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The differences between communications officers and media directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a communications officer and a media director. Additionally, a media director has an average salary of $112,564, which is higher than the $40,161 average annual salary of a communications officer.
The top three skills for a communications officer include affordable housing, non-emergency telephone calls and customer service. The most important skills for a media director are digital marketing, video production, and media planning.
| Communications Officer | Media Director | |
| Yearly salary | $40,161 | $112,564 |
| Hourly rate | $19.31 | $54.12 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,260 | 22,511 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A communications officer is responsible for maintaining the brand image of an organization through monitoring marketing campaigns and public relations techniques. Communications officers handle press releases, social media management, media outreach, reviewing digital contents, and disseminating public communications within the company's premises and appropriate audience. They often coordinate with the senior management to develop strategic procedures to improve brand awareness, attracting potential partnerships that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability. A communications officer must have excellent leadership skills to monitor the performance of the communications staff and ensure maximum productivity.
A media director spearheads and oversees a company's entire media-related activities, including marketing and advertising campaigns. They are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, liaising and building positive relationships with external parties, conceptualizing plans for projects and campaigns, and developing strategies to optimize operations. It is also their duty to address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a media director, it is essential to monitor the progress of different teams, leading and encouraging them to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Communications officers and media directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Officer | Media Director | |
| Average salary | $40,161 | $112,564 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $62,000 | Between $73,000 And $172,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Professional |
There are a few differences between a communications officer and a media director in terms of educational background:
| Communications Officer | Media Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Communication |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications officers' and media directors' demographics:
| Communications Officer | Media Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |