Career of Advertising and Marketing Managers - Research Paper Example

Career of Advertising and Marketing Managers: Outline Introduction This paper discusses the career of an advertising and marketing manager, clearly analyzing the roles and qualifications of the manager. In addition, it discusses what marketing is and what needs to be done for an organization to succeed in marketing activities. It is apparent that marketing managers play a major role in the profitability of an organization. A. Marketing as a career 1. People can embark on marketing as their sole source of livelihood 2. Marketing managers must be in a position to make independent decisions for them to survive in the competitive industry 3. All the components of marketing mix must be considered while making marketing decision B. Marketing manager 1. Role of marketing managers in product development 2. Marketing manager as the head of marketing department C. Knowledge, skills and abilities of a marketing manager 1. Required knowledge of a marketing manager 2. Skills required for one to become a marketing manager 3. Required abilities of a marketing manager D. Tasks and activities of a marketing manager 1. Occupational tasks of a marketing manager 2. General tasks of a marketing manager 3. Specific tasks of a marketing manager Conclusion To succeed in marketing, organizations have to employ the assistance of a qualified marketing manager. The manager, on the other hand, should be willing to apply the necessary knowledge and skills to market the ideology of the organization to potential customer. However, organizations have to be willing to provide the marketing manager with necessary resources to enable them execute their duties effectively. Introduction Eddie Robinson asserts that "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence” (Eddie Robinson para 9). As the phrase suggests, the career of advertising and marketing managers is driven by their urge to excel. Marketing entails the activities of an organization to create and exchange value with customers (Silk 7). Organizations use the marketing managers to accomplish this role. However, there have been some misconceptions about marketing, and the role of the advertising and marketing manager. One of the myths about marketing is that an organization needs to understand marketing in order to succeed. On the contrary, business is all about people, and thus the organization needs to understand the people other than marketing itself. Another myth of marketing is that mass marketing is the best form of marketing. Conversely, there are other more effective marketing methods such as personal exposure, face-to-face marketing and direct marketing (Laidlaw para 8). These other forms requires proper planning, a role carried out by the marketing manager. Marketing has taken a very new dimension, leaving the old methods and adopting modern forms that yield better results. With the advancement in technology and the expansion of customer-product awareness, organizations are now reviewing their marketing strategies. This creates the need for acquisition of qualified workers to adapt to the changing world. According to the Direct Marketing Association, for instance, mobile direct marketing spending is expected to grow by 51% in 2011 and by 39% in the following year. As a result, the spending will reach $31.3 billion in 2011 and 35.4 billion the following year (Kaye para 1). Advertising agents and website designers are also aligning themselves to this new development. Nearly forty percent of companies in the United States use internet for marketing purposes, as indicated in the graph below (Kagan para 1). Graph 1: Online marketing statistics Source: Kagan 2011 Marketing as a career has a great potential for advancement and in return promoting high revenues to the organization. Over the last few years, marketing has taken a new dimension, with marketers embarking on online marketing and other contemporary forms of marketing. Myspace.com website, a subsidiary of the Intermix Media for example, had over 17.7 million visitors on June 2005. This large number of visitors fostered many organizations to focus their attention on electronic marketing. Researchers also projected a 4.6% growth in this marketing field in the year 2004 and a subsequent growth in the following years (Barnett para 4), making marketing indispensable in every organization. However, there are challenges in marketing and it is upon the advertising and marketing manager to devise ways of dealing with them. One of the challenges facing marketing is retaining the existing customers, bearing into account regular increases in competition. To deal with the problem, marketers are adapting customer relationship management as a marketing model (Valos, Ewing and Powell 363). This model entails the use of knowledge and skills to offer exceptional services and persuade the customers of the benefits associated with the company (Careerinfonet para 1). This paper will be of great benefit to college students majoring in marketing. It gives an insight of marketing, as well as what it entails to be an advertising and marketing manager. The paper analyses marketing from the perspective of a manager and suggests effective ways of becoming a marketing manager. In the analysis, secondary data is used, mostly from scholarly articles, journals, books and academic websites. In addition, useful information from organizations is employed to give a practical insight of marketing. There is no factor limiting the use of information thus making it wide and resourceful. Marketing as a career The core aim of marketing in every organization is to create value for the selected clients. In this regard, the management must create a marketing department that is able to attract and retain customers, as well as provide them with the benefits that accrue in the organization. To achieve this, organizations need to have a superb marketing team and strategies to achieve their mission. The marketing strategies of an organization entail the execution of two major activities. The first activity is identifying a target market and determining how to influence the desires of the customers. The other activity involves the actual specification of the plan to execute the laid down strategies. All the tools of executing the task need to be stipulated, and the person to spearhead the operation should be specified. In most cases, the head of this operation is usually the marketing manager (Silk 3). The marketing manager has to be in a position to make independent decisions after analyzing the five Cs used in marketing. These Cs include the Customer, Competitor, Collaborators, Company and the Context. On customers, marketing must be in a position to satisfy the needs of the customers using the available resources. On analyzing the company, the marketing manager