This survey was compiled:

  • using figures of actual placements made by AD TALENT
  • using figures from salary information obtained from all candidates interviewed by AD TALENT from January 2019 to December 2019
  • using figures from salary information obtained from candidates who have submitted their CVs to AD TALENT
  • using cost to company (CTC) figures
  • using the average salaries per sector

Interpretation:

  • 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
  • 0-2 years (light) means 0 to 2 years experience in that particular position and NOT 0 to 2 years total working experience
  • The same applies for medium and heavy weight. It is experience in the particular position and NOT total working experience
  • This survey is not intended to be prescriptive, but is a report on what we, AD TALENT, (not the entire industry) has experienced in the past 12 months

Advertising Agencies

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Managing Director
Johannesburg R90 000 – R100 000 R100 000 – R150 000 R150 000+
Cape Town R75 000 – R90 000 R90 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 R56 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R66 000 R66 000+
Cape Town R48 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
Group Account Director
Johannesburg R49 000 – R54 000 R54 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
Cape Town R45 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Account Director
Johannesburg R36 000 – R41 000 R41 000 – R50 000 N/A
Cape Town R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R46 000 N/A
Account Manager
Johannesburg R24 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R36 000 N/A
Cape Town R18 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 N/A
Account Executive
Johannesburg R15 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R21 000 N/A
Cape Town R12 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R17 000 N/A
Project Manager
Johannesburg R27 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R23 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Operations
Johannesburg R49 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R80 000 R80 000+
Cape Town R45 000 – R57 000 R57 000 – R70 000 R70 000+
Production
Johannesburg R14 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R12 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Traffic
Johannesburg R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R37 000 R37 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Strategic Planning Director
Johannesburg R63 000 – R70 000 R70 000 – R89 000 R89 000+
Cape Town R55 000 – R68 000 R68 000 – R85 000 R85 000+
Strategic Planner
Johannesburg R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R47 000 R47 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000 R40 000+

Digital

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Strategist
Johannesburg R20 000 – R34 000 R34 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Project Manager
Johannesburg R27 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R42 000 R42 000+
Social Media Manager
Johannesburg R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R17 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Social Media and Analytics Specialist
Johannesburg R24 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Cape Town R19 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R42 000 R42 000+
Social Media Community Manager
Johannesburg R15 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R38 000 N/A
Cape Town R15 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R30 000 N/A
Content Manager
Johannesburg R18 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Cape Town R13 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Account Executive
Johannesburg R17 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R23 000 N/A
Cape Town R13 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R20 000 N/A
Account Manager
Johannesburg R26 500 – R30 000 R30 000 – R40 000 N/A
Cape Town R19 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R35 000 N/A
Account Director
Johannesburg R40 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R50 000 N/A
Cape Town R35 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R47 000 N/A
Group Account Director
Johannesburg R49 000 – R54 000 R54 000 – R58 000 R58 000+
Cape Town R47 000 – R52 000 R52 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Client Service Director
Johannesburg R56 000 – R60 000 R60 000 – R67 000 R67 000+
Cape Town R48 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R60 000 R60 000+
SEO Specialist
Johannesburg R18 000 – R22 000 R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R28 000 R28 000+
PPC Specialist
Johannesburg R18 000 – R23 000 R23 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Brand Manager
Johannesburg R28 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Analyst
Johannesburg R20 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R23 000 R23 000 – R33 000 R33 000+

Creative: Traditional

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Chief Creative Officer
Johannesburg N/A N/A R135 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R125 000+
Group/Executive Creative Director
Johannesburg N/A N/A R108 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R100 000+
Creative Director
Johannesburg R52 000 – R68 000 R68 000 – R80 000 R80 000+
Cape Town R40 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Head of Design
Johannesburg R38 000 – R52 000 R52 000 – R62 000 R62 000+
Cape Town R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Designer
Johannesburg R10 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R34 000 R34 000+
Cape Town R10 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R30 000 R30 000+
Creative Group Head
Johannesburg R38 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R47 000 R47 000+
Art Director
Johannesburg R12 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R65 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R50 000
Copywriter
Johannesburg R11 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R70 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R60 000
Proofreader
Johannesburg R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R47 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000
Creative Strategist
Johannesburg N/A R23 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R50 000
Cape Town N/A R20 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R42 000
Studio Manager
Johannesburg R33 000 – R36 000 R36 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R55 000
Cape Town R28 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 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 R12 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R48 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000
Animator
Johannesburg R14 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R57 000
Cape Town R12 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R41 000
Video Editor
Johannesburg R10 000 – R17 000 R17 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R48 000
Cape Town R10 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R40 000

