With today’s brands more dependent than ever on traditional and digital marketing, now is an excellent time to consider a specialized Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, such as the 100% online MBA with a Concentration in Marketing program offered by Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Modern marketing is more than just a budget-heavy business function and cost center aimed at building brand awareness. Companies now seek out professionals who can demonstrate enterprise-wide leadership abilities along with marketing expertise. Southeastern’s MBA in Marketing provides students with the marketing-specific knowledge and advanced management skills they need to pursue a high-level career in marketing leadership.
What Kinds of Careers Are Available Professionals With Their MBA in Marketing?
Marketing professionals today often occupy roles more akin to general managers than to positions focused solely on marketing communications or public relations (PR) functions. Businesses expect marketing leaders to drive company revenue, and professionals with a highly versatile marketing-focused MBA can deliver.
According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 37% of surveyed chief marketing officers reported an ongoing skills gap in digital marketing, which is unsurprising as more and more companies seek digital marketing professionals. By earning an MBA in Marketing, professionals benefit from the fact that demand exceeds supply. When this happens, salaries increase so companies can compete for the top job candidates.
Reported salaries for the following positions can vary widely. Candidates with a marketing-focused MBA and a position that reflects their advanced education and experience are often closer to the top end of the salary range rather than the median.
The following are some of the top marketing jobs for MBA grads:
Chief Marketing Officer
The chief marketing officer (CMO) drives the marketing vision and strategy for a company and is often responsible for providing leadership for sales as well. The CMO does not just drive branding efforts. Innovation, direction, leadership, communication, goal setting, measurement, data interpretation and analysis can all fall under the CMO’s purview. Marketing touches every aspect of business for a company, so an understanding of business administration is crucial. Many companies want their CMO to have an advanced degree, and a marketing-focused MBA is often what they seek.
According to April 2024 data from ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary for a chief marketing officer is $160,891, with salaries ranging from $50,000 to $272,000.
While the CMO job is the top spot for marketing professionals, there are additional leadership roles available to MBA graduates, including director roles and senior leadership jobs, such as vice president.
Creative Director
According to Robert Half Inc., the creative director is a “Design master. Magnificent mediator. Highly skilled multitasker. A great creative director brings it all to the party.” This position requires a person who knows “the ins and outs of marketing and advertising.” Managing the creative process end-to-end is just one main responsibility. A creative director often manages outside agencies in the production of marketing collateral and is the liaison to upper management and clients as well.
As of April 2024, ZipRecruiter reports that the average salary for a creative director is $129,330, with the general salary range being $43,000 to $216,500.
Public Relations Director
The PR director is responsible for media relations, announcements, press releases, speaking engagements for company executives, editorial placement and more. Often responsible for developing white papers and other long-form content, the PR director works very closely with all other marketing team members and top executives. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that PR directors (as part of the occupational group public relations managers) made a median salary of $134,760 in 2023, with annual wages ranging between $76,160 and equal to or greater than $239,200 (BLS’ upper cutoff for percentile salary figure ranges).
Marketing Manager or Director
Some companies have either a marketing manager or a marketing director who usually reports directly to the CMO. Some companies have both positions, with the manager reporting to the director. But either way, this is a mid- to upper-level marketing management position with a median salary of $157,620 in 2023, according to BLS. The 2023 salary range for marketing managers was between $79,600 and equal to or greater than $239,200.
Marketing professionals in this position are responsible for budget, strategy, marketing campaigns, market and competitive research, data analysis and more. They also typically manage a diverse team with creative staff, analysts, brand managers and communicators. It is often the marketing manager or director who works with any outside agencies supporting the company’s marketing efforts.
Marketing Management Consultant
For companies that require help with identifying problems within their organization when determining a new marketing vision, hiring a consultant is a viable solution. The growth of digital marketing, consumer analysis and other developments drives demand for marketing consultants. According to IBISWorld, the marketing consultant industry saw $78.2 billion in revenue in 2023. Marketing management consultants may work on a self-employed, freelance basis or as employees of larger consulting firms.
Consultant earnings vary widely depending on work environment, education, experience and region. Marketing management consultants would likely fall under the management analyst occupational category for BLS (which includes specialized management consultants). The median annual wage for this occupational group was $99,410 in 2023. According to ZipRecruiter, senior marketing consultants make an average annual salary of $117,804 as of April 2024, with top salaries exceeding $200,000.
With the proliferation of social media and content marketing, digital marketing is at the forefront of growth in modern business. Given this, the renewed focus on and increased demand for marketing leadership, and the fact that demand is outpacing supply, it makes sense that a marketing-focused MBA can help put graduates in a position to choose their path to success.
Learn more about the Southeastern online MBA with a Concentration in Marketing program.