Working in marketing
Marketing is a profession that offers challenges, excitement and variety. It also demands high levels of motivation, commitment, adaptability and perseverance. Not a career for the faint-hearted!
1 in 7 of all UK students now hope to become a marketer - those that do succeed, however, are highly rewarded with several careers existing throughout the marketing spectrum both in house and agency side.
Within each, there are opportunities for people with a generalist education as well as those with a numerate, scientific or technical background. Some of these jobs primarily involve research skills or data analysis, others demand creativity and inter-personal skills, and many require a mix of logical thinking, drive, tenacity and excellent communication skills.
The '' in-house '' marketing department
Many organisations now have marketing departments. In medium and larger size organisations, the Marketing Director may be a board member, influencing corporate decisions and business strategies. In most cases, the Marketing Director will head a team of Marketing managers and planners. If it is a very large conglomerate, they may have responsibility for a whole business unit or more commonly, will manage different product lines, brands or services.
The agency
It is increasingly rare for a marketing department to undertake all the activities involved with marketing campaigns "in-house". Agencies are employed based on the specific requirements of a campaign to work in close partnership with a marketing department.
These agencies often form a complex network and may specialise in one particular activity such as market research or a particular area of promotion, such as sales promotion, direct marketing, PR or advertising.