A senior Marketing Manager on a A$150,000 salary costs approximately A$168,000 a year once 12% superannuation is included.
A senior Marketing Manager on a A$150,000 salary costs approximately A$168,000 a year once 12% superannuation is included. That is before recruitment, software, tools, equipment or additional specialist support.
The calculation is simple:
| Cost | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Base salary | A$150,000 |
| Superannuation at 12% | A$18,000 |
| Salary plus super | A$168,000 |
Australia's super guarantee rate is 12%. The Australian Taxation Office confirms the rate applied from 1 July 2025.
A$168,000 is a useful starting point, not the total cost of building a functioning marketing capability.
Salary varies by location, industry, company size, team responsibility and the depth of experience required. "Marketing Manager" can describe anything from a hands-on coordinator with a broader title to a senior operator responsible for strategy, budget and multiple suppliers.
The Brand Aid uses A$150,000 as an indicative senior Marketing Manager benchmark in its homepage comparison. It should not be treated as a universal market rate. Employers should benchmark the actual role and location. The Robert Walters 2026 Salary Guide draws on more than 100,000 advertised roles in Australia and New Zealand and provides role-specific salary ranges.
If you need someone to own a complex function, manage agencies, report to leadership and still work on the tools, compare against the senior end of the market rather than the cheapest person carrying the title.
The real employment decision includes more than payroll.
Whether you recruit directly or use an external recruiter, leadership time goes into defining the role, reviewing candidates, interviewing and onboarding. A vacancy can also leave work stalled or sitting with the founder.
Full-time employees receive four weeks of annual leave under Australia's National Employment Standards. Full-time employees also receive paid personal and carer's leave. These are normal and important employment entitlements, but the business still needs a continuity plan while the employee is away. See Fair Work Ombudsman's annual leave guidance.
Depending on the role, the stack might include CRM, email marketing, social scheduling, analytics, design, stock assets, project management, research, automation and reporting tools.
One Marketing Manager is still one person. They may need external expertise for media buying, SEO, development, design, video, photography, PR, marketing automation or major campaigns.
If the Marketing Manager does not have experienced marketing leadership above them, the CEO or founder can become the default approver, prioritiser and problem solver. That cost does not appear in payroll, but it is often the one leadership feels most.
Many businesses write a role that quietly combines six jobs:
A strong generalist can cover a broad range, but there are limits. When one hire is expected to lead, manage and produce every channel, either priorities narrow or quality drops.
The problem is not the employee. It is the operating model.
The Brand Aid's Fractional Marketing Manager support starts from A$4,000 per month, or A$48,000 a year at the starting level.
It is designed for businesses doing A$500,000 or more in annual revenue that already have relatively clear priorities and someone internally who can make decisions. A dedicated, hands-on marketer works inside the business to keep those priorities moving and execution on track.
The value is flexibility and speed. The trade-offs are capacity and management. A Fractional Marketing Manager is not a full-time employee, the scope must match the time available, and your business remains responsible for direction and priority setting. CMO oversight and included specialist team support are not part of this leanest offer.
The Brand Aid's Mini Marketing Team starts from A$6,000 per month, or A$72,000 a year.
It includes a dedicated Marketing Manager owning the day to day, senior oversight and the specialist support needed to keep the work moving. This is the option for businesses that need someone to run the marketing, not just do the tasks.
Using the A$150,000 salary example:
| Model | Indicative annual starting cost | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Marketing Manager | A$168,000 salary plus 12% super | One employee and their core skill set |
| Mini Marketing Team | A$72,000 | Marketing management, day-to-day execution, senior oversight and specialist support |
| Indicative year-one difference | A$96,000 | Before recruitment, software, tools or extra specialists |
This is a like-for-like illustration of the homepage comparison, not a claim that every Brand Aid offering costs less than one hire.
Full Brand Aid starts from A$18,000 per month, or A$216,000 a year. It can combine CMO leadership, marketing management, design, digital, paid media, SEO, AI visibility, content and website capability around the work. Its fair comparison is the cost of building and managing a multi-skill marketing department, not the cost of one Marketing Manager.
The Surge is project-based and priced to scope. It brings in short-term, senior-led capability for a launch, campaign, rebrand, website or other high-intensity project. It should be compared with the cost of resourcing a defined outcome, not with annual employment.
The cheapest line item is not automatically the best decision.
An employee can be the best value when there is enough ongoing work for a permanent role and the business can support them well.
A specialist agency can be the best value when the problem sits in one channel and someone inside the business can manage the relationship.
A Fractional Marketing Manager can be the best value when the priorities are clear and the immediate need is experienced execution with lower fixed overhead.
A Mini Marketing Team can be the better value when the business also needs marketing management, senior oversight and specialist support. Full Brand Aid becomes the relevant comparison when the need is a complete function rather than one person.
The right comparison is:
What capability will the business have, what work will actually get done, and who will be accountable for moving it?
Ask these questions before approving a role:
If the role description reads like an entire department, price the department. Then compare it with a flexible team model on the same basis.
Nothing changes if nothing changes.