Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations

Welcome to the Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Industry!

Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations cover a broad range of career pathways from designing advertising campaigns, creating marketing plans for business, products, or events, gathering market research, and creative & explanatory writing.

The UCLA Career Center is committed to providing information and resources for you to make an informed decision about your career. Below, you will find the following about various fields within the industry:

Details about career pathways
Key transferable skills relevant to entry-level positions in each industry
Average compensation
Entry level job titles to begin your search

You will also see details about majors that are most directly related to the industry. However, contrary to the idea that your major defines your career, your major is only one of the many components that will contribute to your post graduate aspirations. Your UCLA degree is designed to train you with transferrable skills that will make you marketable in a wide variety of industries and careers.

Advertising & Marketing
Advertising and marketing professionals work with in-house stakeholders or outside clients to understand their brand approach and determine the best way to raise public awareness about their products and services. Advertising and Marketing professionals have a wide range of job duties from market research & competitor analysis, to client consultation & account management, to graphic design & creative marketing.

The Advertising & Marketing Industry offers excellent opportunities for students in various majors such as Business Economics, Marketing, Communication, Public Relations, Psychology, Sociology, and English, among others.

Valuable transferrable skills for the Advertising & Marketing industry:
- - Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  - Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  - Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  - Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  - Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  - Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  - Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  - Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems
Compensation averages (According to US Dept. of Labor, 2022)
- In the US, entry level professionals on average earn $95,290. 10% earn $55,590 or less. 10% of earn $167,650 or more.
- In California, entry level professionals on average earn $85,010. 10% earn $60,590 or less. 10% earn $167,680 or more.Entry-level job titles in this field include advertising sales coordinator, junior copywriter, assistant art director, assistant media planner, assistant research executive or assistant account manager.
  Interested in learning more? See pages for “Advertising & Promotions Managers”  or “Marketing Managers” on the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Network (O*NET)
Public Relations
Public relations professionals work in a wide variety of industries to create and maintain a positive public image for the clients they represent. Public relations professionals can work for organizations, schools, individuals, or for a PR firm among other work settings.

Public relations specialists write press releases and contact people in the media who might print or broadcast their material. Many radio or television special reports, newspaper stories, and magazine articles start at the desks of public relations specialists. For example, a press release might describe a public issue, such as health, energy, or the environment, and what an organization does concerning that issue.

Public relations specialists are different from advertisers in that they get their stories covered by media instead of purchasing ad space in publications and on television.

The field of Public Relations offers opportunities for students in various majors such as Business, Marketing, Communication, Public Relations, Psychology, Sociology, and English, among others.Valuable Transferrable Skills for Public Relations Professionals
- Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
- Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
- Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
- Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
- Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacle
- Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
- Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
- Information Gathering — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
- Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.Compensation averages (According to US Dept. of Labor, 2022)In the US, Public Relations Professionals earn $75,600 on average. 10% earn $38,630 or less, 10% earn$128,450 or more.In California, Public Relations Professionals earn $75,600 on average. 10% earn $43,750 or less, 10% earn $150,700 or more.Entry-Level Job Titles in Public Relations include: Communications Specialist, Community Relations Coordinator, Corporate Communications Specialist, Information and Communications Specialist, Media Relations Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Public Information Officer, Public Information Specialist, Public Relations Coordinator (PR Coordinator), Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist)