Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Management and business operations / 11-2021.00

Marketing Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.

US jobs
395,240
Median wage
$166,790 a year
Job family
Management and business operations

Can agents do the work of marketing managers?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Management and business operations:

  • Task levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. On TheAgentCompany, which gives agents workplace tasks inside a simulated software company, the best agent resolves 42.9% of tasks (a November 2025 result). No task-level benchmark in our collection maps directly to management or business operations.
  • Project levelPartialMixed. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, and the best agent passes 73.5% of APEX-Agents tasks on the first try. Running a business is weaker: on Vending-Bench 2 the best model ends a simulated year with $15,515, about a quarter of Andon Labs' estimate for a good strategy.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in management and business operations, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers.
  • Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends.
  • Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
  • Direct the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily activities.
  • Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.
  • Develop pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction.
  • Initiate market research studies, or analyze their findings.
  • Compile lists describing product or service offerings.
  • Consult with product development personnel on product specifications, such as design, color, or packaging.
  • Recommend modifications to products, packaging, production processes, or other characteristics to improve the environmental soundness or sustainability of products.
  • Conduct economic or commercial surveys to identify potential markets for products or services.
  • Coordinate or participate in promotional activities or trade shows, working with developers, advertisers, or production managers, to market products or services.
Other job titles for this occupation (32)

BD Director (Business Development Director) · BD Manager (Business Development Manager) · Brand Manager · Market Development Executive · Market Development Manager · Marketing Communications Manager · Marketing Coordinator · Marketing Director · Product Manager · Product Marketing Manager · Business Developer · Category Manager · Channel Manager · Commercial Director · Digital Marketing Manager · Digital Product Manager · Internet Marketing Manager · Market Analysis Director · Market Research Manager · Marketing Administrator (Marketing Admin) · Marketing Executive · Marketing Officer · Marketing Operations Director (Marketing Ops Director) · Marketing Product Manager · Marketing Sales Supervisor · Media Marketing Director · Membership Director · Product Development Manager · Product Line Manager (PLM) · Product Management Director · Sales Marketing Director · Sustainable Products Marketing Manager