Assistant media buyer vs purchasing agent

The differences between assistant media buyers and purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an assistant media buyer and a purchasing agent. Additionally, a purchasing agent has an average salary of $51,950, which is higher than the $50,861 average annual salary of an assistant media buyer.

The top three skills for an assistant media buyer include buying process, media buying and media planning. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.

Assistant media buyer vs purchasing agent overview

	Assistant Media Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Yearly salary	$50,861	$51,950
Hourly rate	$24.45	$24.98
Growth rate	8%	-
Number of jobs	18,308	45,856
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 94%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Assistant media buyer vs purchasing agent salary

Assistant media buyers and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant Media Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Average salary	$50,861	$51,950
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $64,000	Between $37,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Abiomed
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between assistant media buyer and purchasing agent education

There are a few differences between an assistant media buyer and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:

	Assistant Media Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 94%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Communication	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Assistant media buyer vs purchasing agent demographics

Here are the differences between assistant media buyers' and purchasing agents' demographics:

	Assistant Media Buyer	Purchasing Agent
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between assistant media buyer and purchasing agent duties and responsibilities

Assistant media buyer example responsibilities.

Manage team responsible for SEM, digital media, and campaign optimization.
Create PowerPoint presentations demonstrating which markets perform best, as measured by consumer ratings they achieve quarter-by-quarter.
Follow current trends on all SEO & SEM topics through research and networking.
Utilize SEO best practices to optimize internal web properties and mobile sites/apps.
Present creative media plans directly to clients, utilizing Donavan, PowerPoint, and other media software.
Research and analyze Nielsen ratings, demographics and programming trends to suit client objectives for each media plan.

Purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.
Prepare purchase orders, RFP's and RFB's, advertise solicitations, review responses and approve contract acceptance.
Send out RFQ's and award orders to the best fit and price vendor to ensure manufacturing meets critical due dates.

Assistant media buyer vs purchasing agent skills

Common assistant media buyer skills

Buying Process, 17%
Media Buying, 9%
Media Planning, 7%
TV Stations, 5%
Nielsen, 5%
Sales Reps, 5%

Common purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Logistics, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
MRP, 3%
Cost Savings, 3%

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Assistant Media Buyer
Assistant Media Buyer vs Purchasing Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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