Advertising and Promotions Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate advertising policies and programs or produce collateral materials, such as posters, contests, coupons, or giveaways, to create extra interest in the purchase of a product or service for a department, an entire organization, or on an account basis.
Also called: Account Executive · Advertising Manager (Ad Manager) · Advertising Sales Manager (Ad Sales Manager) · Classified Advertising Manager (Classified Ad Manager) · Communications Director · Communications Manager
Median pay (national)
$126,960
$63,000–$239,200+ (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
21,100
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-2.2%
~2,100 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for advertising and promotions managers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $239,200+ versus $63,000 at the bottom 10% — 3.8x. The median of $126,960 leaves roughly 88% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -2.2% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 2,100 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 40 states with released data, New York pays the most for this role (median $204,160, +61% vs the national median), while Mississippi sits lowest at $64,230 — a 218% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Contact organizations to explain services and facilities offered.
- Plan and prepare advertising and promotional material to increase sales of products or services, working with customers, company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies.
- Identify and develop contacts for promotional campaigns and industry programs that meet identified buyer targets, such as dealers, distributors, or consumers.
- Inspect layouts and advertising copy, and edit scripts, audio, video, and other promotional material for adherence to specifications.
- Confer with department heads or staff to discuss topics such as contracts, selection of advertising media, or product to be advertised.
- Direct, motivate, and monitor the mobilization of a campaign team to advance campaign goals.
- Track program budgets, expenses, and campaign response rates to evaluate each campaign, based on program objectives and industry norms.
- Read trade journals and professional literature to stay informed on trends, innovations, and changes that affect media planning.
- Coordinate with the media to disseminate advertising.
- Coordinate activities of departments, such as sales, graphic arts, media, finance, and research.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Extensible markup language XML
- Google Analytics
- HubSpot software
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- JavaScript
- Marketo Marketing Automation
- Microsoft SQL Server
Knowledge areas
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Communications and Media
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Mathematics