Marketing and communications

How to become a marketing specialist

Official title: Marketing specialist

Also called: Marketing strategist, Marketing executive, Marketing assistant, Digital marketing specialist, Content marketing specialist, Social media marketing specialist, SEO marketing specialist

Marketing specialists promote products and services using marketing strategies. They develop and run marketing plans and campaigns.

Main tasks

Use marketing ideas to promote brands
Develop marketing campaigns and materials
Run social media channels
Manage digital ads and promotions
Research customer needs and trends
Track and improve campaign results
Write and design content for websites
Organise events, workshops and webinars

How to become one

You usually need experience to become a marketing specialist and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a New Zealand Diploma in Business (Level 5 or 6) or similar; a Diploma in Digital Marketing (Applied) (Level 7); experience in similar work.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in management and business studies. TEC links this job to study in business and management. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Business, Dip in Business Studies, Cert in Business Studies, Dip in Business, Dip in Commerce. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $61,000 five years after; 61% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in purchasing, warehousing and distribution. TEC links this job to study in other management and commerce studies. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Supply Chain Management, NZ Dip in Supply Chain Management. Usually 6 to 9 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $63,000 a year one year after study; 86% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $66,000 to $135,000 a year (median $89,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $52,000 a year · Upper: $179,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Advertising and Marketing Professionals: 14,256 at the 2018 Census and 19,281 at the 2023 Census (+35.2%). Past change, not a forecast.
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.

Who does this work

About 13,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Advertising and Marketing Professionals, 56% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Advertising and Marketing Professionals work (2023 Census): Auckland 53%, Wellington 11.7%, and Canterbury 11%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a marketing specialist?

How much does a marketing specialist earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $89,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $66,000 to $135,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a marketing specialist grown in New Zealand?

It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a marketing specialist?

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

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026