Is Advertising A Good Career Path? (15 Jobs In Advertising: Best-Paying + Entry-Level)

Yes, advertising is a good career path. Advertising has a number of different perks but requires hard work, dedication, and often a thick skin. Advertising stretches many types of career paths but can be especially appealing to those who are looking for a full-time job that allows for extensive creativity and innovation.

There are other needs in advertising, however, including account executives, traffic managers, media coordinators and researchers, and other jobs that don’t require creativity. However, advertising is a fast-moving career field, and you’ll want to be prepared for a high-pressure environment.

The 8 Best-Paying Jobs in Advertising

Advertising is a crucial part of the marketing and sales for the company you work with and is therefore typically paid very well. Working in advertising allows you to use a combination of analytical, communication, and creative skills. Depending on your existing skill sets and interests, it’s possible to work up to a generous six-figure salary as you grow in this career.

Here are eight of the best-paying jobs in advertising:

1. User Experience (UX) Director

   Average Annual Salary: $90,000

   A user experience (UX) director is an individual who is responsible for supervising all stages of the customer experience to ensure users have a seamless experience with the company’s product or service. This can include something tangible or something digital.

   These individuals also perform market research and study consumer feedback to help their organization make a more user-friendly product. They typically consolidate this feedback to present to leadership teams, along with relevant recommendations. If you have an interest in technology and marketing, this might be a great position for you.

   Find User Experience (UX) Director jobs near me

2. Marketing Director

   Average Annual Salary: $112,000

   Marketing directors typically oversee a team of marketing and advertising professionals whose responsibilities are defining and building brand awareness as well as driving overall sales. They will usually oversee any campaign their team is building to ensure they think of every nuance and the project rolls out as planned.

   They may also be required to report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for leadership, as well as suggest any changes to making campaigns more effective. Marketing directors are required to have extensive experience in marketing before landing a position as a director.

   Find Marketing Director jobs near me

3. Advertising Manager

   Average Annual Salary: $93,000

   Advertising managers are responsible for planning and directing the advertising campaigns for their companies. The main goal they work towards is to promote interest in a product or service, as well as brand awareness to the market at large. They may work closely with art directors, sales, and financial leaders.

   Advertising managers must work with their team to develop and bring advertising campaigns to life, acting as the liaison between agencies and clients if they work for an agency. They may also negotiate contracts, inspect layouts, conduct market research, develop pricing strategies, and more.

   Find Advertising Manager jobs near me

4. Promotions Manager

   Average Annual Salary: $88,000

   Promotion managers are individuals who direct programs that combine advertising with purchasing incentives, typically to increase sales. These programs may be anything such as direct mail, newspaper inserts, internet ads, in-store displays, product endorsements, or specific events that target their intended audience.

   Promotions managers often need strong project management and interpersonal skills and are best suited if they have experience in a sales promotion or marketing role. This can be a highly creative role while including many analytical and financial skills. If you desire a job with a blend of these two skills, this may be a great job for you.

   Find Promotions Manager jobs near me

5. Public Relations Manager

   Average Annual Salary: $100,000

   Public relations managers are responsible for developing and implementing an organization’s public relations and media strategy. This means they are responsible for building a company’s reputation and ensuring adequate media coverage that expands their brand and builds their audience.

   PR managers typically draft and oversee the creation of media releases and any content that is released on social media. They may also have relationships with industry-specific journalists and key influencers and be responsible for promoting important company news.

   Find Public Relations Manager jobs near me

6. Art Director

   Average Annual Salary: $74,000

   Art directors have the responsibility to ensure the client’s or organization’s desired message is properly conveyed through imagery and design to consumers. Art directors oversee all visual aspects of an advertising or media campaign and may coordinate the work of other artistic or design staff.

   Art directors can work for agencies, companies, or even be self-employed. They may also be found at advertising or public relations firms, newspaper and magazine publishers, motion picture and video industries, as well as specialized design services firms.

   Find Art Director jobs near me

7. Product Marketing Manager

   Average Annual Salary: $121,000

   Product marketing managers are responsible for the marketing of a company’s product on the market. Product marketing managers can be responsible for training sales teams, creating marketing materials for products, and overseeing strategy as a product moves from design to build to be on the market.

   Product marketing managers must be both creative and have excellent communication skills. Depending on the product you work with, you may be required to take a very technical or complicated product and communicate its value in an easily understandable way to be effective to your customer base.

   Find Product Marketing Manager jobs near me

8. Market Research Analyst

   Average Annual Salary: $53,000

   Market research analysts are individuals who help companies understand what products or services people want and what they might be willing to pay for them. They may examine market conditions to predict potential sales and help a company better understand its industry and audience.

   Market research is essential to effectively marketing a product and maximizing a company’s product. Market research analysts must monitor and predict sales trends, measure the effectiveness of campaigns, and brainstorm new ways to gather data and find meaningful information.

   Find Market Research Analyst jobs near me

7 Entry-Level Jobs in Advertising

Entry-level jobs in advertising are widely accessible as almost all businesses require some level of advertising. Even if you think you know what you want to do long-term, don’t be afraid to explore advertising jobs that aren’t completely applicable to your end career goal. Chances are, you’ll learn skills that will be applicable down the road.

Here are seven entry-level jobs in advertising:

1. Advertising Sales Coordinator

   Average Annual Salary: $39,000

   Advertising sales coordinators coordinate activities across different departments to ensure advertising and sales programs are reaching their intended audiences in a timely and effective manner. They work closely with Advertising Sales teams and will typically learn a variety of skills applicable for future promotions.

   Advertising sales coordinators may also be responsible for developing and maintaining files related to sales programs, creating small advertisements, and working with marketing teams on things like events or special campaigns. They may organize all media for their client or organization as well.

   Find Advertising Sales Coordinator jobs near me

2. Junior Copywriter

   Average Annual Salary: $64,000

   A junior copywriter is an individual who is responsible for creating written content that meets the requirements of a creative brief. Their primary job is bringing a product, service, or brand to life through words. This can be extremely difficult, especially in our environment today, where we are bombarded with marketing messages.

   Junior copywriters must find creative ways to communicate information. Depending on the avenue where the advertising is being shown, they may be limited by things such as design, word count, or using specific words. Working as a junior copywriter is a great way to work your way up into a content marketing or senior copywriter role.

   Find Junior Copywriter jobs near me

3. Assistant Art Director

   Average Annual Salary: $54,000

   An assistant art director is a junior-level creative professional who typically works with a broader art team or art director. They help to plan, execute, and visual design elements that may appear in things like magazines, newspapers, books, advertisements, websites, or other communications.

   These individuals may also be tasked with managing junior staff members, overseeing a budget, and completing any tasks given by the art director. You may also be expected to develop preliminary design concepts that are then reviewed by the director. Clerical responsibilities are often required in this position as well.

   Find Assistant Art Director jobs near me

4. Assistant Media Planner

   Average Annual Salary: $52,000

   Similar to the above, assistant media planners work with a broader media team or senior media planners. They are responsible for assisting clients in developing strategies and recommendations for advertising initiatives through specific channels. This may be to promote a product, service, or overall brand awareness.

   You may be required to assist with campaign execution, evaluating campaign effectiveness, providing strategy recommendations, and preparing weekly or monthly summary reports on campaigns. You may also act as a media buyer with television, radio, and online companies.

   Find Assistant Media Planner jobs near me

5. Assistant Research Executive

   Average Annual Salary: N/A

   Assistant research executives often work with research teams to help collect and consolidate data and market insights. They may be tasked with creating reports and presenting these results to management or clients. They may also execute the data collection and analysis process and develop preliminary insights.

   Assistant research executives must be analytical and be able to look at data to derive meaningful and actionable insights for the broader team. They may work closely with internal stakeholders to prepare data-driven reports and presentations for leadership teams or clients.

6. Assistant Account Manager

   Average Annual Salary: $47,000

   Assistant account managers are responsible for handling all administrative duties for accounts within the company, including following up and scheduling meetings with clients. Their primary responsibility is to provide day-to-day support to clients while working closely with other internal account managers and senior account executives.

   In advertising, this role is incredibly important as it allows those working directly on the campaign or account to do what they do best — create. The assistant account manager can handle the details of logistics as well as relay specific information back and forth between their internal team and the client.

   Find Assistant Account Manager jobs near me

7. Marketing Assistant

   Average Annual Salary: $40,000

   A marketing assistant works closely with the broader marketing team within advertising on projects intended to expand brand awareness and drive sales. This role can take on a variety of shapes and sizes, allowing the marketing assistant to explore different avenues of marketing as they hone their skills.

   They may be responsible for assisting with ongoing marketing campaigns by collecting audience feedback and creating graphs, charts, and presentations in order to adequately communicate this information to decision-makers. They can conduct market research, organize databases, and more.

   Find Marketing Assistant jobs near me

Why Choose a Career in Advertising?

If you’re an individual who enjoys being creative while being analytical, advertising might be an ideal career choice for you. Advertising requires a blend of these two important skills in order to be successful. Working in this career field allows you to stay behind the scenes while letting your work speak for itself. Here are some great reasons to choose a career in advertising.

• Explore new creative freedom. Advertising often requires you to think out of the box, eliminating many creative boundaries. If you’re passionate about advertising for your company, you’ll become highly valued with quick thinking and innovative ideas.

• Reach the people behind the scenes. Advertising allows you to work behind the scenes while still reaching your audience through your campaigns. You’ll learn what makes people tick, how to study behavior, and effectively market to a specific audience.

• Find your entrepreneurial spirit. Advertising requires you to take risks and ask questions later. It can be a high-pressure and heady atmosphere that can encourage you to develop your entrepreneurial skills.

• Open doors to new opportunities. The advertising field is large and diverse. Once you’ve learned important skills and established yourself in a specific field, you’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of opportunities to further your career.

Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Advertising

Advertising requires a certain level of knowledge about persuasion, marketing, commercial products, and potentially specific markets within an industry. Advertising companies and agencies typically look for creative and talented individuals, and certain education and certifications can help you stand out against the competition.

• Earn a bachelor’s degree. Although not always required for entry-level positions, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in advertising, communications, marketing, or other related fields can provide an important foundation to work in this field.

• Land an internship. Advertising internships are another way to gain practical advertising experience. You can also network extensively to open new opportunities once you’re ready for full-time work.

• Consider a specialty. Advertising jobs can vary from client relationships to strategy to creating and executing innovative ideas. Consider specifying your passion and find a mentor who can help you understand the specialty more deeply.

What Do People Working In Advertising Do?

Those working in advertising are individuals who participate in a company’s goal to sell a product or service. Some companies hire advertising agencies whose sole purpose is to help their clients advertise. Others work for in-house advertising teams, meaning they work closely with the internal marketing team.

Advertising covers everything from campaigns to audience research to television commercials. Anything that helps the company get its message out to the world is considered advertising. It takes a lot of hard work to make this happen, so teams are often hard-working, collaborative, and creative.

Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.