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by MarkLives (@marklives) Recruitment agency, Ad Talent, has released its 2019 salary survey for the communications industry. This annual survey is not intended to be prescriptive but is a report on what this specific recruiter has experienced over the course of the last year.

Ad Talent logo 2018It was compiled using:

  • figures of actual placements made by Ad Talent
  • figures from salary information obtained from all candidates interviewed by Ad Talent from January 2018 to December 2018
  • figures from salary information obtained from candidates who have submitted their CVs to Ad Talent
  • cost to company (CTC) figures, and
  • the average salaries per sector.

The survey notes that salaries vary significantly, depending on many factors, including size of the company, desirability to work for a particular company, and status. Salaries for media-sales roles vary significantly, depending on the commission structure / incentives. Years of experience references time spent in that particular position and NOT total working experience. This survey is not intended to be prescriptive. MarkLives reprints it with permission.

Advertising agencies

0–2 yrs (light)

2–5yrs (medium)

5–9 yrs (heavyweight)

Managing director
Johannesburg R90 000 – R100 000 R100 000 – R150 000 R150 000+
Cape Town R75 000 – R88 000 R88 000 – R130 000 R130 000+

Deputy MD
Johannesburg R85 000 – R94 000 R94 000 – R100 000 R100 000+
Cape Town R75 000 – R84 000 R84 000 – R93 000 R93 000+

Client service/business unit director
Johannesburg R55 000 – R59 000 R59 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Cape Town R45 000 – R49 000 R49 000 – R57 000 R57 000+

Group account director
Johannesburg R48 000 – R53 000 R53 000 – R57 000 R57 000+
Cape Town R42 000 – R46 000 R46 000 – R55 000 R55 000+

Account director
Johannesburg R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R48 000 N/A
Cape Town R32 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R46 000 N/A

Account manager
Johannesburg R23 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R35 000 N/A
Cape Town R17 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R30 000 N/A

Account executive
Johannesburg R14 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R20 000 N/A
Cape Town R11 000 – R13 000 R13 000 – R15 000 N/A

Project manager
Johannesburg R27 500 – R38 000 R38 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R24 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R39 000 R39 000+

Operations
Johannesburg R48 000 – R58 000 R58 000 – R79 000 R79 000+
Cape Town R45 000 – R57 000 R57 000 – R66 000 R66 000+

Production
Johannesburg R12 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Cape Town R12 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R31 000 R31 000+

Traffic
Johannesburg R12 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Cape Town R13 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R30 000 R30 000+

Strategic planning director
Johannesburg R61 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R89 000 R89 000+
Cape Town R55 000 – R68 000 R68 000 – R85 000 R85 000+

Strategic planner
Johannesburg R17 000 – R29 000 R29 000 – R47 000 R47 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R24 000 R24 000 – R40 000 R40 000+

Digital

0–2 yrs (light)

2–5yrs (medium)

5–9 yrs (heavyweight)

Strategist
Johannesburg R18 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R49 000 R49 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R50 000 R50 000+

Project manager
Johannesburg R25 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R44 000 R44 000+
Cape Town R23 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R39 000 R39 000+

Social media manager
Johannesburg R19 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R16 500 – R20 000 R20 000 – R29 000 R29 000+

Social media and analytics specialist
Johannesburg R22 000 – R31 000 R31 000 – R48 000 R48 000+
Cape Town R18 500 – R28 000 R28 000 – R42 000 R42 000+

Community manager
Johannesburg R14 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R35 000 N/A
Cape Town R14 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R28 000 N/A

Content manager
Johannesburg R14 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Cape Town R13 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R28 000 R28 000+

Account executive
Johannesburg R15 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R22 000 N/A
Cape Town R12 500 – R15 000 R15 000 – R19 000 N/A

Account manager
Johannesburg R25 500 – R29 000 R29 000 – R38 000 N/A
Cape Town R18 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R31 000 N/A

Account director
Johannesburg R38 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R50 000 N/A
Cape Town R34 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R48 000 N/A

Group account director
Johannesburg R48 000 – R54 000 R54 000 – R58 000 R58 000+
Cape Town R44 000 – R52 000 R52 000 – R56 000 R56 000+

Client service/business unit director
Johannesburg R56 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R67 000 R67 000+
Cape Town R47 500 – R50 000 R50 000 – R58 000 R58 000+

SEO specialist
Johannesburg R14 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Cape Town R14 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000+

PPC specialist
Johannesburg R15 000 – R21 000 R21 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000+

Analyst
Johannesburg R17 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R28 000 R28 000+

Creative: Traditional

Small studio 0–2 yrs

Med–large agency (2–5yrs)

Med–large agency (5 yrs+)

Chief creative officer
Johannesburg N/A N/A R130 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R120 000+

Group/executive creative director
Johannesburg N/A N/A R110 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R92 000+

Creative director
Johannesburg R48 000 – R65 000 R65 000 – R75 000 R75 000+
Cape Town R40 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R62 000 R62 000+

