Advertising and Promotions Managers: Job Description
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.
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What Tasks Do Advertising and Promotions Managers Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of advertising and promotions managers span:
- Plan and prepare advertising and promotional material to increase sales of products or services, working with customers, company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies.
- 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.
- Coordinate with the media to disseminate advertising.
- Coordinate activities of departments, such as sales, graphic arts, media, finance, and research.
- Plan and execute advertising policies and strategies for organizations.
- Direct, motivate, and monitor the mobilization of a campaign team to advance campaign goals.
- Prepare budgets and submit estimates for program costs as part of campaign plan development.
Skills and Knowledge
Top advertising and promotions managers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Account Director
- Account Executive
- Account Manager
- Account Specialist
- Advertising Account Executive (Ad Account Executive)
- Advertising Account Manager (Ad Account Manager)
- Advertising Agency Manager (Ad Agency Manager)
- Advertising Campaign Manager (Ad Campaign Manager)
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 335,929 advertising and promotions managers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -3.3% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Advertising and Promotions Managers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $113,521 |
| Hourly median | $54.58 |
| 10th percentile | $82,261 |
| 25th percentile | $97,891 |
| 75th percentile | $129,150 |
| 90th percentile | $144,780 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Advertising and Promotions Managers Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $204,160 |
| New Mexico | $165,540 |
| New Jersey | $163,700 |
| Maine | $149,700 |
| California | $147,430 |
| New Hampshire | $147,320 |
| Connecticut | $140,030 |
| Wisconsin | $139,540 |
| Massachusetts | $135,270 |
| Alabama | $133,570 |
| North Carolina | $132,410 |
| Kansas | $130,830 |
| Maryland | $127,540 |
| Missouri | $126,960 |
| Georgia | $126,730 |
| Oregon | $122,990 |
| Oklahoma | $121,660 |
| Minnesota | $115,300 |
| District of Columbia | $113,530 |
| Illinois | $113,120 |
| Virginia | $111,030 |
| Utah | $108,370 |
| Arizona | $107,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $103,900 |
| Rhode Island | $101,830 |
| Michigan | $101,200 |
| Tennessee | $100,040 |
| Texas | $99,990 |
| Indiana | $99,900 |
| Ohio | $99,800 |
| Iowa | $99,470 |
| Florida | $98,980 |
| Idaho | $94,010 |
| Nebraska | $93,490 |
| Louisiana | $91,270 |
| South Carolina | $86,990 |
| Kentucky | $81,890 |
| Nevada | $81,220 |
| Arkansas | $77,700 |
| Mississippi | $64,230 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for advertising and promotions managers shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $171,974 | 40.5% | 2.17 |
| Far Western US | $138,217 | 21.7% | 1.08 |
| Southwest | $136,975 | 1.5% | 0.45 |
| New England | $130,914 | 6.3% | 1.29 |
| Great Lakes | $109,701 | 6.5% | 0.33 |
| Plains States | $104,042 | 3.0% | 0.79 |
| Southeast | $103,053 | 20.1% | 0.74 |
| Rocky Mountains | $94,010 | 0.3% | 0.41 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $201,120 | 3,660 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $192,970 | 140 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $167,300 | 460 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $162,920 | 40 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $161,080 | 130 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $152,460 | 1,020 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | WI | $139,540 | 90 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $139,220 | 160 |
Which Industries Hire Advertising and Promotions Managers
The largest employers of advertising and promotions managers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 12,330 | $126,960 |
| Information | 2,770 | $130,140 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,580 | $160,480 |
| Wholesale Trade | 700 | $124,000 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 590 | $91,080 |
| Retail Trade | 490 | $100,900 |
| Finance and Insurance | 440 | $138,300 |
| Manufacturing | 410 | $122,410 |
Below are examples of industries where advertising and promotions managers work:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: Google Analytics (hot technology)
- Sales and marketing software: HubSpot software (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: JavaScript (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of advertising and promotions managers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Education and Training
Entry-level advertising and promotions managers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Purchasing Managers (Supplemental)
- Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Fundraisers (Primary-Long)
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Search Marketing Strategists (Primary-Short)
- Online Merchants (Primary-Long)
- Web Administrators (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Future advertising and promotions managers often complete programs in:
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
3 programs across 1 majors
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 11-2011.00 (Advertising and Promotions Managers).