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Specialist professionals not classified elsewhere

How to become an Advertising Director

Also called: Creative director (advertising)

Leads production teams of advertising designers, copywriters, commercial planners and others at advertising agencies and similar companies to create TV commercials, newspaper advertisements and more.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

To do this job, you join an advertising agency or similar and gain experience as an advertising designer, copywriter, commercial planner or similar in a production team. No particular education or qualification is required to start, but most people hired as advertising designers or copywriters are university graduates. Some move from other advertising agencies. Depending on ability and track record, some are promoted to senior creative director and then to chief creative officer, the head of the production department. You need planning and expressive skills to come up with new ideas, the ability to give clear directions to many staff, the ability to manage budgets and schedules, and presentation skills for clients. You also need the ability to read changing times and the creativity to make content that captures people's hearts.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become an Advertising Director?

To do this job, you join an advertising agency or similar and gain experience as an advertising designer, copywriter, commercial planner or similar in a production team. No particular education or qualification is required to start, but most people hired as advertising designers or copywriters are university graduates. Some move from other advertising agencies. Depending on ability and track record, some are promoted to senior creative director and then to chief creative officer, the head of the production department. You need planning and expressive skills to come up with new ideas, the ability to give clear directions to many staff, the ability to manage budgets and schedules, and presentation skills for clients. You also need the ability to read changing times and the creativity to make content that captures people's hearts.

How much does an Advertising Director earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,833,100 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Specialist professionals not classified elsewhere, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become an Advertising Director?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 67% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of an Advertising Director?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026