YOUR CAREER IN MARKETING
(August 2011)
There’s a
Place for You in Marketing!
Why pursue a career
in marketing? One good reason is the
unusually large variety of job opportunities that are available. Marketing is a broad field offering many different
career paths - from advertising, selling, marketing research, and developing
websites on the Internet. In addition,
continual expansion and ongoing changes in the global marketing environment are
opening more opportunities for marketing jobs here and in other countries. And if you enjoy customer contact - with
consumers or with businesses - a job in marketing is the place for you!
Important links
regarding positions and salaries in marketing:
Sources: This
document is a word-for-word compilation from the following sources: (1) Perreault, Cannon, and McCarthy (2011), Basic Marketing,
Irwin-McGraw Hill, 681-695; (2) Boone
& Kurtz (2012), Contemporary Marketing, South-Western, A-1 to A-18;
(3) Nichels
and Wood (1997), Marketing, Worth, A-1 to A-10; (4) Solomon and Stuart (1997), Marketing,
Prentice-Hall, 721-727; (5) Kotler and Armstrong (1997), Marketing,
Prentice-Hall, A-9 to A-16; (6) Etzel, Walker, and Stanton (1997), Marketing,
Irwin-McGraw Hill, B-1 to B-14; (7) Kotler and Armstrong (1999), Principles of Marketing,
Prentice Hall, A-16 to A-27; (8) Lamb,
Hair and McDaniel (2000), Marketing, South-Western, 715-716; (9) Kerin, Hartley, and
Rudelius (2011), Marketing the Core,
McGraw-Hill Irwin, 424-433, (10) Zikmund and d’Amico (2001), Marketing,
South-Western, 626-630, and (11) Grewal and Levy
(2012), Marketing, McGraw-Hill Irwin.
There Are Many Marketing Jobs…And You Can Create Your Own
The most exciting aspect of marketing may be the possibility of creating your own job: you can "find a need and fill it." By filling an unmet need, you can prosper as an entrepreneur/marketer - this may be as simple as giving massages in malls to weary shoppers or as complex as creating new software for helping companies to invest or opening a hot dog stand at the flea market. As long as there are individuals or groups with needs, there will be a need for new marketers.
There are many
interesting and challenging jobs for those with marketing training. You may not know it, but 60 percent of
graduating college students take their initial job in
a sales, marketing, or customer service position regardless of their stated
major. So, you will have a head
start because you have been studying marketing, and companies are always
looking for people who already have skills in place. The sky is the limit for those who enter the
sales and marketing profession prepared for the future!
Starting salaries in
marketing compare favorably with many other fields. They are lower than those in such fields as
computer science and electrical engineering where college graduates are
currently in demand. However, marketing
jobs open to college-level students do pay well. According to the most recent salary surveys
from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (2011) marketing graduates
were being offered starting salaries around $40,000, with a range from $25,000
to more than $60,000. Students with a
master’s in marketing averaged about $60,000; those with an MBA averaged about
$75,000. Starting salaries can vary
considerably, depending on your background, experience, and location. The American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries
ranks the median income of marketers number 10 in a
list of 125 professions. Marketing also
supplies about 50 percent of the people who achieve senior management ranks.
Of the many career
paths chosen by business graduates, marketing is the single largest employment
category in the U.S. labor force, and job growth in the field is expected to
accelerate. The U.S. Bureau of Labor
reports that employment of advertising, marketing, promotions, public
relations, and sales managers is expected to grow at a rate of 12 percent
through 2016, spurred by intense domestic and global competition in products
and services offered to consumers. Every
successful organization - profit-seeking or not-for-profit - recognizes the
necessity of effective marketing for accomplishing its goals of providing
customer satisfaction by hiring highly motivated, professionally educated
marketing specialists to design and implement these customer-driven programs.
There is even better
opportunity for personal growth, variety, and income in many marketing
positions. Besides salary, job applicants frequently focus on additional
benefits such as the opportunity for professional growth and family-friendly
organizations that offer high quality of life. While compensation is always an issue,
employees want to feel recognized for their achievements, be assigned
new responsibilities, and work in continuous-learning environments. In addition, many companies recognize the
importance of loyalty and now offer employees an equity stake in the
company.
How far and fast your
career and income rise above the starting level, however, depends on many
factors - including your willingness to work, how well you get along with
people, and your individual abilities.
But most of all, it depends on getting
results - individually and through other people. And this is where many marketing jobs offer
the newcomer great opportunities. It is
possible to show initiative, ability, creativity, and judgment in marketing
jobs. And some young people move up very
rapidly in marketing. Some even end up
at the top in large companies - or as owners of their own businesses.
Because marketing is
so vital to a firm’s survival, many companies look for people with training and
experience in marketing when filling key executive positions. In general, chief executive officers for the
nation’s largest corporations are more likely to have backgrounds in marketing
and distribution than in other fields such as production, finance, and
engineering. In terms of upward
mobility, more CEOs have come from the sales and marketing side than all other
fields combined. Marketing supplies
about 50 percent of the people who achieve senior management ranks.
A survey by executive
recruiter Korn/Ferry International revealed that the best route to the top
of the corporate ladder begins in a company’s marketing division: Three of every eight CEOs are chosen from a company’s
marketing division because the growing global economy demands proven market
leaders in winning the fight to increase their firms’ worldwide market
shares. Finance, which had long
dominated as the top career path for senior executives, fell to third place,
and executives who had completed international assignments – many of the
assignments being marketing related – came in second.
An encouraging trend
in marketing job choices is the increased diversity of the job market. Ethnic minorities and women of all races have
increased their presence and will continue to do so. While the battle of equality is not over yet,
there has been progress for women, African-Americans, and Hispanic
Americans. According to the Small
Business Administration, women are starting small firms at twice the rate of
males. Women-owned businesses in the
United States employ more people than all of the Fortune 500 companies
combined. However, employment of
African-Americans and Hispanics in marketing is not proportionate with their
shares of the total population.
Marketing is where
the action is! In the final analysis, a firm’s success or
failure depends on the effectiveness of its marketing program. This does not mean the other functional areas
are not important. It merely reflects
the fact that a firm will not have much need for accountants, finance people,
production managers, and so on if it cannot successfully meet customers’ needs
and sell its products.
You may choose a
career in marketing. Marketing-related occupations account for 25
to 30 percent of the jobs in the typical highly industrialized nations. History has shown that the demand for
effective marketers is not affected by cyclical economic fluctuations. For example, social media expertise is one of
the hottest skills in demand; 19 percent of marketing and advertising
executives (2011) plan to hire in this area.
Other in-demand skills include media services, account services, and
brand/product management.
To help you
in finding your right job or career, the following topics are
provided:
1.
How
to Choose a Career
2.
How
to Succeed in Marketing
3.
Where
Are Marketing Career Opportunities and Jobs?
4.
A
Description of Marketing Positions
5.
Additional
Sources of Career Information
How to Choose a Career
One of the most
significant decisions you will ever make is choosing a career. This career decision will influence your
future happiness, self-fulfillment, and well-being. Yet, unfortunately, career decisions often
seem to be based on insufficient information, analysis, and evaluation of
alternatives.
Early in the
career-decision process, everyone should spend some time in introspection. Introspection is the process of looking into
yourself and honestly assessing what you want and what you have to offer. Let us look briefly at what this involves.
What Do You Want? Perhaps this question would be better worded
as, “What is important to me in my life?” or “What do I like?” To answer these broad questions, you must
answer several more specific ones, such as the following:
· Do you want your
career to be the main event in your life?
Or, do you see a career only as the means of financing leisure-time
activities?
· How important are
money and other financial rewards?
· How important are the
social surroundings, climate, and other aspects of the environment in which you
live?
· Would you prefer to
work for a large company or a small organization?
· Would you prefer
living and working in a small town or in an urban area?
· Are you willing to
relocate to another part of the country?
How often would you be willing to move?
· How important is the
social prestige of your career?
· Do you prefer work
that is evenly paced or occasionally hectic?
How do you deal with the pressure of deadlines?
