Advertising manager to creative director
An advertising manager already meets 52% of what the creative director role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.9/ 100
1 How much of what a creative director is expected to do is already part of an advertising manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the creative director role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A creative director role treats 11 of its required skills as things an advertising manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advertising techniques
- coordinate advertising campaigns
- copyright legislation
- desktop publishing
- examine advertisement layout
- give live presentation
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A creative director role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an advertising manager background worth leading with.
- already held receive actors' resumes management skills
- already held manage creative department management skills
- already held examine advertisement layout information skills
- already held approve advertising campaign communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held evaluate advertising campaign information skills
- already held manage the handling of promotional materials management skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 11 the creative director role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assess each stage of the creative process required
- still to learn define creative components required
- still to learn provide input to collaborators to guide their work required
- still to learn select artwork developed by staff members required
- still to learn brainstorm ideas required
- still to learn manage workflow processes required
- optional, not held create advertisements optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn meet expectations of target audience required
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held perform media outlets research optional
- optional, not held media planning optional
- optional, not held types of media optional
- optional, not held adobe creative suite optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held create media plan optional
- optional, not held develop media strategy optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a creative director role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess each stage of the creative process practise this
- 02 define creative components practise this
- 03 provide input to collaborators to guide their work practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held advertising techniques knowledge
- already held coordinate advertising campaigns skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held examine advertisement layout skill
- already held give live presentation skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage creative department skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held approve advertising campaign skill
- already held evaluate advertising campaign skill
- already held manage the handling of promotional materials skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held receive actors' resumes skill
- already held recruit employees skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held design management optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adobe creative suite optional
- optional, not held create advertisements optional
- optional, not held create media plan optional
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held develop media strategy optional
- optional, not held media planning optional
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held perform media outlets research optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held types of media optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
38 held skills the creative director role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on communication strategies skill
- not needed by the target role advise on public image skill
- not needed by the target role advise on public relations skill
- not needed by the target role analyse external factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate marketing plan actions skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop communications strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
- not needed by the target role develop inclusive communication material skill
- not needed by the target role develop public relations strategies skill
- not needed by the target role diplomatic principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft press releases skill
- not needed by the target role draw conclusions from market research results skill
- not needed by the target role establish relationship with the media skill
- not needed by the target role forming of public opinion knowledge
- not needed by the target role give interviews to media skill
- not needed by the target role integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- not needed by the target role make price recommendations skill
- not needed by the target role manage account department skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage media services department skill
- not needed by the target role manage project metrics skill
- not needed by the target role market research knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise press conferences skill
- not needed by the target role perform public relations skill
- not needed by the target role prepare presentation material skill
- not needed by the target role pricing strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role protect client interests skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role reputation management knowledge
- not needed by the target role rhetoric knowledge
- not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role use analytics for commercial purposes skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held adobe creative suite optional
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held media planning optional
- optional, not held types of media optional
Common questions about this move
Can an advertising manager become a creative director?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An advertising manager already covers 52% of what a creative director is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 11 of which the creative director role treats as required.
What skills does an advertising manager need to become a creative director?
7 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assess each stage of the creative process.
How hard is the move from advertising manager to creative director?
Its learning distance is 51.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.