Advertising Project Management Software Buyers Guide
Last updated: December 06, 2023
Advertising agencies, by way of their basic function, are marketing firms engaged in providing branding/promotional outsourcing functions to their clients – who can range from individual, private contractors to large-scale public organization setups. Because of the ever-increasing ‘publicity complexity’ mediated by a cutthroat branding landscape dealt to them, they have little choice but to resort to a solid project management (PM) software framework to make ends meet.
Now, advertising project management software isn’t restricted in use for only independent service providers and creative agencies; internal marketing teams can also streamline their task management concerns through their deployment.
The online marketplace, as such, comes teeming with legions of project management tools; making choosing the right fit from the lot confusing for even the most seasoned field experts, on occasion (never mind newbie users).
This advertising project management software purchasing guide attempts to alleviate some of this difficulty, demystifying such issues as:
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Our aim is to help you walk away with the best project management system for your budget and promotional needs.
Achieving scale, after all, demands cost efficacy – attaining the biggest ‘bang’ for the lowest ‘buck’ spends – at every turn; something that these new-age workflow tools enable in abundance!
Advertising Project Management Software 101: What Is It?
We’ve already given the conceptual lowdown on what this class of project management tool is all about, but here’s a pithy definition:
An advertising project management system comprises any automated software framework for ideating, executing, receiving stakeholder feedback, and issuing timely revisions on/of creative collateral projects aimed at internal or external/third-party branding.
Creative project management is hardly ever a zero-sum game, with the success of an undertaking normally judged by evaluating the relative proportions of achieved wins versus losses.
The subtlety at play here, which any field vet would readily attest to, practically demands a project management platform for ensuring that no important targets (per the creative KPIs set) get missed.
Among advertising PM tools meant for organizational applications, the three broad tiers offered – with varying price points (discussed, further, in a section below) – are as follows:
- Resource management tools for individual project managers
- Task management aids for small to mid-sized promotional/advertising enterprises
- Project planning tools for large-scale/multi-client and transnational publicity runs
As a potential subscriber, it’s important to correctly identify your exact workflow tier and choose a creative project management software accordingly; since the right pick will likely provide a host of custom task management solutions designed to help execute/oversee workflow nuances with considerable ease.
Why Advertisers Need Dedicated Project Management Tools
Most PM tools available in the industry are generalized, all-purpose affairs. At best, they are designed to automate the basic workflow of pretty much every industry vertical. Their scope of use, however, does not reach very deep/beyond a certain threshold of task complexity. For this purpose, dedicated (turnkey: even better) project management software is typically recommended for dealing with more advanced level, specialized work undertakings.
Creative projects, whether advertisement-oriented or otherwise, are no different in their requirement for custom, ‘beyond the basic rung’, digital work frameworks for getting their objectives met.
The best examples of agency project management software, in fact, take things further – these days – through their intelligent inputs of AI machine input to render task management/project progress tracking even smoother.
These all-in-one-solution setups (the PM tool options we’ve listed below), in addition, cut the extraneous costs usually associated with sidelong/third-party subscriptions meant for each operational facet of the going workflow.
Common Promotional Project Management Tool Features
Advertising PM suites share most of the service features normally found in standard/all-purpose industry work-management programs. These are listed as follows – in addition to the specialized functions that set advertising management software apart from the greater pack.
Key Features of Most Advertising Project Management SoftwareTask Management Features
Resource Management Functions
Financial Management Tools
May be unavailable in some basic-subscription project management software suites. |
This listing is not exhaustive, by any means – as there are a number of outlying service features in different PM tools that lend each of them a competitive standing in the domain.
Picking the Right Advertising Project Management Software
We’ve made this part easy through our experts’ five-point software evaluation criteria given.
For quickly narrowing in on your best advertising PM platform fit, simply weigh each shortlisted contender (your own list; or take our own five recommended picks listed in a coming section) on the framework’s individual testing cues. The tool with the most ticks (✔) wins; your obvious choice for moving ahead with a subscription.
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Advertising Project Management Software Evaluation List
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Your obvious aids for this analysis are our dedicated Software Finder tool profile pages (simply plug in the software name in the search field at the top of this page and click!), complete with crisp product overviews, pricing, demo offers, and user reviews.
If you still need help with the process – make it even quicker – just reach out to us on our dedicated helpline number; our company reps will be happy to match the best tool fit for your workflow needs.
What is advertising project management software pricing like?
