Consumer: Salary analysis
| Level | Average range | Median | Average bonus | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managing director | £113,000 | - | £140,000 | £132,500 | 6% |
| Director | £66,000 | - | £91,000 | £78,500 | 6% |
| Associate director | £49,000 | - | £60,500 | £51,000 | 6% |
| Account director | £38,000 | - | £47,000 | £40,000 | 6% |
| Account manager | £27,000 | - | £36,500 | £32,000 | 6% |
| Account executive | £19,000 | - | £25,500 | £22,000 | 6% |
The view from here
The consumer PR industry tends to have the fastest turnover of staff in the PR industry and 2007 was no exception. This was especially noticeable at senior level, where a number of agencies looked to revitalise less dynamic parts of their businesses through installing new people at the top while others looked to break into new areas of the market, creating a healthy rise in the number of greenfield positions available.
The greatest candidate shortages, however, were at account manager and account director level, due to a general lack of supply and the fact that many candidates at this level are looking to move to in-house roles. Consequently, most consultancies were very open to employing ambitious senior account executives with the potential for swift promotion to manager level.
Speed was of the essence when competing for the best staff and those employers who were slow to get interviews arranged and job offers out frequently found that they had missed the boat. Some larger consultancies, particularly those requiring specific skill sets, felt the need to make ‘investment’ hires to prevent their competitors from getting hold of the best people.
Despite the febrile atmosphere, salaries did not keep pace with the level of activity in the market and remained largely flat in 2007. Consumer PR remains the lowest paid part of the industry at all levels and the most desirable sectors within it – sport, charity, fashion and beauty – are generally the lowest paid of all. Some more mainstream consumer affairs roles do attract salaries closer to those found in corporate PR. That said, many employers did try to compensate by improving the provision of other benefits such as flexible working and holiday entitlement.
This perhaps is symptomatic of a growing trend for candidates to be motivated by more than just money. We noticed a significant rise in the number of candidates who had grown tired of product-focused work and looking to move into the voluntary or public sectors.