· Do you need tangible
signs of results on a job to feel fulfilled?
· Do you prefer to work
alone or as part of a team?
Another way to
approach the question of what you want from a career is to identify - in
writing - your goals in life. List
both your intermediate-term goals (3 to 5 years from now) and your long-term
goals (10 years or more). By the way,
writing down your goals is correlated more highly with obtaining these goals
compared to not writing them down.
Still another
approach is to simply describe yourself in some
detail. By writing a description of your
personality, likes and dislikes, and hopes and fears, you may be able to
identify various careers that would (and would not) fit your self-image. Also, remember that your professors and the
Career Planning and Placement Center (with its extensive career-oriented
website) are available to help you with this self-identification process.
What Can You Offer? Next, you need to identify in some detail
your strong and weak points. Why
would anyone want to hire you? What
skills have you developed? What
experience - work, education, volunteer, extracurricular activities - do you
have that might be attractive to prospective employers? Do you have good work habits such as showing
up on time ready to work, dressing appropriately, being respectful to other
individuals, etc.?
An important
consideration is your work experience.
Employers are less concerned with where you have worked than they are
with the initiative you demonstrate in finding a job and your performance on
the job. To gain some exposure to what goes on in business, consider a job with
a temporary help agency. Manpower Inc.,
for example, employs 100,000 people in the summer. Another option is an internship. Many students make an extra effort to find an
internship in the summer before their last year of college. Firms often use these positions to groom
future employees. For example,
Burlington Industries assigns mentors to all its interns, and each is given two
formal evaluations during the summer.
Also, http://blogs.forbes.com/susanadams/2011/03/09/the-best-internships-for-2011/
can be used to help you get an internship with a national company.
Since the attributes
sought by business are not acquired overnight, you should start developing them
early in your college program. However,
keep in mind that prospective employers are much more interested in what a
person accomplished in various
roles than how many different titles he or she had. So be selective, and do a few things
well. And, remember to ask for those
reference letters.
How to Succeed in Marketing
Each type of
marketing job requires a particular set of professional skills, but those
outlined here are important in all areas of marketing.
The U.S. Secretary of
Labor appointed a commission, the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary
Skills (SCANS), to identify the skills that students need to succeed in the
marketplace of the 21st century. The
commission named five types of skills - the ability to (1) allocate time,
money, and resources (resource skills); (2) work on teams and serve customers
(interpersonal skills); (3) acquire and evaluate information and
use computers to process information (information
skills); (4) understand social, organizational, and technological
systems and improve on such systems (systems
skills); and (5) apply technology to specific tasks (technology skills). Beyond these basic skills, job seekers in the
marketing field also need motivation skills.
The following sections expand on several of these key skills.
Interpersonal and
Communication Skills
Being able to
interact effectively with people is perhaps the most important marketing
skill - not simply interacting with customers but being able to work with
peers on a team or knowing how to supervise other employees. Marketers must be able to present their
thoughts and ideas clearly, both in oral presentations and in written
reports. They also need to listen
closely to customers so they can identify wants, needs, and expectations.
Building long-term
relationships with customers and other stakeholders is one of the most
important aspects of marketing.
Therefore, interpersonal skills must be combined with the ability to
respond quickly to customers' suggestions, wants, and complaints, especially in
service recovery. Learning to say
"I apologize for the mistake and will make it right" is often as
important to marketing as any other skill.
Customers may be more loyal to a firm that has made a mistake and then
gone out of its way to correct it than to a firm that has not had to prove
itself in that way.
Information,
Problem-Solving, and Technology Skills
A marketer must be
able to use technology to find information and apply that information in the
decision-making process. Today, this
means being familiar with the Internet and social media, using e-mail, and
conducting information searches by computer, including database research. Beyond simple information gathering is the
pursuit of learning - the successful marketer must acquire both general and
job-related knowledge in order to guide future decisions. Finally, the marketer must be a flexible
thinker. Two quite similar problems
will probably require different solutions, as the different dynamics
surrounding each problem affect the solution choices. Marketers must be able to recognize these
differences and come up with creative ideas to address the unique factors in
each marketing situation.
Motivation Skills
Two types of
motivation are required in marketing.
From the outset, a marketer must be highly self-motivated, taking
the initiative in a project and following it through until completion. As the marketer begins to take on a
leadership role, often within a cross-functional team, the ability to
motivate others becomes essential.
In another light, the marketer must “sell” his or her ideas.
Sixteen Traits
Recruiters Seek In Job Prospects
1. Ability
to communication. Do you have the ability to organize your
thoughts and ideas effectively? Can you
express them clearly when speaking or writing?
Can you present your ideas to others in a persuasive way?
2. Intelligence. Do you have the ability to understand the job
assignment? Learn the details of
operation? Contribute original ideas to
your work?
3. Self-confidence. Do you demonstrate a sense of maturity that
enables you to deal positively and effectively with situations and people?
4. Willingness
to accept responsibility. Are
you someone who recognizes what needs to be done and is willing to do it?
5. Initiative.
Do you have the
ability to identify the purpose for work and to take action?
6. Leadership. Can you guide and direct others to obtain the
recognized objectives?
7. Energy
level. Do you demonstrate a forcefulness and
capacity to make things move ahead? Can
you maintain your work effort at an above-average rate?
8. Imagination.
Can you confront and deal with problems that
may not have standard solutions?
9. Flexibility. Are you capable of changing and being
receptive to new situations and ideas?
10. Interpersonal
skills. Can you bring out the best efforts of
individuals so they become effective, enthusiastic members of a team?
11. Self-knowledge. Can you realistically
assess your own capabilities? See
yourself as others see you? Clearly
recognize your strengths and weaknesses?
12. Ability
to handle conflict. Can you
successfully contend with stressful situations and antagonism?
13. Competitiveness. Do you have the capacity to compete with
others and the willingness to be measured by your performance in relation to
that of others?
14. Goal
achievement. Do you have the ability to identify and work
toward specific goals? Do such goals
challenge your abilities?
15. Vocational
skills. Do you possess the positive combination of
education and skills required for the position you are seeking?
16. Direction. Have you defined your basic personal
needs? Have you determined what type of
position will satisfy your knowledge, skills, and goals?
Where Are Marketing Career Opportunities and
Jobs?
There are tremendous
opportunities available in marketing!! Please
see Table 1 above for a flowchart of various jobs and opportunities in
marketing.
In this section a
description is provided of the major types of companies and organizations that
provide jobs in marketing. For example,
Table 2 below shows selected employers of marketing personnel.
Table 2
Selected Employers of Marketing Personnel
|
Advertising
agencies Agents and brokers Agricultural firms Broadcast &
cable industries Common carriers Computer &
technology firms Computer service
bureaus Consulting firms Credit bureaus Delivery firms Direct marketing
businesses Educational
institutions Entertainment firms Environmental
protection Exporting companies Financial
institutions Food processing
industries Franchisees Franchisers Fund-raising organizations Global firms Government Health-care firms |
Industrial firms Internet firms Manufacturers Marketing research
firms Marketing
specialists Media Multinational firms Not-for-profit
institutions Product-testing
laboratories Public relations
firms Raw material
extractors Real-estate firms Recreation &
travel industries Retailers Self-employed Service firms Shopping centers Sports teams Telecommunications
firms Transportation
firms Warehousing firms Wholesalers Wireless Industries |
This section also
includes comments on jobs in service marketing, global marketing,
not-for-profit marketing, entrepreneurship, starting your own business, and
Internet marketing. In addition, a
comparison of job opportunities in large versus small organizations is provided.
Types of Organizations
Literally millions of
organizations provide jobs and career opportunities in marketing. These organizations can be grouped into the
following categories:
Manufacturing: Most manufacturing firms provide career
opportunities in many of the marketing positions discussed in the following
section entitled “A Description of Marketing Positions.” In their promotional mix, some manufacturers
stress personal selling while others rely more on advertising. Even small companies offer job opportunities
in most of the marketing position categories.
Because most
manufacturers make products that are used by other businesses, their names are
not familiar to the general public.