Typical paid advertising project management tool pricing figures along the following range (what you can expect to pay – with the bottom range figure corresponding with ‘Starter’, minimum-featured, subscription options):
| $5/month per member to upward of $499/month (for unlimited users) |
If you’re on a budget, you can always opt for the free and/or trial plans on offer by several vendors (but please note that not all developers provision this perk).
To get accurate, custom, plan pricing details and recommendations based on your exact company size and requirements, check out our Project Management Software Pricing Guide for 2023.
Our Top 5 Project Management Software
If you’re completely new to the field/all the advertising agency project management software available, then we strongly recommend you start with one of the following (listed in no order of preference):
- Monday
- ClickUp
- Aha!
- BQE Core
- Wrike
Let’s explore each in some detail.
Monday Software
The project management software offered by Monday is highly comprehensive and suitable for a wide range of industries. With an impressive user interface and powerful features, it can be a valuable tool for any workspace looking to streamline its workflow planning and execution.
Pricing
- Free (starter-friendly)
- Basic: $8*/seat/mo.
- Standard: $10*/seat/mo.
- Pro: $16*/seat/mo.
- Enterprise: Contact Our Helpline to Confirm Pricing (number above)
* Ballpark figures; go to our Monday.com Software Profile Page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your advertising concerns.
Features
Monday.com project management software for advertising comes with an enviable range of workflow streamlining perks including –
- Uniform Projects/Tasks Management (enables project managers to oversee workflows from one dashboard view)
- Client Collaborations (ensure that team workers and project workflows are all aligned with changing client expectations)
- Worker/Client Requests Management (allows managers to receive and resolve their teams’/clients’ requisitions in record time!)
Pros/Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy, crisp, interface; excellent for non-techies/busy managers | Customer Service Lags |
| Calendar integrations – ensure timely workflow processing | |
| Cost-Competitive; Affordable |
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Clickup Software
ClickUp is an excellent choice for advertising teams who need to organize their document management, time-tracking, team communication, and workflow-related tasks in a single platform.
Pricing
- Free Plan (for beginners)
- Unlimited: $5*/mo.
- Business: $12*/mo.
- Business Plus: $19*/mo.
- Enterprise: Contact Our Helpline to Confirm Pricing (number above)
* Ballpark figures; go to our ClickUp Software profile page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your creative team.
Features
This web-/cloud-based SaaS powerhouse provides –
- Customizable templates (with editable fields for budget, dollars spent, remaining budget, and more)
- State-of-the-art Gantt Charts (allowing project managers to track time and monitor their project progress with a bird’s eye view of each process)
- Task management functions (equipped with automatic data population and real-time updates; enable users to create quick to-do lists to ensure they're on top of the game!)
Pros/Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly customizable project management templates (perfect for busy professionals) | Limited integration options with third-party services |
| Intuitive, user-friendly interface (suited for non-techie workers) | |
| One-page, centralized document storage & collaboration (for uniform, concurrent firm workflows) |
Aha Software
Aha! is a cloud-based project management software designed for advertising/creative teams. It is highly recommended and consistently ranked as one of the best PM tools on different review platforms. It is a great addition to the workflow processing arsenal of any promotional enterprise.
Pricing
- Premium: $59*/user/mo.
- Enterprise: $99*/user/mo.
- Enterprise+: $149*/user/mo.
* Ballpark figures; go to our Aha Software Profile Page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your marketing enterprise.
Features
Aha! Project management software features suited for advertisers include –
- Start-to-Finish Project Tracking (allows senior managers to monitor their complete firm workflows and budget spending; for addressing any weak links)
- Real-Time Team/Stakeholder Collaborations (to address team and client feedback/reviews instantly – proceed accordingly)
- Powerful Reporting (for constant KPIs/metrics monitoring)
Pros/Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Engaging/Interactive Project Roadmap Views | May be a little expensive |
| Stellar Customizations | |
| Easy Onboarding |
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BQE Core
BQE Core is a comprehensive project management tool that helps advertising managers keep track of time, assign tasks, and generate an 'Earned Value Report'. This report compares the budgeted work with the completed billable work and provides accurate data. Using this tool, marketing personnel can now strategize their projects more efficiently and achieve their goals more effectively.
Pricing
- Starting at $7.95* per user per month
* Ballpark figure; go to our BQE Core Software profile page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your advertising business.
Features
BQE Core is designed to automate every repetitive workflow process – with a view to ensuring higher rates of deliverable turnovers and less time wasted on managing software entries. The platform’s
- Agile Dashboards (equipped for one-page task/process/workflow appraisals; ideal for labored managers looking for a quick overview of their ongoing work concerns)
- Project Profitability Checks (train project managers to think like business owners; ensuring efficient and timely resource allocations, via an accounting software plug-in, for the best budgetary utilization)
- Interactive Gantt Chart & Kanban Boards (enable instant course corrections/pivots through real-time monitoring of vital project metrics)
features, among other functions, virtually guarantee project success for critically intensive undertakings.
Pros/Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Deemed ‘very user-friendly’ by using managers | A bit expensive compared to alternative subscriptions; onboarding difficulties. |
| Real-time, cloud-based, collaborations – glitch-free! | |
| Real-time Data-Tracking |
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Wrike Software
Wrike is a cloud-based project management platform that helps advertising teams of 20+ collaborate, create, and exceed their goals. It has a simple user experience and interface with automated workflow planning, data visualization, resource allocation, and more.
Pricing
- Free
- Team: $9.80*; for scaling teams
- Business: $24.80*; suited for standard departmental users
- Enterprise: For large teams (contact our helpline to get custom pricing)
- Pinnacle: For large teams with complex workflows (contact to get pricing)
* Ballpark figures; go to our Wrike Software profile page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your advertising workflow.
Features
Wrike's top 3 features make it an ideal choice for marketing professionals –
- Visual Proofing & Publishing (with Wrike's visual proofing and publishing tools, advertisers can easily review and approve creative assets in real time. This helps ensure that all projects are completed on time and with high-quality results)
- Automated Approvals (the platform's automated approval feature allows advertisers to quickly green-light tasks without having to manually review them each time. This saves time and effort, allowing teams to focus on more important things)
- Creative Integrations (Wrike's creative integrations allow teams to collaborate in real-time on one platform, making it easy to share ideas, brainstorm solutions, and get feedback from other team members quickly and efficiently)
Pros/Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable | Files/conversation threads tracking is difficult |
| User-friendly | |
| Friendly/Interactive customer support |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What is agency project management software?
Agency project management software is a tool designed to help agencies manage their projects more efficiently. It helps to streamline the process of planning, scheduling, resource allocation, and tracking progress on multiple projects at once.
Q. What is advertising project management?
Advertising project management is a process of planning, controlling, and executing advertising campaigns to achieve a specific advertising objective. It involves the use of various project management methodologies to organize and coordinate all the activities involved in creating and executing an advertising campaign, from conceptualizing an ad idea to measuring its success.
Q. What is advertising agency software?
Advertising agency software is a type of technology solution designed to help advertising agencies manage their operations more efficiently. These software applications are specifically designed to address the unique needs of advertising agencies, providing tools for managing client projects, collaboration, creative development, media planning, and other agency-specific activities.
Q. How do agencies manage projects?
There are several common project management methodologies and best practices that advertising agencies may use to manage their projects efficiently:
Define the project scope – Clear project scopes help determine the work involved, deliverables, timelines, and budgets required for a project. It helps keep everyone aligned on the scope of work, and everyone's roles and responsibilities.
Assign a project team – Assigning the correct team member to carry out a specific task in the project is integral to successful project management.
Breakdown goals & tasks into milestones – Breaking down tasks into smaller milestones sets the path to achieving a particular goal within the project, creating a sense of direction, and providing clear signposts of progress along the way.
Determine project timelines and deadlines – Assigning project timelines and deadlines create time frames for each milestone that ensure project delivery within set timelines.
Use a project management tool – There are different project management tools that enable the team to plan the project, allocate resources, track progress, and manage risks effectively. Tools like Wrike, Asana, Trello, and Basecamp can become so integral to project management that some agencies may even build internal workflows and processes around them.
Create comprehensive communication practices – Clear and comprehensive communication between the team, stakeholders, and clients helps ensure everyone is kept up to date and there are no surprises, preventing delays, hiccups, or miscommunications that can slow down projects or damage relationships.
Monitor & Review – Regularly monitor project progress to help identify problems or challenges that may arise on the project. Adjust resources, timelines, and tasks as required to get back the project back on track.
By employing these methodologies and best practices, advertising agencies can manage their projects effectively and efficiently and deliver strong results for their clients.
Q. What key features should a good creative agency project management software have?
A good agency project management software should have key features such as task and resource management, collaboration tools, reporting and analytics, time tracking, budgeting and forecasting, project scheduling, document sharing and storage, customer relationship management (CRM), and integration with other business systems.
Final Note
We understand that choosing the right project management software can be overwhelming for both new and experienced managers due to the numerous options available online.
Don't worry, we are here to assist you.
Simply contact our helpline executives at (661) 384-7070 for fast, free, and uncomplicated recommendations for project management software specific to your needs.
We'll handle everything and get you subscribed to the ideal software for you in no time.
