2012 Marketing’s 12th annual Salary benchmark report. Aside from the salary estimates, a panel of industry recruiters share insights and observations about the current marcom job market.

1. 2012
Salary
Benchmarks
Are you
worth it?
From blogs
Marc Rimmer
24 October 8, 2012 Marketingmag.ca

2. ☞ Are you worth it? Marketing’s 12th annual Salary Benchmark report should help you answer that question. On the pages
that follow you’ll find extensive listings of who makes how much in the industry. Not only will it help you figure out if you deserve
a raise, it should also give you a pretty good idea of what your boss makes, too. (That won’t help you with anything, but who doesn’t
want to know that?) And once again this year, we went way beyond the numbers. Aside from the salary estimates, our panel of industry
recruiters share insights and observations about the current marcom job market. From that invaluable feedback, our Salary Benchmark
editor Michelle Warren produced a package of practical analysis and advice­—how to ask for a raise, when to go freelance—for anyone
“I
looking to find a job and for managers figuring out what their staff are worth.
never thought I’d be the in-house For that kind of compensation, companies want lead-
guy doing social media,” says ers who can help integrate social media, such as Twitter,
Brendan Sera-Shriar, senior com- Facebook, blogs, Pinterest and LinkedIn into the overall
munity manager at Mega Brands. marketing function and create a strategy that directly
It may be a company built on ties to key business performance indicators. In many
construction toys, with brands cases, companies have created positions which combine
like MEGA Bloks and Magnext, social media and digital media into a single director or
but Mega Brands’ successes have VP role. And companies with tier-one brands are will-
turned it into a massive company ing to pay big bucks, between $120,000 and $140,000,
with all of the structure and pro- in compensation for these positions, says Ari Aronson,
cess that entails. On paper Sera- founder and executive recruiter, Ari Agency.
Shriar admits he is an unlikely candidate to help the The unique challenge for corporations is finding
Montreal-based multinational, the largest maker of social media natives who thrive in the fast-paced, make-
preschool toys worldwide, build its social media pres- it-up-as-you-go-along world of social media but who can
ence. An accomplished developer-designer for mostly also successfully navigate, and ultimately flourish, in a
start-ups who naturally picked up social media, he had corporate environment.
no experience in a large corporation. “A lot of organizations like the banks and CPGs are
Yet that didn’t scare off Mega Brands’ chief technology very process driven, and so there’s a huge learning curve
to boardrooms
officer or VP of marketing, both of whom interviewed to it,” says Lund. “That’s why you’re seeing a lot of head
Sera-Shriar for the job. “They didn’t have to hire me, hunters now trying to poach people who have been at
Rather than
and quite frankly they didn’t have to keep me,” says Sera- one corporation and place them in another.”
paying agencies
Shriar, who in September celebrated his first anniversary Jerry Sen is one of a select few with extensive experi-
to do all their
in a position he says he loves (see sidebar pg. 26). ence in both the agency and client world. He spent time
social media
Sera-Shriar is one of a growing number of talented with DoubleClick, JWT and Syncapse, where he man-
outreach, a
twenty- and thirty-something social media authorities aged digital programs for North American brands. On
growing number
who recruiters have been drafting into the marketing the client side he spent four years at Smucker Foods
of marketers
departments of large organizations over the last 18 are creating of Canada as senior digital communications manager,
months. That adds to the demand already fueled by agen- senior level helping to grow their digital investment to over $3 mil-
cies looking for similar experts as traditional advertising, positions to bring lion per year.
digital and PR firms are all fighting to own their share of the expertise In January, Maple Leaf Foods hired him as director,
the social media pie. in-house digital and social marketing. At the same time, a full-
“Companies with large marketing departments have time community manager was also hired. “Maple Leaf
the sense that it is quite expensive to send all of their By Chris Daniels Foods has made a significant investment in social media
social media needs to an agency,” explains Craig Lund, and digital engagement, and the company has strongly
president of Marketing Talent, a Toronto-based market- supported hiring experienced digital talent to lead the
ing recruitment firm. “The thinking is if they can bring channel,” says Sen. “The increase in investment requires
in some extra head count, they can do more of the work a tighter integration between brand teams and digital
themselves.” marketing on a daily basis.”