Unfortunately, many college graduates overlook some of these potentially
excellent employers just because they do not recognize their corporate
names. Starting salaries are often
higher in manufacturing firms than in retailing and the other organizations described
next.
Retailing: Retailing firms provide more marketing jobs
by far than does any other organizational category, but most of these jobs are
not intended for college graduates.
Careers in retailing are not well understood by college students, who
may equate retailing with clerking in a department store or filling shelves in
a supermarket. Students often perceive
that retail pay is low and that retail work hours include a lot of evenings and
weekends.
Actually a career in
retailing offers many attractive features for college graduates. There are opportunities for very rapid
advancement for those who display real ability.
Performance results, such as sales and profits, are quickly and highly
visible. If you can produce, management
will generally note this fact in a hurry.
While the starting
pay in many (but not all) stores is lower than in manufacturing, the
compensation in higher-level retailing jobs typically is excellent. There are good retailing jobs in virtually
every geographic area. Also, large
retail chains (such as Target and Wal-Mart) generally have excellent management
training programs for newly hired college graduates.
Perhaps the main
attractions in retailing are less tangible.
Retailing can be an exciting field.
You are constantly involved with people - customers, suppliers, and other
workers. And, there are challenges in
merchandise buying, especially finding out what will sell well - what customers
really want.
It is easier to start
a career in retailing than in many other fields. In large stores there are jobs involving personnel
management, accounting controls, and store operations (receiving, credit, and
customer service departments). However,
the lifeblood of retailing is the buying and selling of merchandise or
services. Thus, the more numerous and
better-paying positions are in merchandising and store management.
Wholesaling: Career opportunities in wholesaling generally
are less well understood and appreciated than those in retailing or
manufacturing. Wholesaling firms
typically do not recruit on college campuses, and they generally have a low
profile among students.
Yet opportunities are
there. Wholesalers of consumer products
and industrial distributors provide many jobs in buying, personal selling,
marketing research, and physical distribution.
Manufacturers’ agents, brokers, and the other agent middlemen also offer
jobs and careers. Wholesaling intermediaries
are increasing in numbers and in sales volume, and their future is promising.
Entry-level jobs with
merchant wholesalers typically fall into one of two categories. The first is in the logistics area – working
with transportation management, inventory control, distribution customer
service, and related activities. The
other category usually involves personal selling and customer support. Agent wholesalers typically focus on selling,
and entry-level jobs often start out with order-taking responsibilities that
grow into order-getting responsibilities.
Many wholesalers are moving much of their information to the Internet,
so marketing students with skills and knowledge in this arena may find
especially interesting opportunities.
Other Business Areas: Besides the general types of organizations
just described, more specialized business firms hire college graduates for marketing-related
positions. Entry-level opportunities can
be found with communications media (such as TV stations), advertising agencies,
franchise systems, participation and spectator sports organizations, public
utilities, and transportation firms (such as truck lines).
Service Marketing: The broad array of service industries
provides a bonanza of job and career opportunities in marketing. Many of these fields are expected to
experience rapid growth. The travel,
hospitality, education, finance, entertainment, health care, communications,
computer, technology, and professional services fields are prime examples. Recognizing the importance of marketing, many
of these industries and the organizations within them are now adding
marketing-related personnel. Most of
these firms really are retailers of services.
Consequently, many of the statements we made earlier about retailing
careers are relevant here.
Global Marketing: Students who like to travel and experience
different cultures may want to work at least part time in foreign
countries. They may be interested in
careers in international marketing, and they may even major in international or
global business in college. Typically,
however, companies do not hire college graduates and immediately assign them to
jobs in international marketing. People
are normally hired for entry-level positions in the domestic divisions of a
company’s operations. Then, after some
years of experience with the firm, an employee may have an opportunity to move
into the firm’s international divisions.
Often, these positions go to MBA graduates. However, that is changing as more and more
firms are pursuing international markets.
If you have
international aspirations, begin looking for companies that have or are
developing international markets. You
also would be wise to study a second language and take advantage of
opportunities to learn about other cultures.
International courses and exchange programs would help in these
areas. Graduates aiming for a career in
international marketing usually must spend time mastering the firm’s domestic
marketing operations before being sent abroad.
So a good way to start is to focus on firms that are already involved in
international marketing, or who are planning to move in that direction
soon. On the other hand, there are many
websites with listings of international jobs.
For example, you might want to visit http://www.overseasjobs.com/.
Nonprofit
Organizations: Nonprofit organizations are realizing that marketing
is the key to their success.
Consequently, it is likely that jobs and careers in many nonprofit
organizations will open up in large numbers.
Consider the wide variety of nonprofit organizations - hospitals,
museums, educational institutions, religious organizations, foundations,
charities, and political parties, among others.
Given this diversity, you can expect to find a wide range of
marketing-related positions in nonprofit organizations.
Nonprofit hospitals,
charities, government organizations, schools, trade associations, arboretums,
and other nonprofit groups need marketers as much as do profit-making
firms. For example, some motor vehicle
departments have become more customer-oriented and some cities and counties
have improved their services through consumer surveys. Working in a nonprofit organization often has
its own rewards because it usually entails work that directly benefits others
and society. But the financial rewards
can be substantial as well. Do not
ignore this important area when considering a marketing career.
Government: Countless federal and state government
organizations hire people for marketing positions. Here we include the major
cabinet departments - agriculture, defense, human services, and the
others. We also include all the
regulatory agencies. Government
organizations employ people in purchasing, marketing research, public
relations, physical distribution, consumer affairs and protection, and even
advertising and sales promotion.
Sometimes students tend to overlook the many marketing career
opportunities in government.
Large Versus Small Companies: Should you go to work
for a large company or a small firm? Or
should you go into business for yourself upon graduation? For over a decade now, more and more students
have been saying that they want to work for a small company. They feel that there is more freedom of action,
more rapid advancement, and less restraint on their lifestyles in smaller
firms.
Perhaps
so. And certainly no one should discourage you
from a career in small business. But, we typically recommend to students
(who ask for advice) that they start their careers in a big company. Then, after a few years, they can move into a
smaller firm. There are three reasons
for this recommendation:
1. A
large firm is more likely to have a good training program in your chosen field
of activity. Many students have little
or no practical marketing experience.
The fine training programs provided by numerous large manufacturers,
retailers, and major services marketers can be critical in launching a career.
2. You
can learn something about how a big company operates. After all, when you go into a smaller firm,
large companies will be your competitors.
So the more you know about them, the better able you will be to compete
with them.
3. After
working for a while for a big company, you may change your mind and decide to
stay with the larger firm after all. On
the other hand, suppose that you want to go to a small company after you have
worked a few years at a big firm. At
that point it will be relatively easy to move from a large company to a smaller
one. If you start in a small firm,
however, and later want to move into big business, it is not so easy to move.
Entrepreneurship and
Starting Your Own Business: Are you the type of
person who wants to own your own business, to buy a franchise, to control your
own destiny? Or maybe you have a great
idea for a new product. If so, the
knowledge and skills you acquire from your marketing education will put you
right on track. Entrepreneurship is not
for everybody. It requires people who
are willing to risk losing everything (not just their business but their savings,
their home - everything) in order to have a chance at being their own boss and
making their dreams come true. Being an
entrepreneur involves a lot of risks, but there also are no limits on what can
be achieved.
Most successful
entrepreneurs would agree that it is a good idea to start by getting a
job: working for someone else is a great
training ground. You learn how a
business operates, you see things that are done well, and you see things that
you would do differently. In fact, for
most of us, getting a job for a while is mandatory because starting a business
requires capital - and one of the best ways to get that money is to work and
save.
There is nothing
quite so rewarding and exciting as running your own business,
and no college degree better prepares you for starting your own business than a
degree in marketing. You learn how to
pick a good site for your business, how to assess the market and competition,
and how to serve customers well. You
also need to understand business finance, operations, accounting, human
resources management, and other functions.
You may want to work for another small business for a while to learn
business management and marketing skills.