Creative: Digital

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Digital Creative Director
Johannesburg R50 000 – R62 000 R62 000 – R82 000 R82 000+
Cape Town R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Digital Copywriter
Johannesburg R13 000 – R19 000 R19 000 – R37 000 R37 000 – R70 000
Cape Town R12 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R43 000
Digital Art Director
Johannesburg R15 000 – R19 000 R19 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R68 000
Cape Town R13 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R50 000
Digital Designer/Multimedia Designer
Johannesburg R13 000 – R19 000 R19 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R50 000
Cape Town R13 000 – R16 000 R16 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R45 000
User Experience (UX) Lead
Johannesburg N/A N/A R74 000+
Cape Town N/A N/A R65 000+
User Experience (UX) Designers
Johannesburg R18 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R48 000 R48 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
User Interface (UI) Designers
Johannesburg R17 500 – R26 000 R26 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R15 000 – R20 000 R20 000 – R35 000 R35 000+

IT/Tech

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Front-end Developer
Johannesburg R20 000 – R39 000 R39 000 – R59 000 R59 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R49 000 R49 000+
Back-end Developer
Johannesburg R20 000 – R39 000 R39 000 – R58 000 R58 000+
Cape Town R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R47 000 R47 000+
Full-stack Developer
Johannesburg R25 000 – R34 000 R34 000 – R44 000 R44 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
QA / Test Engineers
Johannesburg R32 000 – R46 000 R46 000 – R58 000 R58 000+
Cape Town R30 000 – R44 000 R44 000 – R52 000 R52 000+
Data Analysts
Johannesburg R12 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R70 000
Cape Town R12 000 – R27 000 R27 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R69 000
Product Owner
Johannesburg R25 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R58 000 R58 000 – R73 000
Cape Town R25 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R58 000 R58 000 – R73 000
Scrum Masters
Johannesburg R20 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R62 000
Cape Town R18 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R54 000 R54 000 – R62 000
IT Manager
Johannesburg R20 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Cape Town R17 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R45 000 R45 000+

Marketing

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Head of Digital Marketing
Johannesburg N/A R60 000 – R68 000 R68 000+
Cape Town N/A R50 000 – R58 000 R58 000+
CRM and Loyalty Manager
Johannesburg N/A R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Cape Town N/A R37 000 – R47 000 R47 000+
Online Marketing Manager
Johannesburg N/A R38 000 – R48 000 R48 000+
Cape Town N/A R30 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
Marketing Director/Group Marketing Head/Head of Brand
Johannesburg R79 000 – R86 000 R86 000 – R145 000 R145 000+
Cape Town R64 000 – R77 000 R77 000 – R135 000 R135 000+
Marketing Manager
Johannesburg R52 000 – R56 000 R56 000 – R78 000 R78 000+
Cape Town R48 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R65 000 R65 000+
Brand Manager
Johannesburg R28 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R52 000 R52 000+
Cape Town R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R48 000 R48 000+
Brand/Marketing Assistant
Johannesburg R15 000 – R21 000 R21 000 – R35 000 N/A
Cape Town R15 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R27 000 N/A

Corporate

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (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 – R40 000 R40 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 R18 000 – R26 000 R26 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R41 000
Events Manager
Johannesburg R28 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R70 000
Cape Town R20 000 – R30 000 R30 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 R25 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R60 000

PR Consultancies/Corporate Communications

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (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 – R130 000
Account Director
Johannesburg R35 000 – R41 000 R41 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R68 000
Cape Town R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R55 000
Account Manager
Johannesburg R25 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R38 000 R38 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 – R16 000 R16 000 – R19 000 N/A
Cape Town R9 000 – R15 000 R15 000 – R18 000 N/A

Media

0-2 yrs (light) 2 – 5 yrs (medium) 5 – 9 yrs (heavyweight)
Media Director
Johannesburg R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R55 000 R55 000 – R85 000
Cape Town R32 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000 – R80 000
Media Planner
Johannesburg R30 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R45 000 R45 000 – R60 000
Cape Town R22 000 – R30 000 R30 000 – R37 000 R37 000 – R42 000
Media Buyer
Johannesburg R16 000 – R23 000 R23 000 – R33 000 R33 000 – R43 000
Cape Town R15 000 – R18 000 R18 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R30 000
Media Strategist
Johannesburg R33 000 – R38 000 R38 000 – R48 000 R48 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Media Sales Executive
Johannesburg R25 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R40 000 R40 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R25 000 R25 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Media Sales Director
Johannesburg R38 000 – R42 000 R42 000 – R55 000 R55 000+
Cape Town R35 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Media Sales Digital
Johannesburg R27 000 – R35 000 R35 000 – R45 000 R45 000+
Cape Town R25 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R38 000 R38 000+
Digital Media Strategist
Johannesburg R40 000 – R48 000 R48 000 – R58 000 R58 000+
Cape Town R32 000 – R40 000 R40 000 – R50 000 R50 000+
Campaign Manager
Johannesburg R22 000 – R32 000 R32 000 – R42 000 R42 000+
Cape Town R20 000 – R28 000 R28 000 – R35 000 R35 000+
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