Advertising Sales Executive

As an Advertising Sales Executive you sell advertising space and airtime across a range of media platforms, including print, digital, outdoor, and broadcast channels. You identify potential clients, prepare tailored proposals, and deliver persuasive pitches to businesses looking to promote their products or services. Your working day involves responding to client enquiries, negotiating rates, preparing quotes, and following up to close deals and maintain relationships. You typically work alongside marketing teams, account managers, and media planners, serving clients from small local businesses to large national brands. Employers in Ireland include publishers such as Mediahuis, Wireless Group, and national and regional newspaper and radio groups.

A Leaving Certificate is the typical entry point, with subjects such as Business, English, and Mathematics being particularly useful. Many entrants begin through a QQI Level 5 or 6 PLC course in Sales, Marketing, or Business Studies at a College of Further Education, which provides a practical grounding for the role. An NFQ Level 7 or Level 8 degree in Marketing, Business, or Communications from a technological university or university can strengthen career prospects and open the door to more senior positions. Courses such as Bachelor of Business (Marketing) at TU Dublin or a BA in Marketing at UCC or DCU are commonly taken routes. No statutory registration body governs this occupation, but professional development through bodies such as the Marketing Institute of Ireland is valued by employers. Some entrants come from related fields such as journalism or public relations and move into sales through on-the-job experience.