What Does an Ad Manager Do?

An ad manager oversees the advertising campaign of a company or group. The manager often works closely with clients to gauge their desires and needs in an advertising campaign. He is responsible for the execution of those advertising needs in the form of a successful marketing strategy, and delegates to a wide array of various positions intended to facilitate that process. This type of position may be found in an advertising company that handles many clients and accounts, or may work expressly for one particular corporation that generates a large amount of advertising.

The primary responsibility of the ad manager is to oversee new and existing marketing campaigns. He may have multiple positions report to him in the creation of a successful marketing strategy, including sales staff, a creative team, and a financial committee. The sales staff is often responsible for generating new advertising ideas that will appeal to the client, and networking existing contacts to generate new client business. The creative team executes those ideas brought by the clients and the sales staff in the forms of print media, television, and promotional equipment. The members of the financial committee estimate the cost of each aspect of the marketing campaign and present their findings in the form of a budget to be approved by the manager and the client.

The ad manager may be in charge of multiple marketing campaigns while working for an advertising agency who contracts with a variety of clientele. He must typically generate regular reports detailing the progress of each campaign in regards to finances and execution. These reports are often reviewed by the upper management of the advertising corporation as well as by the clients for whom the strategy has been created. This type of reporting may also require a level of expertise in word processing and data presentation software.

Advising and personally meeting with clients is an important part of the role of the ad manager, and he is often required to travel a great deal. He can guide clients during the decision making process in regards to the disbursement of finances and the timing of new campaigns. Legal documentation may also be entrusted to this position in which the manager ensures that both the advertising company and clients have signed all necessary paperwork related to the campaign. Clients can similarly use the manager as a point of contact with the advertising agency. They can share new ideas with the manager, and express happiness or displeasure with the ways in which their campaign is being executed.