Advertising Sales Agents
Also called: Advertising Account Executive, Advertising Account Representative, Advertising Agent, Advertising Consultant, Advertising Representative, Advertising Sales Assistant, Advertising Sales Executive, Advertising Sales Representative (Ad Sales Representative)
Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.
What advertising sales agents do
Typical tasks
- Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.
- Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.
- Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.
- Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.
- Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.
- Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.
- Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
- Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.
- Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval.
- Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts.
- Consult with company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies to develop promotional plans.
- Determine advertising medium to be used, and prepare sample advertisements within the selected medium for presentation to customers.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Advertising Sales Agents salary
The median annual wage for advertising sales agents is $64,820 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $35,240 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $146,010. The mean annual wage is $80,670.
The mean hourly wage of $38.00 is 5.2× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Advertising Sales Agents (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $64,820 → in 3 years $68,800 → in 5 years $71,500 → in 10 years $78,900 (10-year range $67,900–$91,600). The model assumes pay growth of +2.0% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Advertising Sales Agents
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Advertising Sales Agents? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Advertising Sales Agents
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Advertising Sales Agents United States | 広告営業 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $64,820 | ¥6.61M ≈ $42,016 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $78,900 | ¥8.27M |
| Outlook score | 32 | 52 |
| AI replacement risk | 65% High | 63% High |
| Workers | 92K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Advertising Sales Agents
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become advertising sales agents
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as advertising sales agents
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.