With the maturation of social media as a business To do that more effectively, he says “the company
channel, large companies are also looking for talent whose has built an internal team that can develop strategy and
duties go well above and beyond responding to customer execute independently, while also working with agency
comments and queries via social media. “We’re starting partners on larger multi-channel campaigns.”
to see some pretty senior roles on the corporate side,” Still, candidates like Sen with proven corporate
says Lund. “People are making $80,000 to $110,000 as experience are in short supply, says Aronson, because
social media managers.” few companies have groomed that kind of digital talent
Marketingmag.ca October 8, 2012 25

3. 2012
Salary
Benchmarks
Are you
worth it?
internally. “Some of the brightest digital minds have spent more
time in their basements than in the boardroom,” he says.
Yet these individuals who come from a more entrepreneurial or
start-up background can serve as much-needed change agents within
big organizations. “It starts at the top,” says Aronson. “Investing in
a seasoned director or VP who gets digital and can mentor a young
team of social media minds is a huge asset. They are the ones who
are pushing traditional marketing boundaries and stuffy corporate
marketing departments.”
Brendan Sera-Shriar
Age: 32 “I needed to bring in hard numbers to
Position: Senior show how social media would actually
Community Manager,
Mega Brands
help the company”
—Brendan Sera-Shriar
Hired: September 2011
Previous Experience: The trend of marketers adding social media talent has been more
Freelancer (digibomb); pronounced in the U.S. where companies have been proactive about
community manager at hiring for an increasingly connected world, says Deanna MacDougal,
Vanilla Forums; Flash partner and president at Merlin Group and VP, recruiting, Marketing
technical director with Talent. Last year, for instance, American Express recruited Silicon
Lifecapture Valley entrepreneur Josh Silverman as president, U.S. consumer ser-
What makes his job cool? vices business. He is the co-founder of Evite and past CEO of Skype.
He gets to play with toys and “There is so much talent out there,” MacDougal says. “Companies
bring them home—which, as could be better off doing so much more with better people if they
a father of two girls, scores just pulled their head out of the sandbox.”
big points. “I get paid to do
things I already enjoy, like
Still, Michael Gates, VP, partner of executive search at Man-
drake, says companies have good reason to be cautious about hiring Jerry Sen
going to Comic-Con in San someone who is well-versed in social media but brings little to no Age: 33
Diego,” he says. Mega Brands corporate experience. Position: Director, Digital
also works with a number “If someone has chosen to work in a place where they can bring and Social Marketing,
of licensing partners on their dog into work and wear flip-flops every day, will they be happy Maple Leaf Foods
product development, so in a cubicle?” asks Gates. “A larger company might be better off to Hired: January 2012
he’s been able to preview hire an agency or consultancy with really great talent, because the Previous Experience:
gaming console titles such company would then be able to tap their ideation and creativity Global director, client
as Halo 4 before they’re even while having the agency manage those personalities.” solutions at Syncapse;
pre-released. “Working in Sera-Shriar admits “the learning curve has been quite high.” He digital strategy director
the corporate world, I find says he has had to learn the fundamentals of a retail-based business at JWT; senior digital
I get more of a behind-the- virtually from scratch, including how to work with distribution communications manager
curtain sneak peek,” Sera- channels, vendors and factories. “In the interview process, I thought with Smucker Foods of
Shriar says. social media [the way I knew it] could be applied to anything. I soon Canada
What makes his job realized it has to be applied very differently,” says Sera-Shriar. “For What makes his job
challenging? His position the first time, the term ‘ROI’ actually had to mean something—I cool? Sen gets to work for
has him working with many needed to bring in hard numbers to show how social media would a company with senior
parts of the organization actually help the company.” leaders “that are open to
and he knows some of his Desite this steep curve, Sera-Shriar has helped significantly new ways of connecting
colleagues are still a little boost Mega Brand’s social media presence, which lagged competi- with today’s consumer.”
skeptical about how social tors (in particular Lego) before his arrival. He created and now What makes his job
media can drive business regularly updates the Mega Bloks blog, and organizes all of Mega challenging? There are
results. His challenge, one he Brand’s North American consumer shows, including San Diego so many emerging ways
says he welcomes, is to show Comic-Con, New York Comic-Con and Fan Expo—all rich fodder for brands to connect
them otherwise. “I’ve won for social media content. with consumers. He says
battles, some I’ve chosen Though he’s only been at it a year, he’s noticed a change in how “increasing the digital
not to fight and others I am the brand is perceived. “I no longer have to ask people to review our fitness of the company
still fighting,” he says. “But toy products,” says Sera-Shriar. “Bloggers and other social media against the rapid pace of
I’ve learned how to go about types are now reaching out to us.” change within the space” is
selling through ideas.” his biggest challenge.
26 October 8, 2012 Marketingmag.ca

4. For all Tables
*At senior levels the value of non-salary compensation can by far eclipse base salary. The percentages included are the values of all elements of additional non-salary compensation and
are considered the general minimum level for the position. The specific elements listed are not all inclusive, but are considered the most common for the position.
