Will AI replace Advertising Sales Agents?
AI can do 95% of the work Advertising Sales Agents do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 3 of their 20 tasks, while 16 more are ready but barely used so far. 1 still needs a person.
AI is already doing this3 · 20% of time
People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.
- Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.Mostly automated14% of time
- Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.Mostly automated6% of time
- Write sales outlines for use by staff.Mostly automatedunder 1% of time
AI could do this next16 · 75% of time
AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.
- Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.14% of time
- Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.12% of time
- Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts.7% of time
- Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.6% of time
- Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer.6% of time
- Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.5% of time
- Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval.4% of time
- Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.4% of time
- Consult with company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies to develop promotional plans.4% of time
- Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.2% of time
- Inform customers of available options for advertisement artwork, and provide samples.2% of time
- Determine advertising medium to be used, and prepare sample advertisements within the selected medium for presentation to customers.2% of time
- Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them.2% of time
- Write copy as part of layout.1% of time
- Gather all relevant material for bid processes, and coordinate bidding and contract approval.1% of time
- Arrange for commercial taping sessions, and accompany clients to sessions.1% of time
Still needs a person1 · 5% of time
No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.
- Attend sales meetings, industry trade shows, and training seminars to gather information, promote products, expand network of contacts, and increase knowledge.5% of time
Your week is not the average
Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.
What this means
AI can already do almost all of this work at least twice as fast. Real use is still behind at 19 out of 100, so the change here is only getting started. Expect the role to shift toward deciding what to do, checking AI's work and owning the result.
What to do next
- Do the 3 tasks AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
- Get ahead on the 16 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
- Build on the 1 task that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
Related jobs
Get the weekly brief
One short email a week on how AI is changing work, including jobs like this one.