Advertising media buyer to advertising specialist
An advertising media buyer already meets 38% of what the advertising specialist role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.2/ 100
1 How much of what an advertising specialist is expected to do is already part of an advertising media buyer’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 advertising specialist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An advertising specialist role treats 4 of its required skills as things an advertising media buyer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advertising techniques
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
- identify customer's needs
What stands in the way is 8 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. An advertising specialist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an advertising media buyer background worth leading with.
- already held media studies arts and humanities
- already held monitor media industry research figures information skills
- already held create media plan management skills
- already held media planning arts and humanities
- already held meet expectations of target audience information skills
- already held perform media outlets research information skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 4 the advertising specialist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 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 brainstorm ideas required
- still to learn develop creative ideas required
- still to learn give live presentation required
- still to learn liaise with advertising agencies required
- still to learn persuade clients with alternatives required
- optional, not held create advertisements optional
- optional, not held advise on market strategies optional
- optional, not held advise on public image optional
- optional, not held advise on public relations optional
- optional, not held approve advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held follow a brief optional
- still to learn perform market research required
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held examine advertisement layout optional
- still to learn receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples required
- still to learn develop digital content required
- optional, not held assist in developing marketing campaigns optional
- optional, not held define brand identity optional
- optional, not held develop media strategy optional
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held publishing market optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an advertising specialist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples practise this
- 02 brainstorm ideas practise this
- 03 develop creative ideas 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 copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held analyse consumer buying trends skill
- already held coordinate advertising campaigns skill
- already held create media plan skill
- already held draw conclusions from market research results skill
- already held evaluate advertising campaign skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held marketing principles knowledge
- already held media planning knowledge
- already held media studies knowledge
- already held meet expectations of target audience skill
- already held monitor media industry research figures skill
- already held perform media outlets research skill
- already held types of media knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held graphic design optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create advertisements optional
- optional, not held publishing market optional
- optional, not held advise on market strategies optional
- optional, not held advise on public image optional
- optional, not held advise on public relations optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held approve advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held assist in developing marketing campaigns optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held define brand identity optional
- optional, not held develop media strategy optional
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held examine advertisement layout optional
- optional, not held follow a brief optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
15 held skills the advertising specialist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role buy advertising space skill
- not needed by the target role create media schedule skill
- not needed by the target role demography knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop online community plan skill
- not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
- not needed by the target role document interviews skill
- not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage online communications skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate buying conditions skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate terms with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role polling techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role present arguments persuasively skill
- not needed by the target role study sales levels of products skill
- not needed by the target role use analytics for commercial purposes skill
4 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 publishing market optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
Common questions about this move
Can an advertising media buyer become an advertising specialist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An advertising media buyer already covers 38% of what an advertising specialist is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 4 of which the advertising specialist role treats as required.
What skills does an advertising media buyer need to become an advertising specialist?
8 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples.
How hard is the move from advertising media buyer to advertising specialist?
Its learning distance is 60.2 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.