CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN MARKETING

The industry includes various career opportunities  

Marketing Research

Marketing researchers provide a great deal of the information businesses need to make sound decisions about the marketing of their products. Most marketing research positions are available with either "in-house" research staffs of manufacturing and marketing firms, marketing research consulting firms, or advertising agencies. Government agencies and university research centers are two other possible employers.

Brand or Product Management

Brand managers, or, as they are sometimes called, product managers, are responsible for planning and directing the entire marketing program for a given product or group of products. In a way, it is like running your own business. A brand manager is involved in new product ideas and research, advertising, sales promotion, packaging decisions, pricing, inventory levels, sales, and the legal aspects of marketing a product.

Retailing

Retailing offers a variety of employment, including sales, buying, distribution, and staff functions such as the advertising and marketing research. The Entry-level jobs may involve some sales work, depending upon the store and whether you have any background in retailing. The next positions may be those of assistant buyer and then buyer. In these, the job is like that of running your own mini-store within a store, as the buyer often has control over types of merchandise displayed, the nature of promotions, and even price levels. The competition among retailers is fierce; to succeed, one needs guts, foresight, and creativity.

Advertising

There are several entry-level positions in the advertising field. One can easily begin as a media buyer, copywriter, or, less often, as a junior or assistant account executive. The next promotions are to full account executives, account supervisors, management supervisors, and then into various principal positions in the agencies.

Sales

There are two career paths commonly followed in sales field. First, a salesperson may make sales a career, and then become a specialist in dealing with jobbers, chains, or vendors, or in selling to specialized target groups such as independent grocers and hospitals. The second path is to become sales manager of a region or district, supervising sales representatives and the managers under you. This could ultimately lead to becoming national sales manager, vice president of sales, or even the president.

The rewards and earnings for a sales position can be very high, depending upon your effort and the compensation plan. In fact, a large number of people, once in sales, spend their entire careers there, choosing the freedom and the earning potential over the restrictions and often lower salaries of office management positions.

Distribution

The Distribution is essentially the selling of something your company or somebody else makes, either to a retailer or the end consumer. Most manufacturers in the MI sector sell to dealers (retailers) who are selling to consumers. They employ representatives, handle all of their marketing themselves as well as artist relations and accounting, and are helping to brand and market the product as best as they can, and in close rapport and relationship with the manufacturer whose products they distribute. They exhibit at trade shows, warehouse and inspect, sell and ship the products to the market place.