Advertising Executive
Advertising executives plan and run the campaigns that put a client's product in front of the right audience.
- Median salary*
- $91,000
3.5%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 6,900
1.5%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +22.1%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 44/wk
+4h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Advertising executives work in agencies, in-house marketing teams and media companies, planning campaigns and keeping them on brief, on budget and on schedule. The role sits between the client and the people who make the work, so much of the week goes on briefing, reviewing and reporting rather than creating. It is narrower than a marketing manager role, which covers the whole marketing mix rather than the campaign in front of you.
How much do advertising executives earn?
The median full-time salary for an advertising executive is $91,000 per annum, before tax, up $19,400 since 2018.
Agency and client-side roles pay differently: in-house teams at larger organisations tend to offer a higher base and steadier hours, while agencies lean more on bonuses tied to campaign results or new business. Seniority is the biggest single factor, and the jump from executive to manager is where the package usually moves most. Freelance and contract work exists too, and it trades security for a higher day rate.
What does an advertising executive do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Briefing creative teams on the campaign idea and the audience it needs to reach
- Sitting in client meetings to agree objectives, budgets and launch dates
- Checking creative work against the brief and the brand's guidelines
- Booking media space across digital, broadcast and outdoor channels
- Pulling performance data together at the end of a campaign and writing up what it showed
What skills do advertising executives need?
Employers look for marketing analytics, project management, budgeting and forecasting, backed by Google Analytics fluency and strong client relationships and advisory.
Specialist skills
- Marketing analytics
- Project management
- Budgeting and forecasting
Software and tools
- Google Analytics
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Meta Ads Manager
- Google Ads
- Salesforce
General skills
- Client relationships and advisory
- Written communication
- Stakeholder management
- Presenting and data storytelling
Is the job growing?
About 6,900 people work as advertising executives in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 22.1% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become an advertising executive?
Here's the path most advertising executives take, step by step.
- 1Study advertising, marketing or communications
Degrees in advertising, marketing, communications or business take three years full time, and about 61% of people in the role hold a bachelor degree. A diploma can get you started in a coordinator role, though it usually takes longer to move up from there.
- 2Build a portfolio while you study
Internships at agencies, the student advertising competitions run by industry bodies, and unpaid or low-paid social media work for small businesses all produce the examples employers ask to see at interview.
- 3Start as a coordinator or assistant
Account coordinator, marketing assistant and media assistant roles are the usual first jobs. The work is administrative at first, but it teaches the campaign process from the inside, and most people spend a year or two there before running their own accounts.
- 4Learn the ad platforms and analytics tools
Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager and Google Analytics appear in most job ads, and the platforms run their own free certification. Being able to set up, read and explain a campaign dashboard is what separates applicants who have studied from those who can do the job.
- 5Specialise or move into account management
After a few years, executives tend to go deeper into one channel or client sector, or step into account director work managing a team and a client relationship. Moving between agency and in-house roles is common at this stage.
Ready to apply as an advertising executive?
Whether you're working toward becoming an advertising executive or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an advertising executive move to?
Moving into Marketing Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $48,200 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Manager Campaign and brand experience carries from advertising executive work to broader marketing strategy and team leadership.Known move | +$48,200 | 63% | minimal |
| Advertising Manager Campaign planning and client liaison skills carry from advertising executive work to managing advertising teams and budgets.Known move | +$28,600 | 71% | minimal |
| Public Relations Officer Campaign and media skills carry from advertising executive work to public relations, though further study is needed for the communications specialism.Known move | +$15,400 | 19% | reskill |
| Digital Marketing Specialist Campaign planning and audience insight carry from advertising executive work to digital marketing, though substantial study is needed for specialist tools.Known move | +$10,800 | 35% | reskill |
| Brand Manager Campaign and brand experience carries from advertising executive work to managing a brand, though further study is needed for brand strategy roles. | +$10,400 | 45% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an advertising executive?
The typical advertising executive is 34 years old; 58% are women, 85% work full-time, and full-timers average 44 hours a week.
- 34
- Median age
- 58%
- Female share
- 85%
- Full-time
- +4h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an advertising executive?
