Advertising Manager

Within corporations and other businesses, an Advertising Manager is a senior level employee in the advertising department. These busy people supervise everything from the smallest classified to the biggest, full-page color ad. Advertising Managers can work in-house for a company, managing their own advertising campaigns, or at an ad agency, managing campaigns of the companies who enlist their services.

Historically Advertising Managers dealt more strictly with the business side of things, like placing and tracking ad campaigns. But as advertising strategies have shifted with the passing of time you have taken on more creative roles, most of which involve in-house ad campaigns and in-house marketing. Today, you often oversee entire campaigns with no outside creative help.

You’ve also moved into the digital age. Social media and new media, such as dynamic online ads and online video advertising on a publication’s website, have taken on increasing importance. This calls for Managers who are not only adept at organizing creative teams of Graphic Artists, Copywriters and Web Developers, but well-acquainted with the technology itself.

Having a relatively tough skin is important for this job, particularly when sales goals are on the line and the economy isn’t booming. Another positive attribute is an exceptional aptitude for getting the most out of subordinates, such as those selling ad space and classifieds. These qualities go a long way toward longevity and success in this career.

On the whole, you are ultra-focused on developing successful advertising campaigns; you match creative ideas with market research to decide how to design ads, where to place them once designed, and how to judge if they are successful.