Methodology: Marketing’s Salary Benchmark report is not a scientific survey. All figures are estimates compiled by Marketing based on a consensus of ranges from recruitment
professionals specializing in the marketing and advertising sectors.
Agency Salaries by Agency Size
LARGE (Revenue over $10 million) MID-SIZED (Rev. $4 to $10 million) SMALL (Rev. under $4 million)
TITLE Start Top Typical Additional Start Top Typical Additional Start Top Typical Additional
range comp range comp range comp
President/CEO 200 1,350 350-500 30-100% 150 600 250-350 20-100% 120 400 225-275 20-100%
Director of Client Services/Managing 120 300 200-250 20-35% 100 250 175-200 15-35% 85 220 125-175 15-50%
Director (often VP level)
Group Account Director 90 225 120-175 0-15% 75 180 115-150 0-15% 70 140 80-120 0-15%
Account Director 65 160 85-115 0-25% 60 160 80-110 0-15% 60 120 70-100 0-15%
Account Supervisor 50 95 60-75 0-10% 50 95 60-75 0-10% 40 90 50-65 0-15%
Account Executive 35 70 45-60 0-10% 35 65 40-55 0-10% 35 65 35-50 0-10%
Account Planner/Strategic Planner 60 300 80-150 0-15% 35 225 80-150 0-15% 40 150 70-100
Creative Director 125 650 200-350 10-25% 95 450 175-300 10-25% 75 300 150-200 10-25%
Associate Creative Director 90 250 120-175 0-25% 80 225 100-150 10-25% 70 200 100-150 10-25%
Copywriter 50 250 80-100 10-25% 50 200 80-100 10-25% 25 150 50-90 10-25%
Junior Copywriter 25 75 40-65 10-20% 25 75 40-60 10-20% 25 65 30-50
Art Director 50 250 80-100 10-25% 50 200 80-100 10-25% 25 150 50-90 10-25%
Junior Art Director 25 75 40-60 10-20% 25 75 40-60 10-20% 25 65 30-50
Media Director 90 400 150-200 0-20% 75 250 130-160 0-20% 60 250 95-140 0-10%
Media Supervisor 50 120 60-80 0-10% 45 90 60-70 0-10% 45 85 55-65 0-10%
Media Planner 35 120 50-75 0-10% 30 120 50-70 0-10% 30 120 50-65 0-10%
Media Buyer 30 100 40-75 0-10% 30 100 40-60 0-10% 30 100 40-55 0-10%
Digital Media Strategist 50 125 60-85 0-15% 45 120 50-75 0-15% 35 120 50-75 0-10%
Digital Media Buyer 45 100 50-70 0-15% 35 100 45-65 0-15% 30 100 45-65
Social Media Strategist 60 120 75-100 0-15% 60 120 70-100 0-15% 50 100 70-90 0-5%
Search Marketing Strategist 45 250 75-100 0-15%
Web Producer 50 100 65-85 0-15% 50 100 65-85 0-10% 50 100 60-80 0-5%
Our Experts’
opinions
This project is made
possible by the diligence
of a talented, insightful
group of recruitment
Ari Aronson Rick Chad Lisa Kershaw
founder and executive recruiter, president, partner,
professionals. Thank you Ari Agency, Toronto Chad Management Group, Toronto Odgers Berndtson, Vancouver
to those who contributed
to the 2012 Salary The consolidation of client budgets We are seeing more individuals Recruiting to [Vancouver] is
Benchmarks. Here’s what is forcing agencies to do more with starting their own businesses. becoming more prohibitive due to
less—hiring hybrid digital and mass The payout can be great, but these the high cost of living. Compen-
they have to say about the roles is of interest, yet not easy. individuals may have a tough time sation will not be a big draw since it
overriding developments breaking into corporate. will not compensate for increased
this year in terms of salaries housing costs. As a result, lifestyle,
and industry trends. location and other non-monetary
perks are the “benefit.”
28 October 8, 2012 Marketingmag.ca

5. 2012
Salary
Benchmarks
5 Trends For 5 Years
Are you
worth it?
Today’s staffing and compensation strategies will look very
P
different tomorrow. This is why Bruce Powell, IQ Partners
redicting the future used to be easy. 3. It’s Not (Just) About the Money
But with the economy fluctuating wildly While the up-and-coming workforce will make more money than
their retiring boomer bosses used to, money alone won’t buy their
from week to week and a host of other efforts or their loyalty. The current and next generation of junior- to
variables regularly surprising us, it’s mid-level staff are socially conscious, fiercely independent and more
challenging to know what the future holds cynical about their corporate bosses than ever before. Many boom-
for businesses or for salaries. Marketing’s survey tells us ers assume that Gen Y and Millenials don’t want to work hard—that
what year-over-year compensation fluctuations look like. isn’t true. But they are looking for more than just a salary. They want
work-life balance and greater purpose. If you can effectively articulate
But what about next year, or five years from now? What will your company’s vision and mission, you’ll get a commitment that
the future of compensation look like then? will knock your socks off. (See “Think Outside the Bucks” p. 33.)
Here are five trends to keep in mind that will affect our
industry in the coming years. 4. High Demand for Natural Leaders
In the past, companies nurtured and honed management skills for
1. Salary Band Compression years and even mediocre talent could achieve a middling compe-
As the “silver tsunami” moves through marketing, we’ll see the sal- tency before assuming leadership. But leaned-out organizations
ary bands compress across organizations. Overall salary budgets gave up training a long time ago and future generations will find
will increase between 3% to 4% per year, but the vast majority of the themselves escalated into jobs faster and with less training than
increases will go to the lower levels of the business. Mid- to senior ever before. This doesn’t mean they aren’t capable—this is the most
management salaries will remain flat and in some cases may actually educated generation in history—it just means that many will learn
decline. This bi-generational trend will continue for the next 10 years and make mistakes on the company’s dime. And the ones who are
and may result in some star employees making as much or more than good—intuitive leaders who pursued their own training—will be in
their managers. Think of the high-profile sports teams with their even more demand.
million-dollar players out-earning their managers and coaches. Why
will senior-level talent work for less? We’re facing an over-supply of 5. Rise of the Contract Nation
baby boomer managers staying in the workforce longer due to wiped- Over the next five years, the increasing use and engagement of con-
out savings. tract workers could drive costs up—or down—depending on how
savvy companies use their workforce. Over the past two years we’ve
2. Better Hiring and Retention seen a vast increase in the number of contract/temporary workers
Hiring people is expensive. It’s even more expensive when you do it in marketing and management roles. This used to be a common
wrong. Many companies still don’t apply measures to their hiring, occurrence in IT and creative positions, but now permeates all roles.
employee performance or retention. This will change. As companies Partially, it’s a reflection of the “free agent” mentality—those who
continue to streamline and focus on improved productivity, they’re eschew corporate loyalty for independence—but more commonly
going to have to get better at hiring, performance and retention. Plati- these days it is companies utilizing a piece-work contract approach
tudes won’t cut it, real performance measures will. Compensation to increase productivity and decrease long-term employment costs.
increases will be tied to results rather than tenure. And as employees Is it good or bad? That’s to be determined—but this is one trend
get more productive, companies will pay fewer people more money to that will definitely affect all of our futures. (See “The Rise of the
achieve more while still lowering overall wage costs. Freelancer” p. 35.)
Martin Kingston Michael Gates Normand Lebeau Stuart Calvert
president, Martin Kingston and vice-president and partner, président gardien en chef de president, Oasis Search Group, Toronto
Associates, and managing partner, Mandrake, Toronto l’expérience Mandrake, Montreal
Next Steps Canada, Toronto There’s a sense of confidence
Media agencies are hiring people The work-life balance is generally and an abundance of candidates
This year reflects what we have from digital backgrounds and not present in the agency world, who are open to new opportunities,
seen over the past five to six years. agencies. Traditional advertising causing a fairly important People didn’t want to move two
Salary levels have not shown agencies are hiring people with less migration towards the client years ago post meltdown, but high
dramatic increases and have advertising experience but who are segment and creating talent calibre individuals are starting to
remained relatively flat. There strong on digital. Public relations shortage in the agency sector. look. It’s definitely been a strong
seems to be a general malaise agencies and clients are also year with shopper marketing and
settling into the Canadian economy. accessing some of the same talent shopper insight being the high-
pools. This is putting pressure on growth areas.
salaries.
Marketingmag.ca October 8, 2012 29

6. Marketing Company Salaries by Size
MARKET LEADERS MID-SIZED TO SMALL SMALLER ENTREPRENEURIAL
10 or more brands; marketing departments of 30 or more Several brands; marketing departments of 15 to 29 One or two brands; marketing departments under 15
TITLE Start Top Typical Additional Start Top Typical Additional Start Top Typical Additional
range comp range comp range comp
President/CEO 250 1,600 300-500 30-60% 180 850 250-375 20-50% 120 750 150-300 20-100%
Chief Marketing Officer/ 130 500 175-300 20-50% 100 300 150-200 15-40% 100 225 135-170 15-40%
Senior VP Marketing
VP Marketing 110 300 150-200 20-40% 90 200 120-150 15-30% 90 200 110-130 15-30%
Director of Marketing/ 95 225 120-160 15-30% 70 175 100-120 15-30% 60 200 85-110 15-30%
Category Manager/
Group Product Mgr
Senior Brand Manager 95 140 100-120 10-25% 95 140 100-120 10-25% 85 105 85-105 7-15%
Brand Manager/ 70 135 80-100 10-25% 55 110 70-85 8-15% 50 110 60-75 8-15%
Product Manager
Assistant Brand Manager/ 45 85 50-75 0-10% 40 75 45-65 0-10% 35 65 40-55 0-10%
Assistant Product Manager
Consumer Insight Manager 70 140 80-110 10-20% 65 140 75-120 0-10% 60 100 65-95 0-10%
Shopper Marketing Manager 70 135 80-100 10-20% 65 130 80-100 0-10% 60 100 70-95 0-10%
Social Media Strategist 50 150 70-110 0-10% 40 150 55-90 0-10% 40 150 55-80 0-10%
Search Marketing Strategist 65 150 75-90 0-15% 60 150 70-90 0-10% 60 150 70-90 0-10%
Community Moderator 40 120 70-100 0-10% 30 100 55-90 0-10% 30 100 55-80 0-10%
Getting n Include a corporate/ managers and making Make it a point to add 10 one. Personalize the
really
professional picture your profile notable. new people each day. invitation. If you can’t
in your profile, the take the time to write
LinkedIn
companies where n Accept all invitations n Add your LinkedIn a personal e-mail, why
you have worked to connect. There are profile URL to your should anyone take the
with the related arguments against this, signature file and time to read it?
LinkedIn is an essential anywhere else you
recruitment tool, with dates and an overall but as a networker,
description of your role, the true value of your have an online profile, n Constantly ping your
many companies using responsibilities and two network is measured including Facebook,
it to hire directly—no network. A relationship
key accomplishments. by its size and bigger is MySpace, etc. (That is like a muscle—the
surprise. But there’s a lot People use “key word better. You never know said, ensure your
of talent out there. Does more you exercise it,
look ups” to find talent, when an invitation is Facebook page is the stronger it becomes.
your profile have what so ensure your profile going to connect you to corporate appropriate.) Sharing relevant news
it takes to cut through has the key words that that very private senior and ideas will keep your
the clutter? Deanna identify your skills. executive who is hiring. n Being noticed is name at the front of
MacDougal shares six tips And invite everyone to a numbers game. If everyone’s mind.
for using the networker’s n Recommendations connect. Growing your someone has not replied
social network to find your are essential for network takes a lot of to your invitation within
dream job: influencing hiring work and commitment. six weeks, send another
Craig Lund Deanna MacDougal Harry Manson Greg McKinnon
president, Marketing Talent, Toronto president, Merlin Group Inc., Toronto CEO, 3 Degrees Creative Resourcing, president, McKinnon Targeted Recruiters,
We have seen searches open for Due to the economy, many Toronto Toronto
longer and... a tide of folks who organizations have eliminated the Up to about a year ago, digital project Big Data is a term that is entering
are more senior vying for the few VP level and have replaced it with managers were still commanding the vocabulary of CEOs on the
opportunities that come by. Often a director of marketing or CMO. about 10% over their market value client, agency and supplier sides. All
they are applying for positions The CMO role is changing; the and getting it. This has now slowed seem to be grappling with how to
way below their current level of employment market is defining the and there has been a correction in capitalize on this tremendous asset.
experience, and often are prepared job profile as we speak. the salary ranges for digital project This will create opportunities for
to work at a substantially lower managers... The slowing of full-time marketers with CRM experience
salary level. hiring at some of the largest digital to explore new career paths where
agencies has contributed to this. demand will be very high.
30 October 8, 2012 Marketingmag.ca

7. 2012
Salary
Benchmarks
If You Don’t Ask
Are you
worth it?
You Don’t Get12 Tips for Negotiating
Your Next Salary Increase
By Michelle Warren
If our Salary Benchmarks have you thinking you’re
underpaid, perhaps it’s time to speak up. But there’s a right
way and a wrong way to ask for a raise (no, it doesn’t involve
throwing this magazine on the boss’ desk and threatening to
quit). “It’s important to have a negotiating strategy prepared
in advance of raising the subject of a salary increase,” says
recruitment and career transition expert Martin Kingston
of Martin Kingston Associates and Next Steps Canada.
“The key is your confidence and your conviction in the fact
you deserve an increase.” While every situation is different, 5 Keep a list of all the projects you have completed
he shares insider tips that every successful negotiator since your last salary review. Have you taken on more
should take to the table: responsibility without a formal recognition of role change
or position advancement? Has your company been
1 The most important ingredient is attitude—plan with a weathering difficult times and layoffs that required you to
positive attitude and the desire for a win/win outcome. do more work with less support? Now is the time to boast
about it.
2 The person who sets the agenda will control the
discussion. Develop an agenda for the negotiation and be 6 You can negotiate on almost any basis except your
prepared to justify why you should receive a raise. needs. What you “need” is your problem, not the company’s.
3 Remind your audience of your most recent on-the-job 7 Be aware of company policies regarding salary
accomplishments and how you have delivered (hopefully increases. If they’ve publiclyintroduced a freeze, you’ll have
above expectation). a very difficult time proving you’re an exception.
4 If you have recent job performance evaluations, bring 8 During a wage freeze, consider instead negotiating
them forward and highlight the positives. for perks, a performance-based bonus or a non-salary
privilege—training, extra vacation or a new personal
expense allowance.
9 Be prepared to discuss the nitty-gritty. Know what
the going rate is for comparable positions in similar size
companies. Does your company have established salary
ranges? Know where you sit in comparison to the average
and top-level within your class/role.
Lisa Peirson Diane Pellegrino 10 Never make an impromptu decision during a
negotiation. You must decide the limits of your flexibility
partner, Sequoia Group, Toronto executive recruiter, Ari Agency, Toronto
Simply put, clients are looking Overall in the digital space the
before you begin.
for “deals.” Supply is greater than demand for talent continues to be
demand—certainly at more senior strong. With the ongoing challenges 11 At all times maintain a balanced approach. Don’t get
levels—so clients are hoping to get of finding local great talent, salaries
more senior, experienced managers continue to remain competitive emotional or threatening.
at a lower compensation level. resulting in agencies having to pay
top dollar for talent. 12 At the same time, show strength of conviction and,
most importantly, a belief in your personal worth to the
organization.
Marketingmag.ca October 8, 2012 31

8. Digital Agencies by Agency Size
LARGE (Revenue over $10 million) MID-SIZED (Rev. $4 to $10 million) SMALL (Rev. under $4 million)
MANAGEMENT Start Top Typical Additional Start Top Typical Additional Start Top Typical Additional
range comp range comp range comp
President/CEO 300 800 300-500 30-100% 250 450 250-300 20-50% 175 300 200-250 20-100%
GM, MD,SVP 200 400 200-250 0-50% 175 250 200-225 0-30% 120 200 150-175 20-100%
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Director of Client Services, (Often VP level) 150 300 200-250 10-25% 150 250 150-180 10-25% 110 170 110-130 10-50%
Group Account Director 100 185 130-150 0-20% 100 150 120-140 0-20% 100 140 120-130 0-50%
Account Director 80 125 90-100 0-20% 80 120 85-115 0-15% 80 120 80-100 0-40%
Account Supervisor 60 85 70-80 65 85 70-80 55 75 60-70
Account Executive 35 60 45-55 35 60 45-55 35 50 40-45
Account Coordinator 30 45 30-40 30 45 30-45 30 40 30-40
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Director/VP Production 110 175 125-150 0-20% 100 155 100-130 0-20% 90 125 90-110 0-40%
Senior Digital Project Manager/Producer 80 175 85-105 80 130 85-100 75 100 80-90
Intermediate Digital Project Manager/Producer 60 80 70-80 55 80 60-70 50 70 55-65
CREATIVE
Executive Creative Director 230 275 230-250 0-20% 200 250 200-225 0-20% 175 230 185-210 0-50%
Creative Director 150 225 150-175 0-20% 125 175 125-150 0-20% 100 140 100-125 0-50%
Associate Creative Director 100 130 120-130 0-15% 100 125 100-115 90 120 90-115 0-20%
Art Director 85 115 100-110 85 100 85-95 75 90 75-85
Designer (Jr-Sr) 40 75 50-70 40 75 50-65 40 70 50-65
Copywriter (Jr-Sr) 40 130 60-90 40 95 50-85 40 85 45-65
STRATEGY/PLANNING
Executive Director/VP Strategy 150 300 150-200 0-20% 120 225 140-175 0-20% 90 170 125-150 0-50%
Senior Strategist/Planner 110 175 110-130 90 135 100-115 80 120 80-95 0-20%
Account Planner/Strategic Planner 75 110 75-85 70 100 70-80 65 90 65-75
SOCIAL MEDIA
VP/Director Social Media 80 175 100-150 80 140 90-130 75 90 75-85 0-20%
Community Manager 65 100 70-90 45 80 55-70 45 75 55-60
Content Strategist 65 80 65-75
MEASUREMENT/ANALYTICS
Director/VP 100 175 110-130 0-20% 90 130 110-125 0-20% 90 125 90-110 0-20%
Analyst 70 100 70-85 55 95 65-85 60 85 60-75
SEO Manager 110 120 110-115 80 110 80-90 60 80 65-75
INFORMATION ARCHITECH/
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Director/VP User Experience 90 175 130-150 0-10% 80 140 120-130 80 140 85-120 0-20%
Information Designer 65 120 90-110 60 115 80-95 55 80 70-75
TECHNOLOGY
Director/VP Technology 100 300 140-180 0-20% 100 150 120-140 0-20% 100 150 115-125 0-50%
Senior Developer 80 150 90-100 75 120 80-100 70 90 70-85
Developer 45 90 70-80 50 80 65-70 45 80 60-70
32 October 8, 2012 Marketingmag.ca

9. 2012
Salary
Benchmarks
Are you
worth it?
Think Outside the Bucks
Holding onto hot talent isn’t always about paying more By Michelle Warren
E
ven with the economy on shaky Pink draws on four decades of scientific to them,” says Rouse. “Those who want to
ground, the industry has no short- research to examine the three elements of stay talk about culture, about engagement
age of “job hoppers.” Individuals true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and and about bosses that are mentoring them
with hot skill sets whose resumes purpose. Money doesn’t even make the list. in their careers. They talk about how much
are populated with one- and two- “Money is not a key motivator. But when they are learning and how they love the
year stints as they move from job to job to employers offer none of the motivators that work they are doing. They don’t ask about
job, lured by the ubiquitous $10,000 salary matter to their top talent, their top talent money. Ever.”
boost. leaves—for money,” says Rouse. “In coming He argues that in addition to better
It’s a trend that represents a big cost to years, smart companies will leverage the retention, companies that cultivate this
employers, even the ones that don’t hire real motivators and their talent will stay.” reputation will reap the rewards of happier
them, says Mark Rouse, partner, IQ Part- He’s reached out to countless candi- clients, greater productivity and will pay
ners in Toronto. “They drive the market dates and he sees the same patterns over less (on average) for every role than their
range for each of their successive positions and over. competitors.
higher, for every employer that has that “Those who want to leave tell us they Even their costs for acquiring talent—
position.” feel that their success is not within their when they have to—will be lower because
The irony, say the experts, is that money control, or that they aren’t learning what people will want to work there, says Rouse.
isn’t to blame for all the moving around. they need to advance their careers, or that They hire job hoppers too, but with one
In the bestseller Drive, author Daniel the work they do has no personal meaning key difference. “The hopping then stops.”
Adopt these self-management (flex time and
work location)
n Be transparent by sharing the
company’s big vision
n Clearly define and communicate
what the result will be if the
tactics to stop desired behaviors are performed
the hop: n Encourage innovation (let
people work on/with emerging
n Create work that does social good
or that provides purpose. What
(Make rewards meaningful to the
recipient—no gold watches and
n mart and consistent recognition
S technology) people want most is the chance to grandfather clocks)
for all levels make a difference
n llow experimentation
A n lan for the promotion of every
P
n alue the ideas and contributions
V n pply strategy to modify
A hire during the initial hiring
of everyone n ormalize learning and
F behavior. Marketers are experts process. People expect to be
mentorship into management job at driving desired behaviours promoted if they perform well
n emonstrate trust by delegating,
D descriptions so apply this to your team when over time—build this reality into
giving responsibility and allowing creating non-salary rewards your plans as early as possible
Bruce Powell Mark Rouse Caroline Starecky Harry Teitelbaum
managing partner, IQ Partners Inc. vice-president, practice lead partner and vice-president, president, InterCom Search Inc.,
Toronto IQ Partners Inc., Toronto La Tete Chercheuse, Montreal Toronto
Looking forward there is no other Strategic planning has seen a strong On the agency side, we are seeing There is a bit of softening on the
choice... Companies (and recruiters resurgence this year. Agencies people much more concerned about digital side since agencies don’t
too) have to learn how to hire better, known primarily for their technical cultural fit—lifestyle, client lists, want to pay premiums for this
hire less and retain more. abilities and online acumen are agency reputation—rather than just category as more folks have the
hiring traditional planners to help salary. At more senior levels, it does skills than in previous years:
them win at the pitch table. not seem to be about gaining an there is a market balance.
extra bump of $15K to $30k but how
can a move help me regain quality
of life.
