

As the leader of an advertising campaign, this individual must have superb communication skills, and must translate “business talk” into “creative talk” for his or her team members. They must understand the goals of a campaign, and seek to reflect those goals in a creative manner.

Become an Advertising Executive

The advertising industry is poised to grow as the country recovers from economic downtown. As the field grows, more executives will be needed to lead the industry.

Advertising executives have some of the most competitive pay in the industry. Most advertising executives make between $80,000 and $112,000 in salary. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming an advertising executive, contact schools offering marketing and advertising degree programs.