Advertising Media Planner

Typical Salary

£18,000 To £60,000

Typical Hours

37 to 39 a week

evenings occasionally

How To Become a Advertising Media Planner

You can get into this job through:

a university course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
specialist courses run by professional bodies

College / University

You'll usually need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a related subject like:

advertising and marketing
statistics or operational research
communication and media studies
business or management
psychology

1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You may get into this job through an advertising and media executive advanced apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

In smaller advertising agencies you could start in a more junior position, like an administrator, and work your way up as your experience of the industry develops.

Other Routes

You could study the Foundation Certificate offered by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising if you have less than a year's experience in an advertising, marketing or communications role.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

knowledge of media production and communication
the ability to use your initiative
knowledge of English language
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
to be flexible and open to change
the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
excellent verbal communication skills
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

meeting with the client and an account executive
understanding the client’s advertising needs
researching how the target audience uses different media
planning the best times and places to show advertisements
presenting plans and costings to clients
working closely with creative teams and researchers
working with a media buyer to work out costs and book advertising space
building close working relationships with other media organisations
working on several accounts at the same time

Working Environment

You could work at a client's business or in an office.

Career Path & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

The key to finding work is to get as much work experience as possible. It will help you get a better understanding of the role, and make contacts who may help you to find paid work in advertising. You could try:

work experience
internships
temporary employment

Social networking sites like Twitter or LinkedIn can be useful for finding and contacting companies and agencies.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Any work experience in media, marketing, communications or sales would also be useful.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, for professional development, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming an advertising media planner from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

You can also find out more about working in creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.