Advertising account executive vs account manager

The differences between advertising account executives and account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an advertising account executive, becoming an account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an account manager has an average salary of $68,535, which is higher than the $62,123 average annual salary of an advertising account executive.

The top three skills for an advertising account executive include media sales, CRM and client relationships. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.

Advertising account executive vs account manager overview

	Advertising Account Executive	Account Manager
Yearly salary	$62,123	$68,535
Hourly rate	$29.87	$32.95
Growth rate	-8%	5%
Number of jobs	117,707	152,261
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	46
Years of experience	4	8

What does an advertising account executive do?

An advertising account executive serves as the clients' primary point of contact when coordinating with the advertising team. Mainly responsible for managing client accounts, an advertising account executive must identify the clients' advertising needs, answer inquiries, prepare and process documentation, review former campaigns, and coordinate with the clients to establish timelines, goals, and budgets. Furthermore, it is essential to assist clients every step of the way, ensuring smooth workflow and client satisfaction, all while adhering to the company's policies ad regulations.

What does an account manager do?

Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.

Advertising account executive vs account manager salary

Advertising account executives and account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Advertising Account Executive	Account Manager
Average salary	$62,123	$68,535
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $87,000	Between $42,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	Redding, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Microsoft	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Technology

Differences between advertising account executive and account manager education

There are a few differences between an advertising account executive and an account manager in terms of educational background:

	Advertising Account Executive	Account Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Advertising account executive vs account manager demographics

Here are the differences between advertising account executives' and account managers' demographics:

	Advertising Account Executive	Account Manager
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6%	Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 4.6% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between advertising account executive and account manager duties and responsibilities

Advertising account executive example responsibilities.

Manage RFP responses for CPG and healthcare campaigns across various publishers (i.e.
Manage the everyday activities of a team of 20- 30 account managers, paid search strategist and SEO specialists.
Generate leads using a variety of sources, including the Internet, corporate CRM, industry publications and company publication library.
Manage copywriting and spot production scheduling
Manage and grow existing account list through maintaining agency relationships, increase ROI, and campaign optimization recommendations.
Manage day-to-day activity of client relate projects including IP voice, MPLS infrastructures and CPE implementations in a deadline-orient high-pressure environment.

Account manager example responsibilities.

Manage financial departments with responsibility for managing payroll, bank re-consolidations, bank deposits, budgeting and cost control.
Manage $4 million territory encompassing three Mid-Atlantic states.
Manage new business and renewals for leading Saas legal solution.
Manage an inside sales territory of multiple states with Avaya technology solutions.
Negotiate and manage all contracts and pricing for IDN's in the territory.
Manage customers' accounts utilizing laptop and internet base CMS reporting software and ADM field guide.

Advertising account executive vs account manager skills

Common advertising account executive skills

Media Sales, 16%
CRM, 11%
Client Relationships, 8%
Cold Calls, 7%
PowerPoint, 7%
Mobile Marketing, 7%

Common account manager skills

Customer Service, 19%
Account Management, 8%
Healthcare, 6%
CRM, 6%
Product Knowledge, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

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Advertising Account Executive
Advertising Account Executive vs Account Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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