Last Updated: November 10, 2020

With so much creativity, ideas, and thoughts being thrown around an advertising office, someone needs to rein it all in to create a compelling and discernible message about a product. Advertising managers are leaders in the advertising office who bring direction and past experience to the sales and content creation teams.

Advertising managers have the vision to enact successful advertising campaigns, develop a budget, and keep their employees on task. Read on to discover more about a career as an advertising manager.

What do they do?

Advertising managers lead teams of sales and creative staff throughout the advertising process. These professionals speak directly with clients to brainstorm advertising strategies, then relay that information back to their teams. Typically, these individuals also conduct market research to discover which advertising strategy would best be suited to sell a product or service.

Throughout the creative process, advertising managers constantly give their teams feedback, make edits to advertising layout, and give suggestions on direction. While they develop strategies, they also stay in contact with clients to give budget projections and ensure their client is happy with the creative output.

As the leaders of their division, advertising managers interact with a large variety of professionals. Some of these include:

Qualifications

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Advertising managers have exceptional leadership abilities, and have climbed the corporate ladder to earn their positions. Typically, advertising managers have at least five years of experience, and have extensive educational background in advertising. Most firms will hire experienced managers with bachelor’s degrees in marketing or advertising, though many prefer leaders with advanced degrees.

A broad skill set is necessary to effectively lead an advertising team, including communication skills and an ability to negotiate with clients regarding creative direction and the more technical aspects of marketing such as budget.

Become an Advertising Manager

To become hired as an advertising manager, you must build up your resume credentials and experience in advertising. Both sales team members and creative team members have opportunities to rise through the ranks and become advertising managers. Job opportunities for advertising managers are poised to increase by 13% through 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Advertising managers are typically well-paid, with a median income of $83,000 a year. The highest 10% of earners made more than $166,000 in 2010. If you’re interested in a career in advertising management, consider contacting schools offering degrees in marketing and advertising.