Advertising Manager Career Guide

In this context, the advertising manager has the status of an employee. They advise and support a portfolio of clients consisting of advertisers, i.e. companies that wish to disseminate advertising messages.

Their tasks are varied and cover all phases of an advertising campaign:

• Discuss with the advertiser to understand their needs and their budget
• Work with the client to establish the objectives of the campaign and the necessary budget
• Analyse the market and then propose a suitable advertising campaign
• Draw up specifications and coordinate the various parties involved (graphic designer, videographer, copywriters, designer, etc.)
• Monitoring the actions taken and their results

In small organizations, they work independently and in a highly creative manner. They are also often required to seek out advertisers, thereby contributing to the organization’s client portfolio.

In large organizations, advertising managers often have a more commercial role. They work under the supervision of an account manager or group manager.

When working for the advertiser, their status and responsibilities are the same as in an agency. The only difference is that instead of handling advertising campaigns for several companies, they work for a single organization as an internal employee.

In advertising sales

In advertising sales, the daily routine of an advertising manager is quite different. Their main role is to sell the advertising space they are responsible for to advertisers. Their responsibilities are therefore:

• Seeking out clients (advertisers and media agencies) likely to purchase advertising space
• Developing an effective sales pitch
• Identifying the needs of different advertisers and advising them on the best locations, format and duration
• Negotiating and concluding commercial agreements
• Monitoring the implementation of advertisements

They may work in different advertising agencies and be responsible for a specific form of advertising:

• In the press, they manage space in newspapers and magazines;
• On television, they are responsible for advertising slots;
• On radio, they are responsible for advertising time slots.

Advertising managers may be responsible for a particular sector, such as automotive, cooking, travel, culture or tourism.

They may be promoted to the position of group manager, primarily responsible for managing several advertising and production teams. After several years of experience, they may also aspire to the position of account director.

When working for a single organization, they may become head of the communications department or sales management. Their career path depends on their personal preferences and qualifications.

An advertising manager may be promoted to advertising director and take charge of managing all the teams involved. They may also be eligible for management positions in the advertising or sales departments.