Managing combined marketing and promotional programs — brand campaigns, sales promotions, partnerships, sometimes events. Common at consumer brands and retailers, with the role spanning longer-term marketing work and the shorter-cycle promotional calendar that drives near-term traffic.
The work involves managing both a brand's ongoing marketing activities and its promotional calendar — the sale events, limited-time offers, partnership activations, and seasonal campaigns that drive near-term traffic and sales. The dual scope means operating in two different time horizons simultaneously: building the brand for the long term while executing the promotional drumbeat that keeps this quarter's numbers moving.
At consumer brands and retailers, the promotional calendar is often the dominant rhythm of the year. Planning starts months ahead — promotional offers have to be built into inventory, priced, communicated across channels, and coordinated with retail partners if the brand sells through them. The marketing side of the role shapes the context around those promotions: how the brand is positioned, what messages the campaigns carry beyond the discount, how each activation builds toward or detracts from the brand's perceived value over time.
The creative-to-analytical ratio shifts in this role compared to pure brand marketing. Promotions are measurable — conversion rates, redemption rates, incremental sales. Brand managers here are often expected to track and report on promotional effectiveness alongside managing the creative and channel work.
An honest look at who tends to thrive in this role — and who might find it challenging.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Managing combined marketing and promotional programs — brand campaigns, sales promotions, partnerships, sometimes events. Common at consumer brands and retailers, with the role spanning longer-term marketing work and the shorter-cycle promotional calendar that drives near-term traffic.
Median pay for a Marketing and Promotions Manager is about $127K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $63K to $208K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and Reading Comprehension.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 2.2% through 2034, with roughly 21,100 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Marketing Director, Marketing And Promotions Coordinator, and World Trade and Maritime Division Manager.
Truest gives you tools to understand your strengths, explore roles that fit, and plan your next move.
Explore Truest career tools