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The differences between media planners and buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a media planner, becoming a buyer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a media planner has an average salary of $58,044, which is higher than the $54,049 average annual salary of a buyer.
The top three skills for a media planner include media planning, powerpoint and campaign performance. The most important skills for a buyer are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Media Planner | Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,044 | $54,049 |
| Hourly rate | $27.91 | $25.99 |
| Growth rate | 8% | - |
| Number of jobs | 24,126 | 23,589 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 89% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A media planner is responsible for managing market campaigns and promotions for clients' advertising needs through various social media platforms and other mediums of communications. Media planners handle the brand's media presence, strategizing its maximum appeal to the target audience. They coordinate closely with the clients for the progress updates, as well as informing them of any adjustments, especially on meeting the public's interests and concerns. A media planner develops innovative techniques, analyzes market data, and manage campaign results, ensuring to meet the clients' objectives and goals.
A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products. They also conduct extensive research for market and price trends while considering the highest quality standards. Buyers should also possess strong analytical skills to create purchase orders and statistical analysis.
Media planners and buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Planner | Buyer | |
| Average salary | $58,044 | $54,049 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $69,000 | Between $37,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Englewood, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | RPA | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a media planner and a buyer in terms of educational background:
| Media Planner | Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 89% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between media planners' and buyers' demographics:
| Media Planner | Buyer | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 15% |