# Advertising and Promotions Managers

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/advertising-and-promotions-managers
- SOC code: 11-2011.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $133,660 (10th percentile $63,300, 90th percentile $286,240)
- Projected growth: Decline, -3.7%
- Openings a year: 2,300
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 0 |
| Investigative (I) | 12 |
| Artistic (A) | 48 |
| Social (S) | 36 |
| Enterprising (E) | 100 |
| Conventional (C) | 57 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 92/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 90/100)
- Getting Information (importance 85/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 84/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 83/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 80/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 80/100)
- Scheduling Work and Activities (importance 73/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 72/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 70/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Social Perceptiveness, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Time Management

## Knowledge

Sales and Marketing, English Language, Communications and Media, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Personnel and Human Resources, Computers and Electronics, Mathematics, Education and Training

## Also called

Account Executive, Account Manager, Ad Account Executive (Advertising Account Executive), Ad Account Manager (Advertising Account Manager), Ad Accounts Executive (Advertising Accounts Executive), Ad Agency Manager (Advertising Agency Manager), Ad Campaign Manager (Advertising Campaign Manager), Ad Coordinator (Advertising Coordinator), Ad Director (Advertising Director), Ad Executive (Advertising Executive)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Marketing](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5214) (CIP 5214, 1,126 colleges)
- [Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0909) (CIP 0909, 621 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-provo-byu-utah-302) | Marketing | $73,160 | $112,596 | $14,125 |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Marketing | $89,454 | $112,211 | $7,500 |
| [Boston College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-college-285) | Marketing | $76,748 | $106,353 | $19,000 |
| [Georgetown University-DC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/georgetown-university-dc-1068) | Marketing | $88,544 | $105,944 | $16,000 |
| [Santa Clara University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/santa-clara-university-2371) | Marketing | $72,607 | $104,723 | $19,500 |
| [Villanova University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/villanova-university-3127) | Marketing | $71,987 | $102,222 | $24,524 |
| [Washington University in St Louis WUSTL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-university-in-st-louis-wustl-3172) | Marketing | $66,898 | $100,489 | not reported |
| [Tulane University of Louisiana](https://www.collegesref.com/college/tulane-university-of-louisiana-2827) | Marketing | $66,646 | $98,503 | $18,000 |

## Related careers

- [Advertising Sales Agents](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/advertising-sales-agents): $64,820 median pay
- [Marketing Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/marketing-managers): $166,790 median pay
- [Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/market-research-analysts-and-marketing-specialists): $78,760 median pay
- [Search Marketing Strategists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/search-marketing-strategists): $78,760 median pay
- [Public Relations Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/public-relations-specialists): $74,750 median pay
- [Public Relations Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/public-relations-managers): $146,910 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.