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What is a marketing and creative director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Tobias Sellier,
Richard Tate

Marketing and creative directors determine the creative vision of a brand or project and manifest that vision through digital, print, and film installations. They direct and motivate teams of art directors, illustrators, copywriters, etc. to help them use their talents effectively. They also collaborate with account executives to obtain knowledge of the clients' requirements. Marketing and creative directors earn a median sum of $92,000 annually or $44 per hour.

Marketing and creative directors are in charge of the creative department and are tasked with planning company advertisements, monitoring brand campaigns, revising presentations, and shaping brand standards. They assist clients in resolving issues by responding to questions in a timely and professional manner. They also create and implement tailored marketing plans based on individual client requirements.

Marketing and creative directors typically hold a bachelor's degree in graphic design, marketing, business, or other related fields. They are expected to have some years of experience as marketers or in a similar role. Some employers prefer candidates with a solid understanding of design, copy, and web practices.

What general advice would you give to a marketing and creative director?

Tobias SellierTobias Sellier LinkedIn profile

Senior Director, American Public Power Association

There are exciting opportunities to work for community-owned, not-for-profit, hometown public power. From engineers and customer service representatives to lineworkers and administrative professionals, there are many opportunities. And utility employees, being essential workers, even during these challenging times, there are still many jobs that will need to be filled.
ScoreMarketing And Creative DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.0

Avg. Salary $116,318

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 41.82%

male 58.18%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Marketing and creative director career paths

Key steps to become a marketing and creative director

  1. Explore marketing and creative director education requirements

    Most common marketing and creative director degrees

    Bachelor's

    79.0 %

    Associate

    9.7 %

    Master's

    7.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific marketing and creative director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Graphic Design7.22%
    Creative Direction5.58%
    Video Production5.47%
    Creative Strategy5.11%
    Marketing Campaigns4.59%
  3. Complete relevant marketing and creative director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marketing and creative directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a marketing and creative director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marketing and creative director resumes.
  4. Research marketing and creative director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage SEO and PPC campaigns.
    • Manage multiple PPC and retargeting campaigns to increase awareness and sales.
    • Focuse on social media ad buys through Facebook & LinkedIn to capture leads.
    • Manage schedules, lists and planning, including in-house files, testing, forecasting, response analysis and print production.
  5. Get marketing and creative director experience

    Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a marketing and creative director. The most common roles before becoming a marketing and creative director include creative director, art director team lead and graphic designer.
  6. Prepare your marketing and creative director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marketing and creative director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a marketing and creative director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable marketing and creative director resume templates

    Build a professional marketing and creative director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your marketing and creative director resume.
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
    Marketing And Creative Director Resume
  7. Apply for marketing and creative director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a marketing and creative director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first marketing and creative director job

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Average marketing and creative director salary

The average marketing and creative director salary in the United States is $116,318 per year or $56 per hour. Marketing and creative director salaries range between $65,000 and $208,000 per year.

Average marketing and creative director salary
$116,318 Yearly
$55.92 hourly

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How do marketing and creative directors rate their job?

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Marketing and creative director reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

Overseeing printing For direct mail. Packaging design Developing hot mail list.

Cons

Unreasonable deadlines.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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