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The differences between media buyers and procurement agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a media buyer and a procurement agent. Additionally, a media buyer has an average salary of $74,390, which is higher than the $72,384 average annual salary of a procurement agent.
The top three skills for a media buyer include digital marketing, campaign performance and media buying. The most important skills for a procurement agent are supply chain, strategic sourcing, and supplier performance.
| Media Buyer | Procurement Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $74,390 | $72,384 |
| Hourly rate | $35.76 | $34.80 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 20,884 | 45,198 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A procurement agent develops profitable measures to save the client money and ensure the quality of goods supplied. Procurement agents obtain the purchased items through suppliers, monitor them, and expedite the orders. They oversee the activities and performance of the suppliers for compliance. Their duties include the verification of item receipts, resolving shipment-related problems, and authorizing purchase payments through documentation. The necessary skills for this job include being accomplished, decisive, and strong communication skills.
Media buyers and procurement agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Buyer | Procurement Agent | |
| Average salary | $74,390 | $72,384 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $98,000 | Between $49,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | Burlington, VT | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a media buyer and a procurement agent in terms of educational background:
| Media Buyer | Procurement Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between media buyers' and procurement agents' demographics:
| Media Buyer | Procurement Agent | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% | Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6% |
| 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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |