Advertising creative director

Advertising creative director - overview

As a creative director, you’ll use your leadership skills to oversee the whole creative campaign process for a client or company at a marketing or advertising agency. Learn more about a career as a creative director, find out what it involves and what you’ll need to study and do to get a role.

Learn what the role involves below.

What does an advertising creative director do?

As a creative director, you’ll be responsible for the big picture, recruiting and managing staff across multiple advertising campaigns and ensuring work produced is of a high standard, enhancing the agency’s reputation.

You’ll get to use your creative abilities along with your project management and communication skills to develop ideas while working with different people. You may have to negotiate contracts and be a salesperson for your company.

It's a competitive area that requires dedication and hard work. You’ll have to meet lots of deadlines and keep clients happy. However, the creative and teamwork aspects of the role can make it hugely rewarding, along with the potential for high salaries, fast job progression and international opportunities.

What will your days involve?

Daily tasks will vary but could involve:

Managing a portfolio of client accounts and related activities
Overseeing entire projects and taking responsibility for the creative process
Winning new clients for your company
Meeting with clients to talk about their needs
Informing clients about the progress of their campaigns
Keeping records of meetings and actions required
Gathering data to support the development of a campaign
Preparing information and materials for presenting ideas and costs
Producing sketches and storyboards of ideas and pitching these to clients
Instructing and monitoring the creative team that produces the campaigns
Hiring creatives like copywriters, artists, photographers or graphic designers
Finding locations for photo and film shoots
Ensuring that briefs, deadlines and budgets are met

FAQs

What's an advertising creative director salary?

The average salary for an advertising creative director in the UK is £41,600.

Does an advertising creative director role involve travel in the UK or overseas?

As a creative director you’ll travel for work often either to an office, to see a client or to attend industry events and exhibitions. Overseas travel may be involved if you work for a larger agency.

Can you work from home as an advertising creative director?

As a creative director there may be some opportunities to work from home, but you’ll want to touch base with your teams frequently to support them and check on progress.