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The differences between acquisition specialists and media buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an acquisition specialist and a media buyer. Additionally, a media buyer has an average salary of $74,390, which is higher than the $65,906 average annual salary of an acquisition specialist.
The top three skills for an acquisition specialist include program management, market research and DOD. The most important skills for a media buyer are digital marketing, campaign performance, and media buying.
| Acquisition Specialist | Media Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,906 | $74,390 |
| Hourly rate | $31.69 | $35.76 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 17,543 | 20,884 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 87% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An acquisition specialist is in charge of developing strategies to acquire goods and services on behalf of a company. Their responsibilities include coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting extensive research and analysis to find cost-efficient materials and resources, liaising with external parties such as vendors and suppliers, negotiating contracts, and arranging payment plans. Furthermore, an acquisition specialist may also participate in a company's employment procedures and recruit potential employees in adherence to the company's vision and mission.
Media Buyers are marketing professionals who manage the company's advertisements. They create the company's media plan to determine the advertising needs of the company. They negotiate with external providers to get the best advertisement placement values. To do this, Media Buyers are expected to conduct thorough research on the different advertising companies, networks, media, size of placement, and length of advertisement. Their research must consider the target market and determine the best media to reach their target market. Media Buyers should have good negotiation skills and must be able to maintain good working relationships with providers.
Acquisition specialists and media buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acquisition Specialist | Media Buyer | |
| Average salary | $65,906 | $74,390 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $99,000 | Between $56,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Burlington, VT |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between an acquisition specialist and a media buyer in terms of educational background:
| Acquisition Specialist | Media Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 87% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between acquisition specialists' and media buyers' demographics:
| Acquisition Specialist | Media Buyer | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.9% Female, 48.1% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 7.6% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |