Marketer in 1477: Caxton prints England's first ad

No law requires one anywhere, and the field has no license. In practice most corporate marketers hold a bachelor's degree — marketing, business, psychology, communications — because large employers screen for it. But agencies and startups routinely hire on portfolio and results instead: a self-run campaign, a channel you grew, ad-platform certifications. Marketing remains one of the few well-paid professions where demonstrated work can substitute for formal credentials.

It varies by country, seniority and specialty. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the 2023 median for advertising, promotions and marketing managers at roughly $157,000, while entry-level coordinators typically start around $45,000–$55,000. UK marketing managers commonly earn £45,000–£65,000 (2024); Indian brand managers far less in dollar terms. Large-company CMOs earn several hundred thousand dollars before bonus and equity.

What is the difference between marketing and advertising? Advertising is one tool inside marketing. Marketing covers the whole demand system — which product to offer, at what price, through which channels, to which segment, with what positioning — while advertising is specifically the paid promotion of that offer. E. Jerome McCarthy's 1960 formulation of the 4 Ps made the distinction standard: advertising lives inside just one P, promotion. Many marketers never buy an ad at all.