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The differences between creative leads and creative marketing managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a creative lead and a creative marketing manager. Additionally, a creative lead has an average salary of $93,742, which is higher than the $63,948 average annual salary of a creative marketing manager.
The top three skills for a creative lead include sketch, project management and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a creative marketing manager are digital marketing, marketing campaigns, and email campaigns.
| Creative Lead | Creative Marketing Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $93,742 | $63,948 |
| Hourly rate | $45.07 | $30.74 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,384 | 111,300 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A creative lead is responsible for leading a team of creative staff in conceptualizing designs according to project requirements and client specifications. Creative leads must have excellent technical and critical-thinking skills for utilizing various software tools and applications to generate designs and adjust initial outlines as needed. They also assist the creative staff with the documentation and submission of layouts that meet quality standards and budget limitations. A creative lead works closely with the creative director to establish creative solutions that would attract the audience and enhance the brand's image on market platforms.
Creative marketing managers primarily direct and lead both the design and production of marketing audio and visual materials. The managers establish and implement the design and format processes and standards in producing high quality and consistent results. They put together budgets and estimates for marketing campaigns and submit them for approval. It is their job to prepare sales and advertise contracts. Also, they review advertising materials such as print. Skills needed in this job include marketing, negotiation, and communication.
Creative leads and creative marketing managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Lead | Creative Marketing Manager | |
| Average salary | $93,742 | $63,948 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $169,000 | Between $38,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a creative lead and a creative marketing manager in terms of educational background:
| Creative Lead | Creative Marketing Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Wisconsin - Madison |
Here are the differences between creative leads' and creative marketing managers' demographics:
| Creative Lead | Creative Marketing Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |