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Advertising & Promotions Manager

Business

Plan, direct, or coordinate advertising policies and programs or produce collateral materials, such as posters, contests, coupons, or giveaways, to create extra interest in the purchase of a product or service for a department, an entire organization, or on an account basis.

MarketingBusiness

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Plan and prepare advertising and promotional material to increase sales of products or services, working with customers, company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies.
  2. 2Inspect layouts and advertising copy, and edit scripts, audio, video, and other promotional material for adherence to specifications.
  3. 3Confer with department heads or staff to discuss topics such as contracts, selection of advertising media, or product to be advertised.
  4. 4Manage sales team, including setting goals, providing incentives, and evaluating employee performance.
  5. 5Coordinate with the media to disseminate advertising.
  6. 6Coordinate activities of departments, such as sales, graphic arts, media, finance, and research.
  7. 7Prepare and negotiate advertising and sales contracts.
  8. 8Direct, motivate, and monitor the mobilization of a campaign team to advance campaign goals.
  9. 9Plan and execute advertising policies and strategies for organizations.
  10. 10Formulate plans to extend business with established accounts and to transact business as agent for advertising accounts.
  11. 11Prepare budgets and submit estimates for program costs as part of campaign plan development.
  12. 12Train and direct workers engaged in developing and producing advertisements.
  13. 13Assemble and communicate with a strong, diverse coalition of organizations or public figures, securing their cooperation, support, and action, to further campaign goals.
  14. 14Contact organizations to explain services and facilities offered.
  15. 15Monitor and analyze sales promotion results to determine cost effectiveness of promotion campaigns.
  16. 16Identify and develop contacts for promotional campaigns and industry programs that meet identified buyer targets, such as dealers, distributors, or consumers.
  17. 17Track program budgets, expenses, and campaign response rates to evaluate each campaign, based on program objectives and industry norms.
  18. 18Provide presentation and product demonstration support during the introduction of new products and services to field staff and customers.
  19. 19Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
  20. 20Direct and coordinate product research and development.
  21. 21Read trade journals and professional literature to stay informed on trends, innovations, and changes that affect media planning.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Ad Manager
  • Ad Director
  • Ad Executive
  • Brand Manager
  • Promotions VP
  • Ad Coordinator
  • Advertising VP
  • League Manager
  • Media Director
  • Media Promoter

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BusinessDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Bahasa MelayuDraws directly on Communications and Media — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Computer Science / ICTDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Sales and Marketing94%

    BusinessEconomics

  • English Language88%

    English

  • Communications and Media87%

    EnglishBahasa Melayu

  • Customer and Personal Service83%
  • Administration and Management82%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Computers and Electronics66%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingAlmost all the time

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

26%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

1.02%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

On Malaysia's official shortage list

TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List — evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.

Matched to a related occupation on the list, not this exact job title.

Advertising and Marketing Professionals · Shortage indicators met: 9/10

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Hotel & Tourism Manager

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Advertising and Promotions Managers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue