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The differences between product marketing associates and marketing communications specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a product marketing associate, becoming a marketing communications specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product marketing associate has an average salary of $81,820, which is higher than the $53,993 average annual salary of a marketing communications specialist.
The top three skills for a product marketing associate include digital marketing, market research and product management. The most important skills for a marketing communications specialist are digital marketing, project management, and graphic design.
| Product Marketing Associate | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,820 | $53,993 |
| Hourly rate | $39.34 | $25.96 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 148,705 | 95,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 6 |
A product marketing associate is responsible for supporting the operations of the marketing department of an organization, ensuring the efficient deliveries of marketing techniques to promote brand image and increase media presence to reach the target audience. Product marketing associates coordinate with the clients to respond to their inquiries and concerns, provide them progress updates, and inform them of marketing solutions that the team developed. They also analyze the current market trends to identify potential business opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues, implement new services, and attract potential clients and business partnerships.
A marketing communications specialist is an individual who is responsible for creating all the marketing materials that are distributed to customers to increase brand awareness for the company's products or services. To create these materials, marketing communications specialists must collaborate with graphic design teams. They are required to track their marketing performance so that they can identify ways to improve their marketing strategies. Marketing communications specialists must also set up interviews and press conferences as part of their marketing campaign.
Product marketing associates and marketing communications specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Marketing Associate | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Average salary | $81,820 | $53,993 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $120,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product marketing associate and a marketing communications specialist in terms of educational background:
| Product Marketing Associate | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between product marketing associates' and marketing communications specialists' demographics:
| Product Marketing Associate | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% | Male, 28.0% Female, 72.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |