Will advertising managers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Advertising managers score 52 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 59%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 21% outright, and 20% stays with people.
- 21% AI can do it
- 59% AI helps
- 20% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 79% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 30 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 6 of them today, speeds up 17 and leaves 7 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Read trade journals and professional literature to stay informed on trends, innovations, and changes that affect media planning. AI summarizes trade publications quickly; manager still picks what matters. | 70% AI can do it |
| Develop communications materials, advertisements, presentations, or public relations initiatives to promote awareness of products and services. AI drafts copy, decks, and images; people approve brand fit. | 70% AI can do it |
| Maintain portfolios of marketing campaigns, strategies, and other marketing products or ideas. AI indexes and tags campaign files; manager curates final portfolio. | 65% AI can do it |
| Track program budgets, expenses, and campaign response rates to evaluate each campaign, based on program objectives and industry norms. Software tracks spend and response rates; AI drafts evaluation summaries. | 62% AI can do it |
| Analyze the effectiveness of marketing tactics or channels. AI runs attribution and channel analysis; manager interprets business implications. | 62% AI can do it |
| Monitor and analyze sales promotion results to determine cost effectiveness of promotion campaigns. AI pulls results and computes cost effectiveness; manager reviews conclusions. | 60% AI can do it |
| Conduct research on consumer opinions and buying habits, and identify target audiences for products, services, or technologies. AI analyzes reviews and survey data; humans validate audience choices. | 60% AI helps |
| Analyze marketing or sales trends to forecast future conditions. AI runs trend analysis and drafts forecasts; manager validates assumptions. | 58% AI helps |
| Plan and prepare advertising and promotional material to increase sales of products or services, working with customers, company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies. AI drafts promotional copy and concepts; manager approves and coordinates. | 55% AI helps |
| Prepare budgets and submit estimates for program costs as part of campaign plan development. AI builds budget drafts and estimates; approvals stay with managers. | 55% AI helps |
Show the other 20 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Inspect layouts and advertising copy, and edit scripts, audio, video, and other promotional material for adherence to specifications. AI checks copy against specs; visual review still needs people. | 50% AI helps |
| Devise or evaluate methods and procedures for collecting data, such as surveys, opinion polls, and questionnaires. AI drafts surveys and sampling plans; methodology choices need review. | 50% AI helps |
| Develop comprehensive marketing strategies, using knowledge of products and technologies, markets, and regulations. AI drafts strategy frameworks; regulatory and business judgment stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Plan and execute advertising policies and strategies for organizations. AI drafts strategy options; leadership is responsible for final decisions and accountability. | 40% AI helps |
| Identify and develop contacts for promotional campaigns and industry programs that meet identified buyer targets, such as dealers, distributors, or consumers. AI finds and ranks prospective partners; relationship building stays human. | 40% AI helps |
| Coordinate with the media to disseminate advertising. Ad platforms automate scheduling; relationship calls still need people. | 35% AI helps |
| Contact organizations to explain services and facilities offered. AI drafts outreach messages; live explanation and relationships need people. | 35% AI helps |
| Prepare and negotiate advertising and sales contracts. AI drafts contract language; negotiation and legal sign-off stay human. | 35% AI helps |
| Formulate plans to extend business with established accounts and to transact business as agent for advertising accounts. AI drafts account plans; relationship decisions remain with people. | 35% AI helps |
| Coordinate with marketing team members, graphic artists, and other workers to develop and implement marketing programs. AI handles status updates and briefs; coordination depends on people. | 30% AI helps |
| Provide presentation and product demonstration support during the introduction of new products and services to field staff and customers. AI builds presentation materials; live demonstrations need people. | 30% AI helps |
| Coordinate activities of departments, such as sales, graphic arts, media, finance, and research. AI tracks status and drafts updates; coordination relies on people. | 28% AI helps |
| Train and direct workers engaged in developing and producing advertisements. AI can draft training materials; coaching and direction remain human. | 25% AI helps |
| Manage sales team, including setting goals, providing incentives, and evaluating employee performance. People management, incentives, and evaluations need human judgment and accountability. | 18% Needs a person |
| Direct and coordinate product research and development. Product development involves physical prototyping and practical engineering. | 18% Needs a person |
| Confer with department heads or staff to discuss topics such as contracts, selection of advertising media, or product to be advertised. Mostly live meetings with stakeholders; AI helps only with prep. | 15% Needs a person |
| Assemble and communicate with a strong, diverse coalition of organizations or public figures, securing their cooperation, support, and action, to further campaign goals. Coalition building depends on trust and face to face relationships. | 15% Needs a person |
| Direct, motivate, and monitor the mobilization of a campaign team to advance campaign goals. Motivating and directing people is inherently human leadership work. | 12% Needs a person |
| Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products. Attending and networking in person requires human presence. | 10% Needs a person |
| Attend or participate in conferences, community events, and promotional events related to products or technologies. Attending events in person requires physical presence. | 8% Needs a person |
How advertising managers compare
All occupations (923)
Management (56)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $133,660 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 21,470 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -3.7% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Interpret promotion cost effectiveness in Microsoft Excel
- Approve brand fit on AI-drafted copy and decks
- Curate final campaign portfolios in Microsoft SharePoint
- Track program budgets and expenses in SAP software
- Represent the company at trade association meetings
- Set sales team incentives and run performance reviews
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about advertising managers and AI
Will AI replace advertising managers?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly developing advertisements and presentations and analyzing promotion results. Directing campaign teams, meeting with department heads, and building coalitions stay with people because those tasks depend on live meetings, trust, and accountability.
Which advertising manager tasks is AI taking over?
Developing advertisements, presentations, and PR materials scores 70 on exposure because AI drafts the copy, decks, and images in the first pass. Reading trade journals also scores 70, since AI summarizes publications quickly while the manager decides what matters. Analyzing channel effectiveness scores 62 because AI runs attribution, and the manager interprets what the results mean for the business.
Which advertising manager tasks stay human?
Directing a campaign team scores 12 on exposure and stays human because motivating and directing people is leadership work. Conferring with department heads on media selection scores 15, since these are mostly live meetings with stakeholders. Managing the sales team scores 18 because goals, incentives, and evaluations need human judgment and accountability.
How can advertising managers stay valuable?
Approve brand fit on every AI draft before anything ships. Build promotion cost models in Excel and explain what each channel result means for the business. Keep time for trade association meetings, coalition building, and leading the campaign team, since those tasks need a person present.
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