jobfacts

Advertising accounts managers and creative directors

SOC 2020 2494

Advertising accounts managers and creative directors plan, design, organise and direct the advertising activities of an organisation.

Also calledAdvertising managerManagerCreative directorCreative consultantPress managerTraffic managerand 23 more titles
Typical full-time pay£49,0002025 Provisional
People in the job56,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month521↓ 3.1%on last year · 259th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time advertising accounts managers and creative directors earn between £39,700 and £65,100 a year.

What full-time advertising accounts managers and creative directors earn, 2025
£49,000 typical£31,300lowest 10%£39,70025%£65,10075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£39,700–£65,100)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£31,300
Lowest 20% earn less than£35,900
25%£39,700
Median£49,000
75%£65,100
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £49,000
London!£54,100
South East!£50,900
Wales!£43,100
East Midlands!£42,300
Scotland!£37,000
South West!£30,900
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £49,000
London£54,100 (small sample)
South East£50,900 (small sample)
Wales£43,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£42,300 (small sample)
Scotland£37,000 (small sample)
South West£30,900 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £42,700
  • 2024 £46,200
  • 2025 Provisional£49,000
↑ 15% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 521 jobs for advertising accounts managers and creative directors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026620
Jul 2026592
Jun 2026527
May 2026532
Apr 2026446
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026478
Jan 2026501
Dec 2025299
Nov 2025625
Oct 2025613
Sept 2025498
Aug 2025491
Jul 2025584
Jun 2025657
May 2025692
Apr 2025510
Mar 2025626
Feb 2025594
Jan 2025455
Dec 2024386
Nov 2024512
Oct 2024518
Sept 2024515
Aug 2024525
Jul 2024565
Jun 2024570
May 2024614
Apr 2024522
Mar 2024488
Feb 2024544
Jan 2024623
Dec 2023553
Nov 2023517
Oct 2023574
Sept 2023499
Aug 2023548
Jul 2023549
Jun 2023826
May 2023839
Apr 2023661
Mar 2023852
Feb 2023821
Jan 2023907
Dec 2022893
Nov 2022904
Oct 2022995
Sept 2022967
Aug 2022986
Jul 20221,245
Jun 20221,157
May 20221,396
Apr 2022983
Mar 20221,318
Feb 20221,215
Jan 20221,275
Dec 20211,022
Nov 20211,077
Oct 20211,173
Sept 20211,195
Aug 20211,073
Jul 20211,211
Jun 20211,011
May 20211,002
Apr 2021864
Mar 20211,156
Feb 2021719
Jan 2021646
Dec 2020526
Nov 2020708
Oct 2020553
Sept 2020526
Aug 2020526
Jul 2020457
Jun 2020400
May 2020409
Apr 2020592
Mar 20201,202
Feb 20201,278
Jan 20201,513
Dec 2019818
Nov 20191,149
Oct 20191,323
Sept 20191,178
Aug 20191,237
Jul 20191,591
Jun 20191,473
May 20191,393
Apr 20191,060
Mar 20191,239
Feb 20191,070
Jan 20191,215
Dec 2018667
Nov 2018983
Oct 20181,055
Sept 2018976
Aug 20181,024
Jul 20181,046
Jun 20181,146
May 20181,163
Apr 20181,183
Mar 20181,494
Feb 20181,338
Jan 20181,392
Dec 2017822
Nov 20171,013
Oct 20171,082
Sept 20171,028
Aug 20171,024
Jul 20171,034
Jun 20171,311
May 20171,245
Apr 20171,238
Mar 20171,300
Feb 20171,255
Jan 20171,450
Is there a shortage of advertising accounts managers and creative directors?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
28%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for business, media and public service professionals, which includes advertising accounts managers and creative directors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London640
Manchester68
Bristol, City of40
Birmingham40
Glasgow City35
Leeds32
City of Edinburgh20
Newcastle upon Tyne19
Sheffield17
Liverpool16
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where advertising accounts managers and creative directors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 91 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, China, India, ranking it 103rd of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of advertising accounts managers and creative directors
n/p
23%!
28%!
27%!
16%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3423% (small sample)
35–4428% (small sample)
45–5427% (small sample)
55–6416% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent70%
Higher education below degree!12%
A levels or equivalent!14%
GCSEs or equivalent!4.5%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications!1.6%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent70%
Higher education below degree12% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent14% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent4.5% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualifications1.6% (small sample)

Main employers: advertising agencies (24%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (15%), specialised design activities (7.3%), business and other management consultancy activities (6%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
70%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 6
Apprenticeships take
2 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • liaises with client to discuss product/service to be marketed, defines target group and assesses the suitability of various media
  • conceives advertising campaign to impart the desired product image in an effective and economical way, including planning which media to use, such as print, television, radio or online advertising
  • reviews and revises campaign in light of sales figures, surveys, etc.
  • stays abreast of changes in media, readership or viewing figures and advertising rates
  • arranges conferences, exhibitions, seminars, etc. to promote the image of a product, service or organisation

Skills

  • perform market research
  • identify customer's needs
  • analyse consumer buying trends
  • develop professional network
  • manage budgets
  • coordinate advertising campaigns
  • implement marketing strategies
  • implement sales strategies
  • manage staff
  • meet expectations of target audience
  • brainstorm ideas
  • collaborate in the development of marketing strategies
  • create advertisements
  • identify new business opportunities

Knowledge

  • advertising techniques
  • marketing principles
  • product comprehension
  • copyright legislation
  • customer service
  • sales strategies
  • channel marketing
  • communication principles

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business, media and public service professionals, a group of 32 jobs that includes advertising accounts managers and creative directors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 26%about 670,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20352.1 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.