BACKGROUND
Beginning in 2005, Aquent and the American Marketing Association, along with The Dihedral Group (TDG), initiated a conversation about marketing within the community of marketers. The purposes of this discussion were to develop the most complete database for marketing compensations and then share this knowledge, as well as many additional insights about the profession, with the marketers themselves.
This year’s research continues this conversation on the axiology of marketing and explores the theory of value among this community in the widest possible sense—from the values of personal compensation and the ROI that specific marketing skills offer to the collective moral values that marketers hold in esteem.
The first report of the Aquent | AMA Insight Series and the compensation data herein reflects a snapshot of the second half of 2008 and the projected landscape for 2009. Follow-up conversations will explore hiring trends in the wake of the financial meltdown of 2008, organizational structures relative to employee engagement, and the marketing skills most in demand. These will be released sequentially in the coming months as pieces of the Aquent | AMA Insight Series.
METHODOLOGY
Designed and conducted by The Dihedral Group, this study summarizes the findings gleaned from nearly 10,000 interviews conducted online, by phone, and in-person beginning in June and ending in September of 2008. Compensation data was capped within a three-week interval between June 25 and July 14. Ongoing community participation in these conversations will be utilized to calibrate indexes over the coming year and will be shared with those participating in the study.
Marketers from the sponsors’ databases were contacted via email by The Dihedral Group and then subsequently reminded on two additional occasions. Participation was also open to all marketers and participants/members are encouraged to inform their colleagues about this project, using a “Tell-A-Friend” viral engine found in the contact emails and online at many different locations.
CHANGES
This year’s research includes a slight variance from the segmentation model that was first employed in 2005. The original model was designed to group marketers around marketing functions and not the marketers’ position titles, which had become increasingly less insightful as an overriding grouping mechanism. This year’s changes reflect the growing importance of skill sets pertaining to corporate communication, marketing innovations, increased interactive engagement in a Web 2.0/3.0 world, and the quantification of marketing intelligence.
The significant participation levels among marketing academics (professors) has allowed us to add this group to the functional mix for 2009. Additional model changes include the following: Community and Giving, Message Development, and Public Relations have been merged into the Corporate Communications function. Business Leadership has been merged into the Marketing Leadership function. IT and Database Marketing has been re-titled Interactive Marketing for broader inclusion.
Finally, the list of industries now parallels the NAICS classification system. Where data permits, specific subgroups have been presented for increased relevance (e.g., Professional Services—advertising agencies).
CALCULATOR INTERACTION
When using the salary calculator, you may find particular search parameters coming up with data point “dead zones.” In some cases there are commonsense reasons why a search may not provide solid information (e.g., a search that looks for entry-level marketing leaders in very large organizations). In other cases there may not be enough valid data points within a specific market or industry to support the search.
If you find cases of insufficient data, we encourage you to enlist marketers whom you may know who meet the same criteria and get them to register to participate in this program so that the community as a whole can collectively benefit from their added insights. The data provided is completely confidential, and The Dihedral Group goes to great lengths and protocol to maintain compliance with prevailing market research ethics, standards, and guidelines.
GEOGRAPHY
The salary calculator provides data localized to select metro markets (grouped by metropolitan statistical areas for North America) and macro-regions. These regions are grouped as follows:
New England: CT, MA, ME, RI, VT
Middle Atlantic: NJ, NY, PA
South Atlantic: DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV, PR
North Central: IL, IN, IO, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI
South Central: AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, OK, TN, TX
Mountain: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY
Pacific: AK, CA, HI, OR, WA
Canada: All provinces
Outside N. America
About Aquent
Aquent is the talent agency for marketing and design professionals. Every agent is focused on a single marketing or design discipline ensuring both talent and clients a dedicated resource that speaks their language and specializes in their area of expertise.
For more than 20 years, Aquent has helped individuals and organizations increase their marketing potential through flexible staffing solutions and customized consulting services. Committed to the advancement of both fields, Aquent offers monthly webcasts hosted by field experts on topics ranging from marketing trends to web design tips.
Aquent's strong presence in the marketing and design communities has forged lasting partnerships with industry leaders and organizations around the world. All Aquent offices participate in local chapter events with groups including the AMA, AIGA and DMI. Aquent's talent blog, Aquent Oracle, and Inside Marketing newsletter keep marketing and design professionals abreast of the latest industry news. Aquent's acclaimed AQUENT | AMA 2009 SURVEY OF MARKETING PROFESSIONALS: COMPENSATION CALCULATOR and the AIGA | AQUENT SURVEY OF DESIGN SALARIES 2008 are highly anticipated, well-respected resources relied on by industry professionals.
For information about Aquent or the AQUENT | AMA 2009 SURVEY OF MARKETING PROFESSIONALS, please visit aquent.com.
About the American Marketing Association
The American Marketing Association (AMA) is the largest marketing association in North America. It is a professional association for individuals and organizations involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide. The AMA is a resource that marketers turn to every day to deepen their marketing expertise and achieve better results for their companies. AMA members are connected to a network of experienced marketers nearly 40,000 strong.
AMA offers highly acclaimed Training Series, professional conferences, and Hot Topic events focused on the immediate needs of marketers, as well as on trends shaping the future. AMA's website, MarketingPower.com, is the everyday connection to marketing data, articles, case studies, best practices, and a career center. Additionally, the AMA is the source for the field's top magazines and journals, including Marketing News. Through local and collegiate chapters, AMA members are connected with the best people and the best practices.
AMA is also the creator of Mplanet, the unparalleled industry event that brings together the world's most creative thinkers, including senior marketing executives, top academicians, and other thought leaders, to share fresh insights, new concepts, the latest research and solutions for the most pressing marketing challenges and opportunities. Mplanet 2009 will take place in Orlando, Florida, January 26-28, 2009.
For more information on the AMA or Mplanet 2009, please visit www.MarketingPower.com.
About The Dihedral Group
Throughout 125 countries around the world, Dihedral has been pioneering conversations on behalf of its clients and collecting insights about these communities. These discussions have led to refined segmentation strategies, sophisticated marketing road maps, focused product portfolios and highly engaged customers and employees.
As modern-day researchers, the available channels for insights may change as our technologies advance, but the scientific rigor, ethical conduct and attention to highly satisfied clients remain steadfast. TDG has a team of consultants with broad industry backgrounds accompanied by highly specialized and very current skill-sets. Clients have retained The Dihedral Group's services on contracts ranging from satisfaction research to psychographics profiling, consumer anticipation studies, statistical modeling/segmentation, independent marketing audits, multi-faceted interactive campaigns, and strategic planning consultations.
To find out more about how TDG can help build stronger ties between your organization and your targeted audience, goto: www.FindTDG.com
