Advertising and Promotions Managers

Description

Plan, direct, or coordinate advertising policies and programs or produce collateral materials, such as posters, contests, coupons, or give-aways, to create extra interest in the purchase of a product or service for a department, an entire organization, or on an account basis.

Tasks

  • Inspect layouts and advertising copy and edit scripts, audio and video tapes, and other promotional material for adherence to specifications.
  • Plan and prepare advertising and promotional material to increase sales of products or services, working with customers, company officials, sales departments and advertising agencies.
  • Gather and organize information to plan advertising campaigns.
  • Confer with clients to provide marketing or technical advice.
  • Direct, motivate, and monitor the mobilization of a campaign team to advance campaign goals.
  • Confer with department heads or staff to discuss topics such as contracts, selection of advertising media, or product to be advertised.
  • Prepare budgets and submit estimates for program costs as part of campaign plan development.
  • Prepare and negotiate advertising and sales contracts.
  • Plan and execute advertising policies and strategies for organizations.
  • Assist with annual budget development.
  • Provide presentation and product demonstration support during the introduction of new products and services to field staff and customers.
  • Formulate plans to extend business with established accounts and to transact business as agent for advertising accounts.
  • Direct and coordinate product research and development.
  • Identify and develop contacts for promotional campaigns and industry programs that meet identified buyer targets such as dealers, distributors, or consumers.
  • Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
  • Read trade journals and professional literature to stay informed on trends, innovations, and changes that affect media planning.
  • Consult publications to learn about conventions and social functions and to organize prospect files for promotional purposes.
  • Coordinate activities of departments, such as sales, graphic arts, media, finance, and research.
  • Train and direct workers engaged in developing and producing advertisements.
  • Track program budgets and expenses and campaign response rates to evaluate each campaign based on program objectives and industry norms.
  • Monitor and analyze sales promotion results to determine cost effectiveness of promotion campaigns.
  • Coordinate with the media to disseminate advertising.
  • Contact organizations to explain services and facilities offered.
  • Manage sales team including setting goals, providing incentives, and evaluating employee performance.
  • Assemble and communicate with a strong, diverse coalition of organizations or public figures, securing their cooperation, support and action, to further campaign goals.

Knowledge

Communications and Media
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Sales and Marketing
Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills

Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities

Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Fluency of Ideas
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Work Activities

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Thinking Creatively
Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Processing Information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Scheduling Work and Activities
Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Work Context

Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Electronic Mail
How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Time Pressure
How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
Structured versus Unstructured Work
To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

Interests

Enterprising
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Artistic
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Conventional
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Social
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Realistic
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Work Style

Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Innovation
Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Self Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Achievement/Effort
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Work Values

Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Working Conditions
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Recognition
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Independence
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Lay Titles

Account Executive
Account Manager
Account Specialist
Advertising Account Executive
Advertising Account Manager
Advertising Agency Manager
Advertising Campaign Manager
Advertising Coordinator
Advertising Director
Advertising Executive
Advertising Manager
Advertising Sales Manager
Advertising Sales Representative
Art Director
Brand Manager
Campaign Director
Campaign Manager
Circulation Director
Circulation Manager
Classified Advertising Manager
Client Services Director
Director of Sales and Marketing
Director of Sales Marketing
Head of Advertising
Head of Sales Promotion
Market Development Director
Marketing and Promotions Manager
Marketing Director
Marketing Manager
Marketing Strategist
Media Director
Media Promoter
Print Traffic Manager
Promotions Director
Promotions Executive Producer (Promos Executive Producer)
Promotions Manager
Recruitment Advertising Manager
Retail Advertising Sales Manager
Sales Manager
Sales Promotion Manager

National Wages and Employment Info

Median Wages (2008):
$42.59 hourly, $88,590 annual.
Employment (2008):
28,420 employees