Will advertising sales agents be replaced by AI?
Updated
Advertising sales agents score 61 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 73%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 18% outright, and 9% stays with people.
- 18% AI can do it
- 73% AI helps
- 9% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 93% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 20 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 4 of them today, speeds up 14 and leaves 2 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Write copy as part of layout. Copywriting is a core strength of current language models. | 78% AI can do it |
| Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts. Routine correspondence and paperwork are well suited to AI. | 75% AI can do it |
| Write sales outlines for use by staff. Sales outlines are drafted text that AI writes well. | 72% AI can do it |
| Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer. AI drafts plans, media kits and contracts from templates. | 68% AI can do it |
| Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance. AI can summarize client materials and research their business quickly. | 65% AI helps |
| Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used. Format specs per medium are easy for AI to apply. | 65% AI helps |
| Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services. AI builds prospect lists and outreach drafts; calls stay human. | 60% AI helps |
| Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due. AI drafts contracts; collections calls and approvals need people. | 60% AI helps |
| Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services. Rate card lookups make draft cost estimates quick. | 55% AI helps |
| Determine advertising medium to be used, and prepare sample advertisements within the selected medium for presentation to customers. AI mocks up sample ads; medium choice needs judgement. | 55% AI helps |
Show the other 10 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval. Proofs can be emailed automatically but approval talks need people. | 50% AI helps |
| Inform customers of available options for advertisement artwork, and provide samples. Design tools generate sample options; the advice stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Gather all relevant material for bid processes, and coordinate bidding and contract approval. Bid packs can be compiled by AI; approvals need people. | 45% AI helps |
| Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them. AI can scan market data; choosing new markets needs strategy. | 45% AI helps |
| Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising. AI drafts decks; delivering pitches stays with the rep. | 35% AI helps |
| Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible. Explaining ad value needs client trust and tailored judgement. | 35% AI helps |
| Consult with company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies to develop promotional plans. Building consensus across teams needs live meetings and negotiation. | 25% AI helps |
| Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts. Relationship upkeep relies on personal trust and calls. | 20% AI helps |
| Arrange for commercial taping sessions, and accompany clients to sessions. Physical presence on set with clients is required. | 15% Needs a person |
| Attend sales meetings, industry trade shows, and training seminars to gather information, promote products, expand network of contacts, and increase knowledge. Trade shows and in-person networking require physical attendance. | 8% Needs a person |
How advertising sales agents compare
All occupations (923)
Sales and related (22)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $64,820 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 91,700 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -7.2% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Run account history and pipeline in Salesforce
- Edit AI-drafted media kits and contracts in Microsoft Word
- Build media kits and rate cards in Adobe InDesign
- Check ad sizes and formats by medium in Excel
- Deliver live sales presentations to client decision makers
- Hold client relationships through calls and in-person account reviews
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about advertising sales agents and AI
Will AI replace advertising sales agents?
Partly. About 5 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing layout copy and processing account correspondence and paperwork. Delivering pitches, attending trade shows, and keeping client relationships stay with the agent because they depend on trust and live conversation.
Which advertising sales tasks is AI taking over?
Writing layout copy, drafting sales outlines, and processing account paperwork carry the highest exposure. Copywriting scores 78 and correspondence scores 75 because language models already write this text well. Media kits and sales contracts, scored 68, are also drafted from templates by AI.
Which advertising sales tasks stay with people?
Attending trade shows and training seminars scores 8, the lowest exposure of any task, because it needs physical presence. Arranging commercial taping sessions scores 15, since clients need a person on set. Explaining ad value and delivering pitches both score 35 because they depend on client trust and live judgement.
How can advertising sales agents stay valuable?
Keep account history current in Salesforce so every call starts with the client's ad record. Review AI-drafted media kits and contracts in Word and check ad specs by medium in Excel before a client sees them. Read each client's advertising history and business goals, then deliver the pitch live. Lead cross-team meetings with sales departments and agencies, where promotional plans get agreed.
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