Salaries in Advertising & Marketing

You hit every KPI, but the vibe wasn't right.

I brought in 20% more MQLs than my target. I was expecting the top bonus tier. My manager gave me a "Meets Expectations" instead of "Exceeds&q… more

I'm on year 2 and just asked for a raise for the first time ever. Nervous and hopeful about the outcome, which my manager said I'd hear about on Monday. If you're the kind of person who li… more

Do you feel that you're in a better position to negotiate your salary when you already have a job? I did, but all my negotiations so far have either resulted in me not getting the job or being gho… more

Bilingual Marketers: Are you getting paid for your second language?

I have a colleague that was hired for a general US-focused role, but because they speak fluent Spanish, they’re suddenly translating … more

We’re constantly told to “protect the client relationship,” even when it means absorbing scope creep. That effort never seems to show up in comp.
Do any agencies actually reward account teams for reten… more

Our agency may be moving to in-person 4x a week instead of 3x a week. Is it fair to ask for higher compensation because of this change?

"Competitive salary" in a marketing job post is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Translation guide for the bowl:

"Competitive salary" = below market, but we hope you don't know that
"Fast-paced environ… more

Are you officially an Individual Contributor but actually managing a team?

I’m a Senior Strategist, but I have three junior team members who dotted-line report to me. I do their 1-on-1s, fix their work… more

Comparing sales to those that are in agencies or in-house marketing, which career makes the most money, and for each adjacent field, where does the max salary typically plateau? Curious about sales in… more

As a manager, do you appreciate when your analysts use AI to help automate tasks and make tasks easier? Our agency seems to appreciate and encourage the use of AI, but I can't tell if my manager l… more

My role has turned into part strategist, part PM, part therapist for the client, and part internal advocate. None of those additions came with a pay adjustment.
At what point do you push back on role e… more

The freeze nobody announces.
No email. No all-hands. Just suddenly every hire is "on hold," every tool renewal needs three approvals, and your manager goes quiet when you bring up that raise conversation… more

Curious what media planners make versus analysts starting in agencies? It seems like media planning can be really stressful, and while analytics is more coveted because of how pivotal data is nowadays… more

What was the last signal or trigger that told you that you were undervalued and it was time to start looking for an external opportunity?

The counter-offer dilemma is a trap most of us fall for at least once.
You've been underpaid for years. You finally get an outside offer — $95K vs. your current $78K. Suddenly your company finds budget and matches i… more

Curious what EVPs in data/analytics make at Publicis agencies? Any ballpark estimates?

My team is constantly asking about getting new AI tools to help with some of our processes, and I can't tell if this is laziness or proactiveness. As a manager, how would you see this? The recent … more

Your agency rolled out 3 AI tools this year. Your workload didn't shrink — it grew. Now you're expected to produce more, faster, with the same headcount and the same salary.
They call it efficiency. You ca… more

Do recruiters actually tell you if your out of the running for a job? I’ve interviewed with 2 different companies had my screening interview and it’s been crickets since. How should I approach follow… more

I have a health issue that makes it really hard to do jobs that aren't WFH or remote, but there are almost none out there these days. Looks like we've gone back to pre-COVID days entirely. Fre… more

Has anyone found any AI certifications that were impactful in a way that helped them ask for a salary raise? I want to do something that will both matter from a resume standpoint and also help me deve… more

Stayed loyal. Got promoted. Got 12%.
A colleague made a lateral move — same title, different company — and got 28%.
No new responsibilities. Just a new logo on their LinkedIn.
This is the part nobody tel… more

Does filling out all the demographic info on applications help or hurt you if your chances of getting an interview?

HR’s new favorite phrase: "We pay based on Cost of Labor, not Cost of Living."

I asked for an inflation adjustment because rent skyrocketed. HR denied it, saying the "cost of labor"… more

Let's settle it: Does B2B SaaS always pay better than cool B2C brands?

Consumer marketing gets the Super Bowl ads and the glamour. B2B marketing gets the boring whitepapers and the massive budgets.… more

Are copywriting roles going to have reduced salaries because of AI? It seems like AI is automating a lot of what this specific segment of marketing does. Will copywriting become obsolete in the future… more

Is it worth hiring someone to update my resume for me? I feel like mine is current ‘accurate’ but not tuned for the ATS’s. Has anyone had success with this? How did you vet a resource to help you?

Want to make more money in marketing? Move closer to the sales team.

A colleague pivoted from "Brand Marketing" to "Sales Enablement" (creating pitch decks, one-pagers, and case stu… more

Did taking Maternity/Paternity leave reduce your annual bonus?

I took 12 weeks of parental leave. When bonus season hit, HR pro-rated my bonus, cutting it by 25% because I was "out of the office,&… more

Are companies using AI as an excuse to lower starting salaries?

I just saw a Mid-Level Copywriter role listed for $55k. Two years ago, that same agency paid $75k for the role. The recruiter actually ci… more

How much of a bump did you get when you got promoted? I know the roles matter in how much of an increase will be seen, but still, is there a general round figure or percentage that would be considered… more

I want to update my resume with some AI skills. How are people phrasing those? I was thinking about GenAI for ideation, creative and copy. And AEO. But I always like to have a metric or some result.

"Exceeds expectations" but your salary didn't.
Just got through mid-year reviews. My manager called my work "exceptional" and flagged me for a fast-track leadership path. The comp adjustment? 2.3… more

I live in the rust belt. How do I maximize my compensation in a second tier city?

What marketing roles currently have the strongest long-term earning potential without requiring frequent job changes to stay competitive? I’m curious which paths offer steady internal progression, str… more

Give me the ammo for my discussion. I nailed a major campaign with killer ROI and now want to negotiate a raise. What's a typical percentage bump for that kind of impact in marketing? I've alw… more

I’m client-facing, responsible for revenue, managing timelines, and smoothing over every issue — but my comp is nowhere near what the client is paying the agency.
At what point does account work start … more

Two years into my role at a NYC agency, $75K base plus bonuses feels off. Is that competitive, especially with cost-of-living tweaks? I'd love to know what the salary benchmarks are for similar sp… more

Thinking in-house means a pay bump? Not always.
Agency pros making the switch often take a $10–20K cut assuming brand-side pays more. Reality: in-house roles offer stability and better hours, but base salaries fre… more

For those who chose not to move into management, how has that decision impacted your long-term earning potential and work-life balance in marketing? I’m especially curious whether compensation or grow… more