THERE has been little movement in salaries in the marketing, communication and design professions over the last 12 months but companies will fork out bigger bucks to secure the best talent, according to the findings of a new salary study of the region.
The 2003-Asia Pacific Monitor conducted by global professional services firm Aquent found that as expected those in the professions in Sydney have higher salary packages than professionals in the same positions in Melbourne and Brisbane.
In particular it found that Sydney PR agency directors/principals, advertising CEOs/managing directors, and media directors earned significantly more than their counterparts to the north and south.
The survey found that while marketing directors in Sydney earn from $150,000 to $200,000, in Melbourne they would earn $140,000 to $180,000 and in Brisbane $95,000 to $110,000.
Sydney PR agency directors earn $140,000 to $200,000 compared to $120,000 to $180,000 in Melbourne and $90,000 to $120,000 in Brisbane, while advertising CEOs in Sydney are getting $280,000 to $400,000, in Melbourne they are getting $200,000 to $350,000 and in Brisbane $165,000 to $190,000.
Aquent’s Sydney market area manager Paul Slezak said that in general there had been little upward movement in advertising salaries in the Australian market.
“Decline in advertising budgets during 2002 really impacted the industry,” Slezak said.
“Many senior executives were concentrating on retaining their jobs rather than pushing for increases.”
On the positive side Slezak said that top talent in marketing as well as other areas continued to attract a premium when it came to remuneration.
“Athough it is true marketing budgets have been trimmed in many cases it is also cleat that big corporates want more “bang for their marketing buck”. This means they are prepared to pay more for the best executives who are able to deliver measurable results—even if some of the upside for the employee is in the form of variable rewards such as bonuses.”