Marketingmag.ca October 8, 2012 33

10. 2012
Salary
Benchmarks
The Rise of the
Are you
worth it?
Freelancer The market collapse of 2008 produced
a long-term shift in short-term staffing
By Michelle Warren
F
reelance has always been an integral part of Back in 2007/2008, digital project managers were getting
advertising and marketing staffing plans—an $70 an hour, but now there is a lot more of them that actually
inevitable by-product of a business model
dependent on so much project work and
have the experience and agencies have full-time positions
for them, so they tend to go full-time.
HIS OWN BOSS
short-term assignments. But in the past few Bart Dabek can’t imagine trading
years, say recruiters, things have changed. Agencies in par- How does freelance affect in his freelancer lifestyle for full-
ticular have become even more dependent on freelancers. full-time salaries? time employment. The WordPress
Harry Manson, president of 3 Degrees Creative Resourcing, It has a huge impact in the short term, but there’s usually specialist builds content management
says about 75% of the people they place these days are in a correction. When new technologies come out, people systems to help clients operate their
freelance roles. He spoke with Marketing about the rise (and who freelance charge an arm and a leg, but eventually in- own custom websites. He’s been at it
fallout) of the industry’s growing reliance on freelancers. house people develop these new skills and that corrects for 10 years, and although he’s been
the demand. offered numerous full-time positions,
Why are agencies more dependent on he always says no.
freelancers today? Beyond money, what are the pros and cons
When the economy went south in late 2008, there was a huge for freelancers? Why? “Even some CEOs don’t make
demand. First off, companies were spending less money on The flexibility: they can work for three months, then take as much money as you can make as a
expensive traditional media and more on digital, so agencies off to Thailand and surf for six months. Gen Y freelances freelancer. Business is booming.”
needed to hire that skillset fast. because it allows them the ability to manage their lifestyle
But it’s more than money. Dabek
At the same time, most of the major international agen- in a way that emphasizes their goals, which consist of work
also loves the flexibility. “It gives
cies had hiring freezes—they needed corporate budget being a means to an end.
you the opportunity to set your own
approval for a full-time hire, but freelancers could be hired But there are cons. Agencies aren’t going to give the
schedule and work with good clients
out of operational budgets so there was more flexibility. If coolest work to freelancers, it’ll go to internal people. Free-
on projects that interest you. I can
you’re not allowed to hire full time people, you still have to lancers are often brought in to fix problems or provide a
specialize in certain areas and build
meet client demands and get your work done. stopgap. Further, a freelancer’s growth and market value
my skill set.”
can stagnate. On the creative side, if all you’re getting is
Are there roles that involve more freelance? banner work, after a while it can becomes a detriment to At the same time you’re essentially
Definitely creative departments have a persistent reliance your portfolio. running your own business so you
on freelance; creative [freelance] runs as high as 50% in have to wear numerous hats—
some large agencies, while digital production teams will What’s the downside for agencies using marketing, dealing with clients,
often use 15% to 20% freelance. a lot of freelancers? accounting. And it requires good
Any innovation in technology will see an increase in It becomes increasingly difficult for them to retain corporate organizational skills. Networking
the need for freelance. For instance, everyone is adopting knowledge. When 25% to 50% of your creative talent has is huge, but the best approach is
HTML5 and you have to turn to the freelance community no loyalty to the company, it becomes harder and harder to to deliver what you promised and
to find people with these skills first as in-house people are differentiate yourself from the competition. With that in generate word of month.
typically working with legacy technology and agencies are mind, you almost never see freelance account executives:
a bit slower to change the status quo. Any time something is why trust a client relationship to someone who doesn’t have The business is there, it’s a question
new, people will make a hell of a lot more doing it freelance. a vested interest in your company. of how much you want to do, says
Dabek, who works hard, but plays
Is full-time employment the goal? How does this trickle down to affect clients? hard too. The 34-year-old is just
Not really. About 30% of people who are real freelancers will You can argue that clients end up picking up the bill. But, if back from a month in Europe. He took
go full-time. Most are getting extremely high hourly rates managed effectively it doesn’t have to be that way: the good a month off last year too. “With a
so there’s no incentive. The only time they will go full-time agencies will eat the additional costs because it’s worth it normal job you can’t do that.”
is when there is saturation in the market of their skill set. in the long run to have the agility.
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