The job runs on campaign cycles: a burst of planning and pitching, a build phase with creative and media teams, then launch and reporting. Pitch deadlines and launch weeks set the pace, and the work is collaborative and interrupt-driven, with several accounts moving at once. It suits people who enjoy juggling competing requests and who like seeing an idea turn into something they can measure.
What people like
- Work you can point to. A campaign runs on television, in a feed or on a billboard, and you can trace it back to the brief you wrote and the budget you set.
- No two clients alike. Retail, banking, government and not-for-profits all buy advertising differently, so the problems change from one account to the next.
- Creative and commercial in the same job. You are close to the ideas but also answerable for the budget and the result, which keeps the role from tipping too far either way.
- Early responsibility. People in their twenties often run parts of major campaigns, which builds a portfolio and a contact list quickly.
What people find hard
- Pitch weeks. Competitive pitches compress weeks of thinking into days, and the work is unpaid if the client goes elsewhere.
- Briefs that move. Objectives, budgets and launch dates change after the work has started, and the plan has to be rebuilt to match.
- Outcomes you don't control. A campaign can be well made and still underperform because of the market, the product or the price.
- Long hours around launches. Full-time advertising executives average 44 hours a week, and the run-up to a launch is heavier than that average.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ advertising executives?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of advertising executives, followed by Information Media and Telecommunications.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Information Media and Telecommunications
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 60.8% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 11.5% | |
| Year 12 or below | 11.5% | |
| Postgraduate | 10.7% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 3.2% |
Will AI replace advertising executives?
AI sits across parts of this job rather than the whole of it. Copy variants, concept options and media buying are all being automated or accelerated by generative tools and the bidding algorithms inside Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager, which changes how quickly the early drafting and optimisation stages run. What it does not change is the client relationship, the strategic call on what a campaign is for, and the judgement about which ideas are worth backing, so the role carries moderate exposure overall.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Pitching to clients and managing accountsReading a room, handling a budget cut mid-campaign and renegotiating a deadline are still done by a person in the room.30%low
- Planning campaigns and audience researchTools pull audience segments and competitor spend together quickly, but deciding which insight the campaign should be built on is still a human call.25%moderate
- Writing briefs, copy and concept draftsGenerative tools now produce usable headline and copy variants in minutes, so the job shifts to editing and choosing rather than starting from a blank page.25%high
- Tracking budgets and reporting on campaign performanceDashboards in Google Analytics and the ad platforms assemble the numbers automatically, so the work is increasingly about interpreting them for the client.20%high
Common questions about becoming an advertising executive
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do advertising executives earn?
$91,000 per year before tax for full-time advertising executives. Packages often include a bonus tied to campaign results or new business, and agency roles and in-house roles pay differently for the same level of experience.
How do you become an advertising executive?
Most people start with a degree in advertising, marketing, communications or business, then take a coordinator or assistant role in an agency or an in-house marketing team. A portfolio of real campaign work, from an internship or a freelance client, matters as much as the qualification when you are applying.
Are advertising executives in demand?
Advertising executives are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 22.1% over the decade to 2035 over the decade to 2035. The occupation is small, so the national picture matters less than the local one: most roles sit in agency and in-house marketing teams in the capital cities.
Will AI replace advertising executives?
AI is already part of everyday campaign work, drafting copy variants, generating concept options and optimising media bids in Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager. The client relationship, the strategic call on what a campaign is for, and the judgement about which ideas are worth backing stay with people.
What can advertising executives move into?
The most direct step is into an advertising manager role, which pays $28,600 more and draws on the same campaign planning and client work. Marketing manager roles pay $48,200 more and suit executives who want broader strategy and team leadership, while brand manager work pays $10,400 more and usually needs further study in brand strategy. Moving into digital marketing or public relations is possible but takes study, because the specialist tools and the media relationships differ.
What is the difference between an advertising executive and an advertising manager?
An advertising executive plans and delivers campaigns; an advertising manager runs the team that does it and owns the client relationship and the budget across several accounts. The step up comes from experience rather than a further qualification.
Related roles
- Advertising Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Digital Marketing Specialist
- Public Relations Officer
- Brand Manager
- Public Relations Officer
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