As an entrepreneur,
you can use the universal marketing processes to successfully build
relationships with customers in consumer or organizational markets. Environmental and market analysis can lead
you to business opportunities; segmentation, targeting, and positioning can
help you determine the appropriate market and approach; product development and
differentiation will result in a unique product for your small business to
market; valuation and pricing are used to set a price for a mutually beneficial
marketing exchange; channel and value-chain management can help you make connections
with suppliers, resellers, and customers; integrated marketing communication is
the key to maintaining a dialogue with customers; and relationship building
will allow you to attract and keep customers over the long run. You will really use what you have learned in
your marketing classes!
Emerging Marketing
Fields - Internet Marketing and More: One exciting aspect
of a career in marketing is that new jobs are constantly emerging. For example, some of the hottest areas in the
new millennium are the development, analysis, and maintenance of websites,
social media activities, and e-commerce opportunities for companies wanting to
market on the Internet.
The Internet and
wireless technology are creating new opportunities for artists who can design a
creative website; for copywriters who can draft the content for a compelling
website; for marketing researchers who can find ways to measure and analyze
website traffic; for advertising and sales promotion specialists who can devise
ways of drawing surfers to the websites; and for product managers and
entrepreneurs who can develop new products geared to the needs, interests, and
interactivity of Internet visitors.
More job
opportunities are being created by a trend toward non-store selling through
catalogs, vending machines, interactive kiosks, and television home
shopping. Catalog marketing is more than
100 years old, but new technologies such as CD-ROM and video catalogs are
opening doors for more job seekers.
Also, Japan and other countries are far ahead of the Unites States in
selling goods through vending machines.
Everything from pasta to popcorn can be sold this way, creating profit
opportunities for all types of entrepreneurial business. Creative and technical people are in demand
for designing and implementing interactive kiosks, another emerging marketing
channel. Growth in television home
shopping has resulted in more jobs for telemarketers to take inbound customer
orders as well as for communication experts who can help marketers do a better
job presenting their products to viewers.
Marketing is now
entering the era of mass customization.
Future marketers must be able to develop a customer database, use that
database to learn what customers are buying, and then develop value packages
that will retain those customers over time.
Database management is becoming a critical part of marketing, as is
establishing linkages in the value chain through electronic data interchange
and wireless mobility. Those who
understand the technology and the concepts - and can apply them - will have
long and successful careers in marketing.
Marketing offers a
wide range of diverse career opportunities.
All kinds of organizations need people with marketing skills (Please see
Table 2 above). Some jobs will put you
in direct contact with external customers while others involve functions that
satisfy internal customers. No matter
what kind of marketing career you are considering, your success will depend, in
part, on your commitment to both internal and external customer satisfaction. As part of a team - working
collaboratively with other employees, with suppliers, and with channel partners
- you can move beyond customer satisfaction and delight your customers, forging
an enduring relationship that competitors cannot easily disrupt.
A Description Of
Marketing Positions
Listed below are
descriptions of various marketing positions.
In addition, a description of selected job titles in marketing is
contained at the end of this document. Also,
many marketing positions are available through or at least posted with the various
marketing trade associations. Table 5
lists some career paths and salary ranges for marketing positions.
Marketing Management
Marketing management
spans a range of positions, including vice president of marketing, marketing
manager, sales manager, product manager, advertising manager, promotion
manager, and public relations manager.
The vice president directs the firm’s overall marketing policy, and all
other marketers report through channels to this person.
Sales managers direct
the efforts of sales professionals by assigning territories, establishing
goals, developing training programs, and supervising local sales managers and
their personnel. Advertising managers oversee
account services, creative services, and media services departments. Promotion managers direct promotional
programs that combine advertising with purchase incentives in order to increase
the sales of the firm’s goods or services.
Public relations managers conduct publicity programs and supervise the
specialists who implement these programs.
Top
marketing-management positions often involve long hours and extensive
travel. Work under pressure is also
commonplace. For sales managers, job
transfers between headquarters and regional offices may disrupt one’s personal
life.
For most marketing,
sales, and promotion management positions, employers prefer degrees in business
administration, preferably with concentrations in marketing. In highly technical industries, such as
chemicals and electronics, employers prefer bachelor’s degrees in science or
engineering combined with master’s degrees in business administration. Most managers are promoted from positions such
as sales representatives, product or brand specialists, and advertising
specialists within their organizations.
Skills or traits that are most desirable for these jobs include high
motivation, maturity, creativity, resistance to stress, flexibility, and the
ability to communicate persuasively.
Retailing and Store
Management
Retailing is second
only to personal selling in terms of number of job opportunities for new
college graduates. Not long ago, most
entry-level marketing positions in retailing involved some kind of sales
work. That has changed rapidly in recent
years because the number of large retail chains is expanding and they often
recruit graduates for their management training programs.
The two primary areas
of opportunity in department store, specialty, and discount chains are in
merchandising or buying and store management.
Store managers have a great deal of responsibility and authority. A store manager’s authority related to
acquiring merchandise (the buying function) varies greatly from one firm to the
next. However, once the merchandise
arrives in the store, the manager has the responsibility and authority for
displaying, selling, and controlling the inventory. Store managers in most companies, either
directly or indirectly through department heads, oversee personal selling,
promotion, credit, personnel management, and store security.
The entry-level
position for store management is typically assistant department manager,
department manager, or assistant store manager, depending on the size of the
store. The performance of a store or
department manager is directly measurable in terms of sales or profits. Therefore, speed of advancement into higher
positions is determined primarily by the quality and quantity of results
produced by the manager.
Retailing positions
tend to offer lower-than-average starting salaries – but they often provide
opportunities for very rapid advancement.
In a fast-growing chain, result-oriented people can move up very
quickly. Most retailers require new
employees to have some selling experience before they can manage others or buy
merchandise. A typical marketing
graduate can expect to work as an assistant manager or do some sales work and
manage one or several departments before advancing to a store management
position – or to a staff position that might involve buying, advertising,
location analysis, and so on.
Buying and Purchasing
The two key marketing
functions of buying and selling are performed by trained specialists. Just as every organization is involved in
selling its output to meet the needs of customers, so too must all companies
make purchases of goods and services required to operate their businesses and
turn out items for sale.
Modern technology has
transformed the role of the purchasing agent.
The transfer of routine tasks to the computer now allows contract
specialists, or procurement officers, to focus on products, suppliers, and
contract negotiations. The main function
of this position is to purchase the goods, materials, supplies, and services
required by the organization. These
agents ensure that suppliers deliver quality and quantity levels that suit the
firm’s needs; they also secure these inputs at reasonable prices and make them
available when needed.
Purchasing agents
must develop good working relationships both with colleagues in their own
organizations and with suppliers. As the
popularity of outsourcing has increased, the selection and management of
suppliers have become critical functions of the purchasing department. In the government sector, this role is
dominated by strict laws, statutes, and regulations that constantly change.
Most medium-size and
larger organizations employ people who specialize in buying, as opposed to
selling, goods and services. In one type
of position, people select and acquire merchandise for resale. In another type of position, people purchase
goods and services not for resale but for use in a manufacturing process or in
operating the organization.
Every retail
organization needs people to buy merchandise for resale. Frequently the route to the top in retailing
is through the buying (also called merchandising) division of the
business. Large retailers have many
positions for buyers and assistant buyers.
Each merchandise department normally has a buyer. Consequently, you often have a chance to work
with particular products that interest you.
There are also centralized buying offices that buy for several different
stores or chains. These resident buying
offices are usually in New York City and a few other large cities.
A purchasing agent is
the business market counterpart of the retail store buyer. Virtually all firms in the business market
have purchasing departments. People in
these departments buy raw materials and supplies for the production, office,
and sales departments in their firms.
Retail buyers and purchasing agents need many of the same skills. They must be able to analyze markets,
determine merchandising needs, and negotiate with sellers. It is also necessary to have some knowledge
of credit, finance, and physical distribution.
Organizations prefer
college-educated candidates for entry-level jobs in purchasing. Strong analytical and communication skills
are required for any purchasing position.
Often, new hires in the field enroll in extensive company training
programs to learn procedures and operations; training may include a production
planning assignment. In private and
public industries, professional certification is becoming an essential criterion
for advancement.
