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The differences between creative leads and marketing directors 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 marketing director. Additionally, a marketing director has an average salary of $114,906, which is higher than the $93,742 average annual salary of a creative lead.
The top three skills for a creative lead include sketch, project management and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a marketing director are digital marketing, marketing campaigns, and market research.
| Creative Lead | Marketing Director | |
| Yearly salary | $93,742 | $114,906 |
| Hourly rate | $45.07 | $55.24 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,384 | 93,503 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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.
Marketing directors are responsible for the overall branding and marketing direction of the company. They are in charge of identifying goals and strategies related to marketing. They create strategies that cater to the target market of the organization's products and services to help with sales. They lead the company's marketing department and create the company's brand promise. They ensure that all marketing collateral is in line with the rest of the marketing campaigns of the organization. They should be updated on all the current trends in the marketing world.
Creative leads and marketing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Lead | Marketing Director | |
| Average salary | $93,742 | $114,906 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $169,000 | Between $68,000 And $193,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Brookfield Properties |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a creative lead and a marketing director in terms of educational background:
| Creative Lead | Marketing Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between creative leads' and marketing directors' demographics:
| Creative Lead | Marketing Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% |
| 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% |