Welcome to the 16th annual Salary Survey, a snapshot of an ever-changing industry where one question remains the same year in and year out: who is making what and why?
To compile data for the 2015 Salary Survey report, we worked with 25 high-profile industry-specific recruitment professionals who tapped into their first-hand experiences to share real salary ranges based on actual hiring data from the last 12 months.
The result is a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at 82 key positions in a rapidly evolving industry. (As always, recruiters were very discreet and at no time was information about specific individuals or companies revealed.)
To reflect this change, you’ll note we’ve dropped the distinction between traditional and digital agencies to better reflect the advancement of agencies as a whole. (For insight, read Ari Aronson’s piece on the death of the digital agency in Canada).
Sure, there are still boutique agencies that specialize in certain areas such as search, but we cover that by breaking the Agency Chart into subsections that provide mini-snapshots of those niche areas, while emphasizing the fact that “digital” isn’t a separate beast and so-called “traditional” agencies aren’t that traditional anymore (or at least they shouldn’t be).
As Rick Chad of Chad Management Group puts it, “clients are looking for holistic solutions with holistic providers. If you are at an agency and the agency is not becoming truly integrated, my suggestion is that you start looking for a new agency.”
In addition, we’ve added data for eight new job titles, merged a handful that changed in scope and updated several titles to better reflect today’s landscape and lingo.
Many of these changes touch on this year’s “hot areas” (see Mandy Gilbert’s piece on the intersection of marketing, sales and technology) and the increased demand for hybrid skills that include analytical, strategic and digital expertise (read Greg McKinnon’s take on increasing your skill set).
The same is true on the marketer side, where companies are no longer relying solely on agency partners for such expertise, but bringing talent in-house to create their own creative teams to drive innovation.
“As the evolution in how we consume media continues, it becomes more and more evident that all media is social media. It is no longer acceptable for marketers to talk at consumers, they are now required to speak to consumers,” says Mark Rouse of IQ Partners. (Read his piece on the escalating trend of agency-side creative directors migrating to client-side roles).
As for the salaries themselves, we’ve made adjustments across the board, some of them downward. However, this doesn’t reflect an industry salary crisis, but more of a correction as the skill set for positions that were once new and hot become more commonplace (community managers just aren’t commanding $140K these days).
You’ll also notice we’ve taken the top salaries for copyeditors and art directors down a notch, with experts agreeing that the $250,000 listed previously was an anomaly and certainly does not reflect what’s happening in the market today.
On the upswing are digital superstars and, as agencies and marketers vie for consumer insights, the salaries for all things analytical and strategic.
“Marketing analytics will be continue to be a hot bed of hiring in the next year or two as more employers look for marketers who have potential to work with extensive data,” says industry insider Martin Kingston.
Attracting that top talent is a constant struggle for many companies, especially those who still think the best way to keep people happy is to work them to the bone and, when they hit their breaking point, throw more money at them.
People are being more choosey about the roles they take on and what they value in the workplace. In fact, companies who offer the right mix can sometimes get away with paying a little less (For insight into this trend, read Bruce Powell’s piece for tips on how to attract and retain the right people—it’s not about salary).
On the flip side, Harry Manson writes about people and positions that command a more flexible approach, as he delves into the pros, the cons and the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing, insourcing, near-shoring and perma-lancing.
Overall, it’s been a solid year for the industry. Even in the wake of few high-profile mergers (Kraft-Heinz) and layoffs on the retail and QSR side of the business, there is a general feeling of optimism — most people are landing on their feet. Despite concerns about the health of Canada’s economy and the dreaded ‘R’ word, companies continue to hire and the talent is able to take their sweet time to ensure they find the right job, not just a job.
Harry Teitelbaum of Ari Agency has observed the industry through three recessions and says the warning bells and panic, such as we saw back in 2008, aren’t there. “I don’t see the cautiousness when it comes to hiring. Things are moving forward and there’s a lot of activity and promise.”
To help make sense of it all, Marketing’s 16th annual Salary Survey digs deep to provide valuable industry data and trends, designed to help you answer the all important question: Are you paid enough? Find out.
Where is the survey?
Thursday, October 08 @ 3:31 pm |