Buyers working for
wholesalers and retail businesses purchase goods for resale. Their goal is to find the best possible
merchandise at the lowest prices. They
also influence the distribution and marketing of this merchandise. Successful buyers must understand what
appeals to consumers and what their establishments can sell. Bar codes on products and point-of-purchase
terminals have allowed organizations to accurately track goods that are selling
and those that are not; buyers frequently analyze this data to improve their
understanding of consumer demand. Buyers
also check competitors’ prices and sales activities and watch general economic
conditions to anticipate consumer-buying patterns.
Wholesale and retail
buyers and merchandise managers often require substantial travel, as many
orders are placed on buying trips to shows and exhibitions. Effective planning and decision-making skills
are strong assets in this career. In
addition, the job involves anticipating consumer preferences and ensuring that
the firm keeps needed goods in stock.
Therefore, the job requires resourcefulness, good judgment, and
self-confidence.
Physical
Distribution/Logistics/Marketing Channel Management/Supply Chain Management
Many jobs exist in
the field of physical distribution, and the outlook is even brighter into the
future. Additionally, more and more
firms are expected to adopt the systems approach in physical distribution to
control the huge expenses involved in materials movement and warehousing.
Careers in physical
distribution and logistics involve a variety of activities designed to make
sure the right products get to the right place at the right time. Often jobs in distribution include the
management of incoming materials as well as outgoing products. Career position titles under the heading of
logistics include material receiving, scheduling, dispatching, materials
management executive, distribution operations coordinator, distribution center
manager, and transportation manager. The
logistics function includes responsibilities for production and inventory
planning and control, distribution, and transportation.
Distribution channel
management is typically handled or directed by sales managers and therefore is
not an entry-level position. However,
many firms form teams of specialists who work closely with their counterparts
in other firms in the channel to strengthen coordination and
relationships. Such a team often
includes new people in sales or purchasing because it gives them exposure to a
different part of the firm’s activities.
Career opportunities
in physical distribution may be found with manufacturers of both consumer and
industrial goods, in wholesaling operations, and of course, in companies such
as UPS and Federal Express that are in the distribution industry. Logistics positions in the United States today, include material receiving, scheduling, dispatching,
and distribution. These positions demand
good communication skills and the ability to work well under pressure. Computer skills are highly valued in these
jobs. Employers look for candidates with
degrees in logistics and transportation.
However, graduates in other business disciplines may succeed in this
field.
It also is not
unusual for people to start working in a particular industry and then take a
different job at a different level in the channel. For example, a graduate who has trained to be
a store manager for a chain of sporting goods stores might go to work for a
manufacturers’ representative that handles a variety of sports equipment.
Product/Brand
Management
Product and brand
management positions are very important in consumer goods companies. Typically, a brand manager is responsible for
directing the entire marketing process for an individual brand - determining
demand, establishing goals, working with advertising and other promotion
agencies, contracting for marketing research services, and so on. Product managers have even more
responsibilities; they are in charge of an entire line of related products, and
the job many entail coordinating marketing efforts for a number of different
brands. Both brand and product managers
often deal with budgets of several million dollars. Individuals who believe they would enjoy a
career path directed toward product management positions should consider
entry-level jobs with consumer goods companies.
Many multi-product
firms have brand or product managers handling individual products – in effect,
managing each product as a separate business.
Some firms hire marketing graduates as assistant brand or product
managers, although larger firms typically recruit MBAs for these jobs. Many firms prefer that recent college graduates
spend some time in the field doing sales work or working with an ad agency or
sales promotion agency before moving into brand or product management positions.
Product planner is
usually not an entry-level position.
Instead, people with experience on the technical side of the business or
in sales might be moved onto a new-product development team as they demonstrate
judgment and analytical skills. However,
new employees with winning ideas for new products do not go unnoticed – and
they sometimes have the opportunity to grow fast with ideas they
spearhead. Having a job that puts you in
contact with customers is often a good way to spot new needs.
Advertising
Advertising is often
perceived as an exciting and glamorous marketing career. And it is often true that people in the
advertising industry are exceptionally creative and interesting. Advertising jobs can be found in advertising
agencies, the media (TV stations and networks, radio, Internet, and newspapers)
and with any organization that advertises.
Advertising is one of
the ten hottest career fields in the United States today. Many firms maintain small groups of
advertising specialists who serve as liaisons between those companies and
outside advertising agencies. The leader
of this liaison function is sometimes called a marketing communications
manager. Positions in an advertising
agency include the categories of account services, creative services, and media
services. Account services functions are
performed by account executives who work directly with clients. An agency’s creative services department develops
the themes and presentations of the advertisements. This department is supervised by the creative
director, who oversees the copy chief, art director, and their staff
members. The media services department
is managed by the media director, who oversees the planning group that selects
media outlets for ads. Here are some of
the traditional types of jobs available in advertising:
1. Ad agency account executives act as the
liaison between client and agency. Their
job is to understand the needs of the client, communicate those needs to the
other agency departments, and coordinate the agency services for the client.
2. Media planners and buyers develop media
schedules and negotiate the purchase of media time and space.
3. Copywriters, graphic artists, and others in
the creative department actually create the advertisements and other
promotional materials.
4. Full-service advertising agencies often have
research, sales promotion, and public relations departments as well.
Jobs in advertising
encompass a number of aptitudes and interests - artistic, creative, managerial,
research, and sales. The advertising
field holds real opportunity for the artistic or creative person. Agencies and advertising departments need copywriters,
artists, photographers, layout designers, printing experts, and others to
create and produce ads.
Account executive is
a key position in advertising agencies.
People in this position are the liaisons between the agency and its
clients (the advertisers). Account executives
coordinate the agency’s efforts with the clients’ marketing programs.
Another group of
advertising jobs involves the placement of ads.
On the advertisers’ side, this entails allocating the advertising budget
by planning an advertising schedule and selecting the media. On the media side, every TV and radio network
and station, all newspapers and magazines, and every other advertising outlet employ
sales people. Advertisers and agencies
also often need people who can conduct buyer-behavior studies and other
marketing research.
Job opportunities in
this area are varied and highly competitive.
Most new hires begin as assistants or associates for the positions they
hope to acquire, such as copywriters, art directors, and media buyers. Often, a newly hired employee must receive
two to four promotions before becoming manager of these functions.
Entry-level salaries
in advertising are typically low. There
are sometimes good opportunities to get started in advertising with a retail
chain that prepares its advertising internally.
Another way to get more experience with advertising is to take a job
with one of the media – perhaps in sales or as a customer consultant. Selling advertising space on a website or
cable TV station or newspaper may not seem as glamorous as developing TV ads,
but media salespeople help their customers solve promotion problems and get
experience dealing with both the business and creative sides of advertising.
Sales Promotion
Jobs in sales
promotion are usually to be found in advertising agencies or with manufacturers
of consumer and business-to-business products.
Sales promotion specialists are responsible for developing overall sales
promotion plans and for creating the individual purchase incentives used to
increase sales. In addition to planning
for consumer sales promotions such as coupons or a sweepstakes, sales promotion
specialists develop programs aimed at building relationships with wholesalers
and retailers.
The number of
entry-level positions in the sales promotion area is growing because the number
of specialists in this area is growing.
For example, specialists might help a company plan a special event for employees, figure out procedures to distribute free samples,
or perhaps set up a database to send customers a newsletter. Because clients’ needs are often different,
creativity and judgment are required. It
is usually difficult for an inexperienced person to show evidence of these
skills right out of school; so entry-level people often work with a project
manager until they learn the ropes. In
companies that handle their own sales promotion work, a beginner usually starts
by getting some experience in sales or advertising.
Professional Selling
Many of the
entry-level positions with producers of industrial and consumer products are in
professional sales. For this reason,
many of the jobs available for new college graduates are in the sales
field. But that does not mean that sales
jobs are not important to a firm.
Because sales are the only source of a company's profit, a qualified,
effective sales force is essential to the health of many organizations. Most salespeople find selling jobs both
personally stimulating and financially rewarding.
