Advertising Media Planner
Role lens
Advertising media planners advise on the best communication media platforms to convey ideas. They analyse advertising plans in order to assess the aim and objective of the marketing strategy. They assess the potential and response rate that different communication channels might have on the transmission of a message related to a product, company, or brand.
Advertising media planners are crucial in ensuring marketing strategies reach their intended audience effectively. Your day might involve analyzing advertising plans, researching various media channels (digital, print, broadcast, and more), and predicting how different platforms will impact a message's reach and response. You'll work closely with marketing teams, creative agencies, and sometimes directly with clients to optimize campaign performance and maximize return on investment.
- • Analyzing marketing objectives and advertising plans to determine the best media channels.
- • Researching and evaluating the potential reach and effectiveness of different communication platforms.
- • Developing media plans that align with client budgets and campaign goals.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Business and administration professionals — 134 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Greece, Italy, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Italy, 3 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $133,660 2025-05 | −2.2% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +28.4% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | +75.6% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £30,479 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
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Future Outlook for advertising media planner
The outlook for advertising media planner reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could advertising media planner change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- cooperate with colleagues
- work with advertising professionals
- cope with challenging demands
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- meet expectations of target audience
- perform media outlets research
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Marketing & Sales
A typical day as an advertising media planner
09 09:00 · Morning create media plan
10 10:30 · Mid-morning create media schedule
12 12:00 · Midday cope with challenging demands
14 14:00 · Afternoon work with advertising professionals
15 15:30 · Late afternoon cooperate with colleagues
17 17:00 · Wrap-up meet deadlines
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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cooperate with colleagues
Cooperate with colleagues in order to ensure that operations run effectively.
-
work with advertising professionals
Cooperate with professionals in the advertising field as to ensure a smooth development of the advertising projects. Work together with researchers, creative teams, publishers, and copywriters.
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meet expectations of target audience
Research the needs and expectations of the target audience to ensure the program's theme meets both.
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perform media outlets research
Research what will be the best and most effective way to reach the majority of consumers by defining the target audience and the type of media outlet that better fit with the purpose.
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create media plan
Determine how, where and when advertisments will be distributed in various media. Decide on consumer target group, area and marketing objectives in order to choose the media platform for advertising.
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meet deadlines
Ensure operative processes are finished at a previously agreed-upon time.
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create media schedule
Determine the pattern of advertising timing when ads must appear in the media and the frequency of these advertisements. Follow scheduling models such as Continuity and pulsing.
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cope with challenging demands
Maintain a positive attitude towards new and challenging demands such as interaction with artists and handling of artistic artefacts. Work under pressure such as dealing with last moment changes in time schedules and financial restraints.
below-the-line technique
The marketing technique used to let consumers get into contact with products by tasting, touching and experiencing them on the selling site and in that sense, closing the selling deal.
search engine optimisation
The marketing approach which promotes webpage presentation by affecting the specific structures of the website which impact its visibility in unpaid search results.
- advertising techniques
- copyright legislation
- digital media
- market research
- media planning
- types of media
- data visualisation software
- demography
- interactive media
Path to become an advertising media planner
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Bachelor's or equivalent level
967 programmes in 27 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 197 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Creative Business (MHBO track)
Breda University of Applied Sciences · the Netherlands
TU Dublin - Technological University Dublin · Ireland
Fitzwilliam Institute Group · Ireland
These are 6 of 1,164.
Sources
- 1. Bron: DUO open onderwijsdata
- 2. Irish course data from Qualifax (qualifax.ie), run by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does advertising media planner fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What skills are most important for an advertising media planner?
Can I work as an advertising media planner as a freelancer?
How does the role of an advertising media planner differ from a marketing manager?
How much does Advertising Media Planner pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data