Head of design
Johannesburg R37 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+

Designer
Johannesburg R10 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R32 000 R32 000+
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R27 000 R27 000+

Creative group head
Johannesburg R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R53 000 R53 000+
Cape Town R27 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+

Art director
Johannesburg R11 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R36 000 R36 000 – R55 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R31 000 R31 000 – R47 000

Copywriter
Johannesburg R11 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R69 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R55 000

Proofreader
Johannesburg R14 000 – R19 000 R19 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R45 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000

Creative strategist
Johannesburg N/A R22 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R48 000
Cape Town N/A R20 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R42 000

Studio manager
Johannesburg R30 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000
Cape Town R25 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000

DTP operator
Johannesburg R9 500 – R16 000 R16 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000
Cape Town R8 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R24 000 R24 000 – R36 000

Promo director/producer
Johannesburg R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R45 000
Cape Town R9 000 – R13 000 R13 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000

Animator/motion graphics designer
Johannesburg R12 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R55 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R41 000

Video editor
Johannesburg R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R48 000
Cape Town R9 000 – R13 000 R13 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R37 000

Creative: Digital

0–2 yrs (light)

2–5yrs (medium)

5–9 yrs (heavyweight)

Creative director
Johannesburg R45 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R75 000 R75 000+
Cape Town R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R65 000 R65 000+

Copywriter
Johannesburg R12 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R50 000
Cape Town R11 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R43 000

Art director
Johannesburg R13 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R50 000
Cape Town R13 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R42 000

Designer/multimedia designer
Johannesburg R13 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R48 000
Cape Town R13 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000

User experience (UX) lead
Johannesburg N/A N/A R70 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R60 000+

User experience (UX) designer
Johannesburg R16 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R42 000 R42 000+
Cape Town R13 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R37 000 R37 000+

User interface (UI) designer
Johannesburg R16 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Cape Town R13 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R35 000 R35 000+

Frontend developer
Johannesburg R12 500 – R18 000 R18 000 – R36 000 R36 000 – R53 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R46 000

Backend developer
Johannesburg R18 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R17 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R40 000 R40 000+

Full-stack developer
Johannesburg R12 500 – R20 000 R20 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R50 000
Cape Town R12 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R45 000

Marketing: Corporate communications

0–2 yrs (light)

2–5yrs (medium)

5–9 yrs (heavyweight)

Communications director
Johannesburg R37 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R75 000 R75 000 – R130 000
Cape Town R32 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R62 000 R62 000 – R100 000

Communications manager
Johannesburg R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R68 000 R68 000 – R90 000
Cape Town R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R75 000

Communications officer/consultant
Johannesburg R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R45 000
Cape Town R16 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R41 000

Events manager
Johannesburg R28 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R70 000
Cape Town R20 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R65 000

Events coordinator
Johannesburg R18 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000+

Internal communications manager
Johannesburg R27 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R78 000
Cape Town R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R52 000

PR consultancies

0–2 yrs (light)

2–5yrs (medium)

5–9 yrs (heavyweight)

Managing director
Johannesburg R65 000 – R75 000 R75 000 – R80 000 R80 000 – R130 000
Cape Town R55 000 – R65 000 R65 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R110 000

Account director
Johannesburg R35 000 – R41 000 R41 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R65 000
Cape Town R31 000 – R36 000 R36 000 – R41 000 R41 000 – R50 000

Account manager
Johannesburg R25 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R36 000 R36 000+
Cape Town R22 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R31 000 R31 000+

Account executive
Johannesburg R16 000 – R21 000 R21 000 – R24 000 N/A
Cape Town R14 000 – R19 000 R19 000 – R21 000 N/A

Public relations assistant
Johannesburg R10 000 – R14 000 R14 000 – R19 000 N/A
Cape Town R8 500 – R13 000 R13 000 – R18 000 N/A

Media

0–2 yrs (light)

2–5yrs (medium)

5–9 yrs (heavyweight)

Media director
Johannesburg R38 000 – R44 000 R44 000 – R54 000 R54 000 – R80 000
Cape Town R28 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R75 000

Media planner
Johannesburg R27 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R43 000 R43 000 – R53 000
Cape Town R20 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000

Media buyer
Johannesburg R16 000 – R23 000 R23 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R43 000
Cape Town R12 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R23 000 R23 000 – R28 000

Media strategist
Johannesburg R30 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R80 000
Cape Town R22 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R70 000

Media sales executive
Johannesburg R25 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000+

Media sales director
Johannesburg R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R90 000
Cape Town R30 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R60 000

Media sales digital
Johannesburg R27 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R35 000 R35 000+

Digital media strategist
Johannesburg R38 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R57 000 R57 000+
Cape Town R27 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R42 000 R42 000+

Campaign manager
Johannesburg R18 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000+

Biddable specialist
Johannesburg R20 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000+

 

See also

 

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