Selling a project without advertising is a risky gamble. To meet your sales objectives, it's best to entrust your product or service to the right person. The advertising manager is the professional to contact! Responsible for designing and deploying advertising campaigns, they work for a variety of organizations. In agencies, they coordinate advertising campaigns for advertisers. In advertising agencies, they sell advertising space. For advertisers, they promote goods and services. This expert occupies a crucial position. Let's find out more about their missions, training, skills, salary and career opportunities.

An advertising manager's work is more commercial than creative. Their duties vary according to the structure in which they work. 

In branch Communications Manager: manages one or more advertisers' communications budgets. He/she advises customers on the communications strategy to adopt, manages the creation of campaigns and liaises with the creative teams. 

Advertising network Advertising managers: they market advertising space for a variety of media, and may work for several sectors. The advertising manager works in collaboration with in-house teams. 

At the advertiser Advertising manager: implements and manages each advertising campaign. He manages finances, participates in the definition of major communication axes and liaises with the various service providers.

The duties of the advertising manager vary widely depending on the structure to which he or she belongs. 

In branch : 

• Analysis of customer needs After having established contact with the buyer, he defines his expectations with him. He gathers a certain amount of information from the advertiser (product, brand positioning, target audience, studies carried out), which he passes on to the agency's strategic and creative team.
• Define strategic campaign objectives Communication: he sets up communication media and distribution schedules. He establishes a budget in agreement with his client, then writes briefs. 
• Proposal and validation of advertising action plan The advertising manager: several strategies are proposed to the buyer and reworked according to his or her requirements. The advertising manager negotiates budgets and signs contracts. 
• Implementation and follow-up of the advertising campaign Advertising: the advertising manager draws up the brief and sends it to the creative teams. The advertising manager ensures compliance with brand identity and schedules. He or she supplies the various communication elements to the partners and monitors the development and evolution of the media plan (production, distribution, layout). 
• Measuring results and optimizing strategy The advertising manager designs measurement criteria for advertising campaigns and monitors KPIs. They report regularly to their clients and to their superiors. Monitoring is also part of the job.
• Customer prospecting Sales: the expert contributes to the agency's development. He/she regularly carries out sales prospecting and maintains relations with existing customers.

Advertising network : 

• Commercial prospecting Advertising: the advertising manager develops sales pitches. They canvass customers likely to buy advertising space and identify their needs. His or her duty is to advise customers by proposing appropriate commercial offers. 

He/she takes part in meetings with the other sales representatives, then represents the company with various contacts. The aim is to promote all the media marketed by the company.

• Management, analysis and reporting of its activitiesHe/she monitors each campaign, controls accounts and schedules, and respects technical constraints. They analyze market share, monitor the competition and produce regular reports. This professional takes part in numerous advertising market events. 
• Negotiation Advertising: rates and contracts are negotiated by the advertising manager. The advertising manager then draws up and monitors commercial agreements.

At the advertiser, he has the same role as in an agency. Only, his only customer is his company. 

• Advertising campaign management The advertising manager manages the finances of his/her own identity. He or she defines the main lines of product communication in conjunction with sales promotion managers or product managers. 

Management of various service providers and coordination of non-media activities promotional offers, packaging, point-of-sale displays.

The advertising manager has excellent interpersonal skills. DynamicsHe can easily express himself both orally and in writing, presenting briefs, reports and other work to prospective customers. Analysis and synthesis are among his greatest qualities. This professional has a great listening skills and communication. He knows how to bounce back from any situation to meet 100% specifications. Proven sales skills are essential to this profession and to expanding your customer portfolio. Organizational skills, coordination and knowledge of methods for managing various projects are just some of the skills essential to the day-to-day work of an advertising manager. He or she is well-versed in marketing and communication techniques, as well as graphic design software. End negotiatorOf course, this sector requires a taste for teamwork and the ability to work to tight deadlines.

Here are the various skills of the advertising manager, acquired during his studies and thanks to his varied experience: 

• economic culture,
• marketing culture,
• knowledge of the media and advertising market,
• knowledge of negotiation and marketing methods, 
• project management,
• proficiency in CRM and collaborative tools, 
• proficiency in Pack Office, 
• fluency in foreign languages (primarily English),
• mastery of social networks, 
• proficiency in tracking and analysis tools.

To work as an advertising manager, you need to have a BAC +5. 

After the BAC, students can enroll in a BTS in Visual Communication, a BUT in Information Communication or a Licence Pro. At this level, it's possible to become an assistant advertising manager. To aim for the final position, you'll need a BAC +5 and several years' successful experience as an assistant. Future professionals can opt for a business or communications school, or a specialized private school. Private higher education establishments specializing in fashion professionsISAL Paris is the ideal place to train as an advertising manager. It offers the "Master's degree in communication and branding"This is a 2-year program. It provides a solid group of skills: 

• definition and implementation of a digital, branding and advertising strategy, 
• fashion culture and digital management, 
• definition and design of a digital message, 
• manage and steer web projects,
• mastering the strategic management of digital companies, 
• acquisition of B2 level written English.

After graduation, the prospective employee can expect an average salary of between €2,500 and €3,000 gross per month, depending on the structure and seniority. After several years in the sector, the salary can exceed 3500€ gross per month. With a solid background, the professional can become a group leader or customer manager. Some managers choose to specialize in a particular area of marketing (digital marketing, social media, mobile advertising) and set up their own agency.