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The differences between media buyers and planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a media buyer, becoming a planner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a media buyer has an average salary of $74,390, which is higher than the $63,161 average annual salary of a planner.
The top three skills for a media buyer include digital marketing, campaign performance and media buying. The most important skills for a planner are customer service, exceptional client, and logistics.
| Media Buyer | Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $74,390 | $63,161 |
| Hourly rate | $35.76 | $30.37 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 20,884 | 15,269 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Media Buyers are marketing professionals who manage the company's advertisements. They create the company's media plan to determine the advertising needs of the company. They negotiate with external providers to get the best advertisement placement values. To do this, Media Buyers are expected to conduct thorough research on the different advertising companies, networks, media, size of placement, and length of advertisement. Their research must consider the target market and determine the best media to reach their target market. Media Buyers should have good negotiation skills and must be able to maintain good working relationships with providers.
As the name entails, planners assist in creating a broad vision for a community. They conduct research, design, and advanced programs. Some of them focus on a few roles, such as planning transportation, while some will most likely work at different planning types throughout their profession. They develop a plan through data analysis, determine the project's goals or the community, and form a specific vision. They also identify the strategies to help the city realized its goals and vision.
Media buyers and planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Buyer | Planner | |
| Average salary | $74,390 | $63,161 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $98,000 | Between $45,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | Burlington, VT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | California |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a media buyer and a planner in terms of educational background:
| Media Buyer | Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between media buyers' and planners' demographics:
| Media Buyer | Planner | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% | Male, 54.4% Female, 45.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 13% |