For qualified
individuals, sales jobs are a great opportunity. Professional selling jobs demand people who
are self-directed and able to manage themselves and their time
effectively. Many sales jobs not only
offer high levels of income but also include such added benefits as a company
car, a cellular phone, home computers, Internet access, and interesting
travel. Some individuals see sales jobs
as a training ground for other jobs. One
reason is that many sales jobs provide opportunities to attend motivational and
other sales seminars. Activities such as
attendance at trade shows provide excellent opportunities for finding out about
other jobs and for networking. Of
course, many salespeople find a career in sales as an end in itself and choose
to remain in sales for their entire careers.
Also, to aim for top management, it is imperative that the selling
function be understood and mastered.
All salespeople must
fully understand and be able to competently discuss the products offered by the
company. Salespeople usually develop
prospective client lists, meet with current and prospective clients to describe
the firm’s products, and then follow up.
In most cases, the salesperson must learn about each customer’s business
needs in order to identify products that best satisfy these needs. These professionals answer questions about
the characteristics and costs of their offerings and try to persuade potential
customers to purchase these offerings.
After the sale, many representatives revisit their customers to ensure
that the products are meeting their needs and to explore further business
opportunities or referrals with these customers. Some sales of technical goods and services
involve lengthy interactions. In these
cases, a salesperson may work with several clients simultaneously over a large
geographical area. Those responsible for
large territories may spend most of their workdays on the phone or on the sales
floor.
Work as a sales
representative can be rewarding for those who enjoy interacting with people,
enjoy competition, and feel energized by the challenge of expanding sales in
their territories. Successful sales
professionals should be goal oriented, persuasive, self-motivated, and
independent people. In addition,
patience and perseverance are important qualities for a sales representative.
The background needed
for a sales position varies according to the product line and market. Most professional sales jobs require a
college degree, and many companies run their own formal training programs that
can last up to two years for sales representatives. This training may take place in a classroom,
in the field with a mentor, or most often a combination of both methods.
Salaries for sales
positions vary widely. For example,
those selling technical services typically earn more than those selling
non-technical services.
Many students are
reluctant to get into personal selling – but this field offers benefits that
are hard to match in any other field.
These include the opportunity to earn extremely high salaries and
commissions quickly, a chance to develop your self-confidence and
resourcefulness, an opportunity to work with minimal supervision – almost to
the point of being your own boss – and a chance to acquire product and customer
knowledge that many firms consider necessary for a successful career in
product/brand management, sales management, and marketing management. On the other hand, many salespeople prefer to
spend their entire careers in selling.
They like the freedom and earning potential that go with a sales job
over the headaches and sometimes lower salaries of sales management positions.
Sales Management
For the salesperson
who wants to advance with a firm, a job in sales can lead to promotion to sales
management. Although many salespeople
are not interested in a management job because they enjoy the freedom of
working on their own out in the field, others feel that their abilities would
be better used in overseeing the sales function, and some may aspire to even
higher levels of management.
The activities of sales
managers include recruiting, selecting, training, supervising, motivating, and
evaluating members of a sales force. It
is also the responsibility of the sales manager to plan the firm's territory
structure and to develop objectives for the sales organization and for the
individual salespeople.
Sales management
jobs, like some salesperson jobs, require a lot of travel that can disrupt
family life. Successful sales managers,
however, are good candidates for promotion to higher levels of management.
Public Relations
The public relations
department is a valuable connection between an organization and its various
publics. The department must deal with,
or go through, the news media to reach these publics. Public relations people may assist management
in drafting speeches, arranging interviews, overseeing company archives,
responding to information requests, and handling special events, such as
sponsorships and trade shows, that provide promotional
value to the firm. They must be
especially good in communications. In
fact, public relations people often have college degrees in communications or
journalism, rather than in marketing.
In essence, the job
of public relations is to project the desired company image. More specifically, public relations people
are responsible for telling the public about the company - its products,
community activities, social programs, environmental improvement activities,
labor policies, and views regarding controversial issues. Public relations specialists are particularly
important - and very visible - when a company responds to adverse
publicity. Such publicity may come from
a governmental investigation or a charge of unethical practices or unsafe
products, as when Johnson & Johnson dealt with the Tylenol tampering and
Wal-Mart responded to charges of selling goods made with child labor. Whether disseminating
favorable publicity or responding to adverse publicity, the company’s position
must be stated in a clear, understandable, and - above all - believable
fashion.
Public relations
specialists normally work a standard 40-hour week, but sometimes they need to
rearrange their normal schedules to meet deadlines or prepare for major
events. Occasionally they are required
to be on the job or on call around the clock to respond to an emergency or
crisis. Two-thirds of public relations
specialists are employed in service industries.
Public relations positions tend to be concentrated in large cities near
press services and communications facilities.
However, that centralization is changing with the increased popularity
of new communications technologies, such as the Internet, which allow more
freedom of movement. Many public
relations consulting firms are located in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and
Washington, D.C.
Essential
characteristics for a public relations specialist include creativity,
initiative, good judgment, and the ability to express thoughts clearly and
simply – both in wringing and verbally.
An outgoing personality, self-confidence, and enthusiasm also are
recommended traits of public relations specialists.
Marketing Research
Careers in marketing
research require expertise in the collection and analysis of data from a
variety of sources. Marketing researchers
must have a thorough knowledge of research methods and statistics and need
considerable expertise in using statistical and data management software. In addition, they should have strong
interpersonal and problem-solving skills; they need to be able to get to the
root of a problem and to communicate what they have found in actionable terms
to others in the firm. The activities of
an individual with a job in marketing research range from supervising interviewers
to conducting sophisticated statistical analyses. Although a strong foundation in research
methodology and statistics is usually required for entry-level marketing
research positions, much of what marketing researchers do day-to-day is learned
on the job.
Firms that specialize
in marketing research and management consulting employ the majority of the
nation’s market research analysts.
Positions are often concentrated in larger cities, such as New York, Los
Angeles, and Chicago. Those who pursue
careers in marketing research need to work accurately with detail, display
patience and persistence, work effectively both independently and with others,
and operate objectively and systematically.
Significant computer skills are essential for success in this field.
A bachelor’s degree
with an emphasis in marketing provides sufficient qualifications for many
beginning jobs in marketing research.
Because of the importance of quantitative skills, this education should
include courses in calculus, linear algebra, statistics, sampling theory and survey
design, computer science, and information systems. Students should try to develop experience in
conducting interviews or surveys while still in college. A master’s degree in business administration
or a related discipline is advised for improving opportunities for advancement.
Customer or Market
Analyst
Opportunities as
consumer analysts and market analysts are commonly found in large companies,
marketing research organizations, advertising agencies, and some consulting
firms. Investment banking firms also
hire entry-level analysts; they want to know what the market for a new business
is like before investing. Beginning
market analysts start in thing-oriented jobs until their judgment and
people-oriented skills are tested. The
job may involve collecting or analyzing secondary data or preparation of
reports and plans. Because knowledge of
statistics, computer software, Internet search techniques, and/or behavioral
sciences is very important, marketing graduates often find themselves competing
with majors from statistics, sociology, computer science, and economics. Graduates who have courses in marketing and
one or more of these areas may have the best opportunities.
Customer
Relations/Consumer Affairs
Most firms consider
the customer relations function an essential part of marketing activities. Additionally, they are becoming more
concerned about their relations with customers and the general public. Whereas many firms have always recognized the
importance of customer relations, other companies have added this important
function as they have adopted total quality management programs. Although the responsibilities of customer
relations vary widely across companies, the purpose is usually the same: to enhance the value of the company and its
products to its customers. For the job
candidate, jobs in customer relations are often an excellent entry point for
other jobs with the company. Employees
in this kind of work, however, usually have held various positions with the
firm before doing customer relations.
Direct Marketing and
Database Marketing
Direct marketing
involves the use of advertising, telephone sales, catalogs, the Internet, or
other communications to elicit a direct response from consumers. Because direct marketing is non-store
retailing, traditional retailing activities such as developing a merchandise
assortment are part of the direct marketing job. Database marketing is an important aspect of
a direct marketer’s job. And, because
the Internet is changing everything, much direct marketing involves creating
websites and developing ways to attract shoppers to these websites.
