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The differences between planner/buyers and media buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a planner/buyer and a media buyer. Additionally, a media buyer has an average salary of $74,390, which is higher than the $54,261 average annual salary of a planner/buyer.
The top three skills for a planner/buyer include supply chain, purchase orders and customer service. The most important skills for a media buyer are digital marketing, campaign performance, and media buying.
| Planner/Buyer | Media Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,261 | $74,390 |
| Hourly rate | $26.09 | $35.76 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 33,452 | 20,884 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 87% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The role of buyers/planners is to ensure that office materials and equipment are well-supplied within their organization. They decide and purchase the materials needed for use or resale by their organization. They are responsible for evaluating prospective suppliers based on their cost, product quality, and delivery times. They are also the ones who negotiate contracts specifying the payment terms, price, and delivery schedules. Most employers prefer their buyer to have earned a bachelor's degree with a major in operations management or business management.
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.
Planner/buyers and media buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planner/Buyer | Media Buyer | |
| Average salary | $54,261 | $74,390 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $77,000 | Between $56,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | Billerica, MA | Burlington, VT |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a planner/buyer and a media buyer in terms of educational background:
| Planner/Buyer | Media Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 87% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between planner/buyers' and media buyers' demographics:
| Planner/Buyer | Media Buyer | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |