Advertising Manager

SC AQUARIUM•Charleston, SC

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

The primary focus of this position is to lead the development, execution and optimization of the Aquarium’s paid advertising strategy to drive attendance, revenue and audience growth. The Advertising Manager is responsible for advertising planning, media placement, performance analysis, strategic partnerships, and grant-funded tourism marketing initiatives across local, drive-market, and emerging audiences. Success in this role requires strategic thinking, strong analytical skills, project management expertise, and the ability to collaborate across departments and external partners.

Requirements

Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret campaign performance data and translate insights into actionable recommendations
Experience with a broad range of advertising platforms (digital and traditional), audience targeting, campaign measurement, and marketing analytics tools
Demonstrated ability to manage budgets and maximize return on marketing investments
Exceptional organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain external partnerships, including tourism-related agencies and attractions
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business or a related field
Minimum of five (5) years of experience in paid advertising, marketing strategy or audience development
Experience managing multi-channel paid media campaigns and external vendor or agency partnerships

Nice To Haves

Personal commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship preferred
Experience in nonprofit, cultural institution, tourism, aquarium or zoo settings is a plus

Responsibilities

Drive measurable growth in attendance, membership acquisition, event sales, and other earned revenue streams through strategic advertising investments
Lead cross-functional planning and coordination of the marketing and advertising plan, ensuring goals are achieved within approved budgets
Implement and optimize a data-driven paid advertising strategy. Monitor cost-per-acquisition, return on ad spend (ROAS), conversion performance, and other key metrics to optimize marketing spend
Manage evergreen and campaign-based advertising placements and maintain strong advertising partner relationships
Identify and evaluate new market opportunities, audience segments, and media channels to expand awareness and visitation
Serve as the primary liaison for external advertising and digital marketing agencies, establishing priorities, managing deliverables, evaluating performance, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals
Negotiate and manage advertising and vendor contracts, including scope, deliverables and cost control
Utilize audience data, visitor insights, and market research to inform advertising strategy and media planning
Develop and refine ad copy and calls-to-action to maximize performance across audiences, channels and market trends
Create and adapt social media advertising campaigns using established brand templates, ensuring visual consistency, audience alignment and effectiveness across platforms
Collaborate with Strategic Communications and Creative teams to develop integrated marketing and promotional campaigns
Partner with the Creative Lead to conceptualize, plan and execute promotional photoshoots that support paid advertising campaigns and align with brand and audience objectives
Serve as the primary point of contact for hospitality ATAX and SCPRT grants, overseeing applications, implementation, compliance and reporting for City, County and State programs
Manage the strategy, budget and procurement of branded promotional materials to meet departmental needs and ensure alignment with established brand standards
Oversee maintenance of physical signage throughout the Charleston area, including wayfinding and banners
Coordinate special projects as assigned by the Chief Marketing Officer
Comply with all South Carolina Aquarium policies and procedures
Build and maintain strategic tourism, hospitality, media, and community partnerships that expand audience reach and support visitation goals
Identify co-op marketing opportunities and value-added promotional partnerships that increase awareness while maximizing advertising investments
Collaborate with the Public Relations Specialist to identify, secure and manage influencer and content creator partnerships, including negotiating paid media and appearance opportunities
Expand and diversify audiences through strategic partnerships, targeted advertising and inclusive representation in paid media
Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with new and existing vendors
Represent the Aquarium at select networking events and industry conferences
Perform additional duties as assigned