Internet
Marketing
Internet Marketing involves creating,
analyzing, measuring, and optimizing online marketing programs to realize
marketing goals. Online marketing involves
teaming up with Marketing Communications, Product Marketing, and Sales
departments to create and deploy highly efficient online marketing programs,
including blogs, email campaigns, co-marketing opportunities, SEM, and online
advertising. Responsibilities and duties
include items such as: design, manage, and implement internet marketing
programs including paid search marketing, organic optimization, blog implementation,
and link-building; manage regular reporting and tracking, and report metrics
appropriately and flagging issues for internal stakeholders; develop and manage
budgets and metrics, understand and implement coding schemes for the purpose of
tracking; analyze and report program performance; provide recommendations and
results for improvement and new programs; propose new internet marketing strategies;
create feature specification documents to improve the website and other online
projects, and manage day-to-day client and company relationships through presentations
and conference calls.
Other Marketing
Positions
Where might you find
other marketing jobs? Almost
anywhere. For example, hospitals
and health care organizations often have sophisticated marketing departments. Hospital marketing specialists may be
involved in physician recruitment, advertising, and patient satisfaction
activities. A variety of professionals -
including physicians, law firms, accounting firms, architects, and designers -
are adopting the marketing concept and hiring marketing professionals to
improve their business. Marketers in
banking and other areas of the financial industry develop strategies to attract
new customers and to increase the utilization of services by existing customers. And the list goes on. Educational institutions from public schools
to private universities, the military, not-for-profit organizations such as
religious groups, the U.S. Postal Service and other government agencies,
private and public parks and recreation facilities, publishers - all provide exciting
career opportunities for marketing professionals.
Table 3
Descriptions of Selected Job Titles in Marketing
|
Job Title |
Description |
|
Account Executive |
Liaison between an
ad agency and its clients. This person
is employed by the agency to study clients’ promotion goals and create
promotion programs (including messages, layout, media, and timing). |
|
Advertising
Copywriter |
Creator of
headlines and content for ads. |
|
Advertising Layout
Person |
Producer of illustrations
or one who uses other artists’ materials to form ads. |
|
Advertising Manager
|
Director of a
firm’s ad program. He or she
determines media, copy, budget, size, ad frequency, and the choice of an ad
agency. |
|
Advertising Production
Manager |
Person who arranges
to have an ad filmed (for TV), recorded (for radio), or printed (for
newspaper, magazine, and so forth). |
|
Advertising
Research Director |
Person who researches
markets, evaluates alternative ads, assesses media, and test reactions. |
|
Agent (Broker) |
Wholesaler who
works for a commission or fee. |
|
Art Director |
Handles the visual
component of advertisements. |
|
Catalog Manager |
Person who determines
target market, products, copy, displays, and pricing for sales catalogs. |
|
Commercial Artist |
Creator of ads for
TV, print media, and product packaging.
This artist selects photos and drawings, and determines the layout and
type of print used in newspaper and magazine ads. Sample scenes of TV commercials are
sketched for clients. |
|
Competitive Intelligence Researcher |
Uses new
information technologies to monitor the competitive environment. |
|
Consumer Affairs
Specialist |
Firm’s contact with
consumers. The person handles consumer
(Customer Relations Specialist) complaints and attempts to have the firm’s
policies reflect customer needs.
Community programs, such as lectures on product safety, are devised. |
|
Copywriter |
Works with art
director in conceptualizing advertisements and writes the text of print or
radio ads or the storyboards of television ads. |
|
Credit Manager |
Supervisor of the
firm’s credit process, including eligibility for credit, terms, late
payments, consumer complaints, and control. |
|
Customer Service
Manager |
Maintains good
relations with customers by coordinating the sales staff, marketing
management, and physical distribution management. |
|
Customer Service
Representative |
Person responsible
for order status inquiries, expediting deliveries, field sales support, and
returns and claims processing. |
|
Data Miner |
Compiles and
analyzes consumer data to identify behavior patterns, preferences, and user
profiles for personalized marketing programs. |
|
Direct-to-home (or
office) Sales |
Person who sells
goods and services to consumers by personal contact at the consumer’s home or
office. |
|
Display Worker |
Person who designs
and sets up retail store displays. |
|
Exporter |
Individual who
arranges for foreign sales and distribution, mostly for domestic firms having
a small presence internationally. |
|
Fashion Designer |
Designer of such apparel
as beachwear, hats, dresses, scarves, and shoes. |
|
Franchisee |
Person who leases
or buys a business with many outlets and a popular name. A franchise often has one outlet and
engages in cooperative planning and ads.
The franchise sets operating rule for all. |
|
Franchiser |
Person who develops
a company name and reputation and then leases or sells parts of a firm to
independent business people. the franchiser oversees the firm, sets policy, and often
trains franchisees. |
|
Freight Forwarder |
Wholesaler who
consolidates small shipments from many companies. |
|
Global Marketing
Manager |
Is an expert in
world-trade agreements, international competition, cross-cultural analysis,
and global market-entry strategies. |
|
Industrial Designer |
Person who enhances
the appearance and function of machine-made products. |
|
Industrial or
semi-technical salesperson |
Sells supplies and
services to businesses. |
|
Industrial Traffic
Manager |
Arranger of transportation
to and from firms and customers for raw materials, fabricated parts, finished
goods, and equipment. |
|
In-house Project Director |
Acts as project
manager for the market studies conducted by the firm for which he or she
works. |
|
International
Marketer |
Person who works
abroad or in the international department of a domestic firm and is involved
with some aspect of marketing.
Positions are available in all areas of marketing. |
|
Internet Marketing
Manager |
Develops and
executes the e-business marketing plan and manages all aspects of the
advertising, promotion, and content for the online business. |
|
Inventory Control
Manager |
Person who controls
the level and allocation of merchandise throughout the year. This manager evaluates and balances
inventory amounts against the costs of holding merchandise. |
|
Life Insurance
Agent (Broker) |
Person who advises
clients on the policy types available relative to their needs. Policies offer insurance and/or retirement
income. |
|
Manufacturer’s Representative |
Salesperson
representing several, often small, manufacturers that cannot afford a sales
force. The person often sells to
wholesalers and retailers. |
|
Marketing Manager –
Nonprofit |
Develops and
directs marketing campaigns, fund-raising, and public relations. |
|
Marketing Manager
(Vice-President) |
Executive who
plans, directs, and controls all of a firm’s marketing functions. He or she oversees marketing decisions and
personnel. |
|
Marketing Research
Project Manager |
Person who develops
the research methodology, evaluates the accuracy of different sample sizes,
and analyzes data. |
|
Media Analyst |
Person who evaluates
the characteristics and costs of available media. He or she examines audience size and
traits, legal restrictions, types of messages used, and other factors. The effectiveness of company messages is
also measured. |
|
Media Buyer |
Deals with media
sales representatives in selecting advertising media and analyzes the value
of media being purchased. |
|
Media Director
(Space/Time Buyer) |
Person who
determines the day, time (for radio and TV), media, location, and size of
ads. The goal is to reach the largest
desirable audience efficiently. This
person negotiates contracts for ad space or airtime. |
|
Missionary Salesperson |
Support salesperson
who provides information about new and existing
products. |
|
Operations Manager |
Supervises
warehousing and other physical distribution functions and often is directly
involved in moving goods on the warehouse floor. |
|
Order-Fulfillment
Manager |
Supervisor
responsible for shipping merchandise. He
or she verifies orders, checks availability of goods, oversees packing, and
requests delivery. |
|
Packaging
Specialist |
Person responsible
for package design, durability, safety, appeal, size, and cost. This specialist must be familiar with all
key laws. |
|
Political
Consultant |
Person who advises
political candidates on media relations, opinion polling, fund raising, and
overall campaign strategy. |
|
Physical
Distribution Specialist |
Is an expert in the
transportation and distribution of goods and also evaluates the costs and
benefits of different types of transportation. |
|
Pricing Economist |
Specialist who
studies sources of supply, consumer demand, government restrictions,
competition, and costs, and then offers short-run and long-run pricing
recommendations. |
|
Product Development
Manager |
Creates a road map
for new products by working with customers to determine their needs and with
designers to create the product. |
|
Product Manager
(Brand Manager) |
Person who
supervises the marketing of a product or brand category. In some firms, there are product (brand)
managers for existing items and new-product (brand) managers for new items. For a one-brand or one-product firm, this
manager is really the marketing manager. |
|
Property and
Casualty Insurance Agent (Broker) |
Person who
evaluates client risks from such perils as fire, burglary, and accidents;
assesses coverage needs, and sells policies to indemnity losses. |
|
Public Relations Director |
Person who manages
firm’s efforts to keep the public aware of its societal accomplishments and
to minimize negative reactions to its policies and activities. He or she constantly measures public
attitudes and seeks to keep a favorable public opinion of a firm. |
|
Public Relations Manager |
Develops written or
video messages for the public and handles contacts with the press. |
|
Purchasing Agent |
Buyer for a
manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer.
