The gap between salary, expectations and reality.
Salary has become one of the biggest talking points in marketing hiring.
Candidates are asking for more.
Businesses are trying to do more with less.
And somewhere in the middle sits a gap that is making hiring slower, more difficult, and, in many cases, unsuccessful.
After years working in global marketing recruitment, I’ve found that salary itself is rarely the biggest issue. More often than not, it’s the disconnect between what businesses expect from a role and what they’re prepared to invest that creates the challenge.
It’s a conversation that happens behind almost every hiring brief, but rarely makes it into the job description.
Expectations have evolved – but budgets haven’t always kept pace
Marketing has changed significantly over the last few years.
Today’s marketers are expected to be commercially minded, data-driven, creatively strong, technically capable, and able to influence stakeholders across the business.
Depending on the role, they may also be expected to understand AI, automation, CRM, paid media, SEO, content strategy, analytics, brand, social media, and customer experience.
That’s a huge amount to ask of one person.
Yet many businesses are still benchmarking salaries against what those roles looked like three or four years ago rather than what they’re expected to deliver today.
The result is a mismatch between the level of expertise required and the salary being offered.
The strongest candidates know their value
One of the biggest shifts I’ve noticed is that experienced marketing professionals are much more informed about the market. They understand what similar roles are paying, what skills are in demand, and what opportunities are available to them.
Salary is still important, but it rarely sits in isolation.
The best candidates are also considering:
- Career progression
- Leadership opportunities
- Flexibility and hybrid working
- Company culture
- Purpose and impact
- Learning and development
- The opportunity to influence business decisions
When these factors are strong, candidates may be willing to be flexible.
When they’re missing, salary often becomes the deciding factor.
Hiring managers aren’t just buying experience
One of the most common conversations I have with clients is around expectations.
A brief may call for someone who has built marketing functions from scratch, managed international campaigns, led teams, improved performance, and delivered commercial growth.
They’re looking for someone who can make an immediate impact.
But those candidates have spent years building that experience.
Naturally, they expect a package that reflects the value they can bring.
The reality is simple: expecting senior-level impact while offering a mid-level salary significantly reduces the available talent pool.
The hidden cost of waiting
Holding out for the “perfect” candidate at the “perfect” salary can often become more expensive than increasing the budget in the first place.
Every month a critical marketing role remains vacant can mean delayed campaigns, reduced growth, stretched teams, missed commercial opportunities, and additional pressure on existing employees.
Sometimes the conversation shouldn’t be, “Can we afford to increase the salary?”
It should be, “What is this vacancy costing the business while it remains unfilled?”
Looking at hiring through that lens often changes the discussion entirely.
Candidates also need realistic expectations
This isn’t only a conversation for employers.
Candidates also benefit from understanding where the market is today.
Salary expectations should reflect the complete picture: experience, measurable impact, leadership capability, technical expertise, and the complexity of the role.
While confidence is important, the candidates who consistently secure the best opportunities are those who can clearly demonstrate the value behind the number they’re asking for.
The strongest salary negotiations are backed by evidence, not assumption.
Closing the gap
The most successful hiring processes are built on transparency.
That means being honest about the budget from the outset, defining what success looks like, and understanding which skills are essential versus desirable.
When expectations and investment are aligned early, conversations become easier, recruitment moves faster, and both businesses and candidates are far more likely to find the right long-term fit.
Final thought
Salary will always be an important part of hiring, but it shouldn’t be viewed in isolation.
Behind almost every difficult salary conversation is a wider discussion about value, expectations, and impact.
The businesses that attract and retain the best marketing talent aren’t always those offering the highest salaries. They’re the ones that understand the market, communicate openly, and align what they’re asking for with what they’re prepared to invest.
For candidates, it’s about recognising and articulating the value you bring. For hiring managers, it’s about ensuring expectations match reality.
When those two things come together, hiring becomes far more successful.
If you’re hiring marketing talent, or you’re a marketing professional navigating today’s market, I’d love to hear your perspective.
Have you noticed the gap between salary expectations and reality widening over the last few years?
Reach out to me at [email protected] if you’d like to continue the conversation.
Next in the Behind the Brief series: What hiring managers sometimes don’t realise they are asking for.