He or she purchases the items necessary for operating the firm and
usually buys in bulk, seeks reliable suppliers, and sets precise
specifications. |
|
Real-Estate Agent
(Broker) |
Liaison who brings together
a buyer and a seller, lessor and lessee, or landlord and tenant. This salesperson receives a commission. |
|
Retail Buyer |
Person responsible
for purchasing items for resale. The
buyer normally concentrates on a product areas and develops
a plan for proper styles, assortments, sizes, and quantities. |
|
Retail Department
Manager |
Supervisor of one
retail department, often at a branch store.
This is often the first job a college graduate gets after initial
training. |
|
Retail Merchandise Manager |
Supervisor of
several buyers. He or she sets the
retailer’s direction in terms of style, product lines, image, pricing, and
other factors and allocates budgets among buyers. |
|
Retail Salesperson |
Salesperson for a firm
that sells to final consumers. |
|
Retail Store
Manager |
Supervisor of
day-to-day operations of a store. All
in-store personnel report to this manager. |
|
Sales Engineer |
Support salesperson
involved with technical goods or services. |
|
Sales Manager |
Sales force
supervisor who is responsible for recruitment, selection, training,
motivation, evaluation, compensation, and control. |
|
Salesperson |
Company
representative who interacts with consumers.
He or she may require limited or extensive skills, deal with final or
organizational customers, work from an office or go
out in the field, and be a career salesperson or progress in management. |
|
Sales Promotion
Director |
Person involved
with supplementary promotional activities, such as frequent-shopper programs,
coupons, contests, and free samples. |
|
Sales Promotion Manager |
Designs promotions
for consumer products and works at an ad agency or a sales promotion agency. |
|
Securities Salesperson
(Commodities Broker) |
Sales person
involved with buying/selling stocks, bonds, government securities, mutual
funds, and other financial transactions. |
|
Supply Chain
Manager |
Oversees the part of
a company that transports products to consumers and handles customer service. |
|
Trade Salesperson |
Calls on retailers
or wholesalers to sell products for manufacturers. |
|
Traffic Manager |
Supervisor of the purchase
and use of alternative transportation methods. This manager routes shipments and monitors
performance. |
|
Warehouser |
Person responsible
for storage and movement of goods within a firm’s warehouse facilities. He or she keeps inventory records and makes
sure older items are shipped before newer ones (rotating stock). |
|
Wholesale Salesperson |
Salesperson
representing a wholesaler to retailers and other firms. |
Table 4
Additional Sales and Marketing Jobs List
|
Account Coordinator Account Executive Account Executive Field Sales Rep Account Information Clerk Account Manager Client Services Account Sales Representative Account Services Director Advertising Sales Executive Advertising Sales Representative Annuities Representative Assistant Business Development Rep. Associate Director – Marketing Associate Product Manager Book Publicist Branch Insurance Sales Manager Brand Manager Client Mangement
Director Client Team Leader Commission Salesperson Conference Coordinator Corporate Communications Manager CRM Targeted Marketing Campaign
Mngr. Digital Advertising Operations
Specialist Digital Campaign Director Digital Content Manager Digital Marketing Manager Director of Marketing Director of Web Strategy and Market
Anal. Discount Brokerage Sales Representative e-Commerce Marketing Director Email Lead Manager E-marketing Coordinator E-marketing Manager Franchiser Global Brand Manager Government Sales Representative Health Plan Marketing Services
Director Head of eCommerce
Marketing Hotel Sales Manager Inside Technical Sales
Representative Interactive Marketing Manager Internet Marketer Marketing Assistant Marketing Communications Specialist Marketing Consultant Marketing Proposal Coordinator Marketing Research
Analyst |
Marketing Research Director Marketing Research Manager Marketing Research Supervisor Marketing Sales Communications
Manager Marketing Services Specialist Media Buyer Media Coordinator Media Director Media Sales Consultant Medicaid Marketing Director Medicaid Marketing Representative Medicaid Marketing Manager Medicare Marketing Manager Medicare Marketing Representative Membership Solicitor National Account Manager National Sales Accounts Specialist New Home Salesperson New Media Manager and Public Liaison Office Furniture Sales
Representative Online Marketing Associate Online Marketing Coordinator Online Marketing Manger Outside Sales Consultant Product Manager Product Development Manager Public Relations Consultant Public Relations Director Public Relations Specialist Real Estate Sales Manager Refined Products Marketing Analyst Sales Consultant Wholesale Sales Director Sales Executive Technical Sales Sales Insurance Sales Manager Sales Representative Aircraft Search Engine Marketing Associate Social Media Intern Social Media Marketing Director Strategic Team Leader Technical Account Manager Traffic Manager Web Marketing Manager Wholesale Sales
Representative |
Table 5
Some Career Paths and Salary Ranges for Marketing
Positions
|
Sales |
Marketing Research |
Advertising |
Public Relations |
Retail |
Marketing Management |
|
Top Sales Executive $201-$368,000 ▲ Regional Sales Manager $94-$147,000 ▲ District Sales
Manager $80-$118,000 ▲ Sales Representative $52-$77,000 |
Director of Market Research $147-253,000 ▲ Market Research Manager $85-$123,000 ▲ Market Research Supervisor $53-$73,000 ▲ Market Research Analyst $45-$59,000 |
Top Advertising Executive $135-$267,000 ▲ Creative Director $86-$132,000 ▲ Marketing Communications Manager $75-$107,000 ▲ Media Planner $43-$56,000 ▲ Copy Writer Entry Level $37-$50,000 |
Top Public Relations Executive $151-$303,000 ▲ Public Relations Manager $75- $107,000 ▲ Public Relations
Specialist $39-$51,000 |
Vice President $150- $300,000 ▲ District Sales
Manager $74-$114,000 ▲ Store Manager $46- $64,000 ▲ Department Manager $30- $40,000 ▲ Retail Sales Staff $20-$30,000 |
Vice President of Marketing $184-$347,000 ▲ Product/ Brand Manager $82-$115,000 ▲ Marketing Coordinator $43-$60,000 ▲ Marketing Assistant $34-$43,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Academic Training |
|||||
Source: Perreault, Cannon,
and McCarthy (2011), Basic Marketing, Irwin-McGraw Hill, 622.
Bachelors
Salaries and Masters
Salaries
Table 6
Additional Sources of
Marketing Career Information
|
Information about Different Careers: CPC Annual Peterson's Job
Opportunities for Business and Liberal Arts Graduates Occupational Outlook
Handbook developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics Your Career in
Marketing
by Boone & Kurtz Planning a Career
in Marketing
by Kerin, Hartley, and Rudelius Career Planning in
Marketing
by Perreault, Cannon, and McCarthy Directories of Companies in Different
Marketing Industries: Standard Directory of Advertising
Agencies International Directory of the American
Marketing Association and Marketing Services Guide Fairchild's Financial Manual of Retail
Stores Other Information
on Marketing Careers May Be Obtained from:
|