scrutinizes special competences in the firm that can be employed in order to meet the demands of the clients. Competition, on the other hand, entails external factors such as other companies offering the same product and services. When addressing the issue of competitors, the organization should take care so as not fuel unhealthy contests. Collaborator involves the other parties outside the organization that can be of great help to the company’s strategies. The last component is context, which entails cultural, legal and technical factors that may limit the performance of an organization (Silk 5). Once the management has put all the Cs into consideration, it turns its focus on the effective delivery of the products and services. This entails putting marketing as a career into practice. The marketers use the four Ps to set up a marketing mix in a way that enables them to carry out their practice easily. Place, product, price, promotion represents the 4Ps (Pralea 45). Product denotes the actual goods or services that marketers present to the customers for their consideration. Those involved must then present the products in a way that attracts consumers. Place, on the other hand, entails the marketing channels through which an organization goes to the market. Marketing managers are thus required to design channels that deliver products to the target consumers. Pricing as the other P in marketing mix entails balancing the customer’s perception about a particular product and the real value of the product. Customers are supposed to believe that they receive the value for every coin they spend on a particular product. Promotion is the last P and it entails marketing communication. It is the mandate of the marketing department to ensure that clients have the right information concerning a particular product. The marketing department may use all or some of the communication channels to deliver information to the customers (Silk 10). The figure below shows how the integration of the four Ps can enable an organization to reach its target market (Net MBA para 1). Figure 2: Integration of the Four Ps Source: Net MBA 2011 Marketing is a wide field that offers vast avenues for the growth and development of an individual. Among the positions an interested candidate may end up in include that of a sales manager, promotion manager, marketing manager, as well as public relations manager. Those who do not move up the ladder may end up being marketing supervisors or representatives. In spite of being a highly paying job, the role of an advertising manager is very demanding, regardless of the size of the firm. In small organizations, the marketing manager oversees all the activities relating to sales and marketing. In some instances, the managers are forced to do the marketing themselves whether directly or indirectly. There is slight alteration of the roles in a large organization, and the marketing managers are expected to give directions for the tasks to be performed by those below them in the hierarchy. In addition, the marketing managers must work in liaison with other departments as well as the general manager to ensure that the organization meets its corporate vision and missions (Reed). Marketing manager Various scholars have come up with different opinions on who marketing managers are, and the roles bestowed upon them. One scholar asserts that a marketing manager develops polices and strategies used in the marketing of products and services in an organization (Chronicle Guidance Publications para 17). Another scholar defines marketing managers as people who coordinate their companies’ market research, marketing strategies, marketing mix, sales and advertising (Occupational Outlook Handbook para 1). Marketing managers determine the demand of the products and services offered by an organization, as well as identifying potential customers for the same. In addition, they develop pricing strategies that would enable an organization to generate maximum profits within a given period. Moreover, the manager oversees product innovation and monitors market trends that indicate the need of a new product, or the improvement of the already existing ones (Careerinfonet para 1). Knowledge, skills and abilities of a marketing manager A wide range of educational and experience background is necessary for people willing to be marketing managers. The managers need to have vast knowledge in sales and marketing with specification in marketing strategies and tactics, selling techniques, and product demonstration. In addition, the managers should have the knowledge required to provide customer and personal services. Such understanding includes assessing the needs of a customer and meeting the quality standards of their organization. Administration and management skills are also important as they enable the managers to plan and allocate resources accordingly, as well as coordinate the human capital in the organization. In addition, the manager should have knowledge in communication and media relations. Managers need to have basic communication skills including the use of the right language and the dissemination of information using different modes of communication (Careerinfonet para 2). On top of the knowledge, marketing managers should have the necessary skills to perform their duties. Active listening is one of the most important skills a manger should have. It entails giving attention to the views of other people and asking questions at the right time. Managers should also be critical thinkers to be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions. Persuasion skills are also important as they enable the managers to make people change their perception concerning a particular product. Social skills are also significant as they enable the managers to understand why people react differently to certain matters affecting the industry. Similarly, marketing managers need to talk to other people and convey their intentions in an effective way (Careerinfonet para 3). Marketing managers should also possess exceptional abilities in order to deal with the challenges of marketing. They should have oral comprehension and expression skills so as to listen to information, internalize it and present it using their own words. This ability assists in the reduction of unnecessary wording, thus saving time. The other ability is that of deductive reasoning; by which managers apply general rules in solving specific problems. In marketing, most of the problems do not have definite answers, and it is upon the manager to find solutions to such problems. Moreover, the manager needs to have fluency of ideas pertaining to business topics, since by expounding on a topic the marketing team is able to device ways of conducting effective practices. It is also important for the marketing managers to be able to express themselves orally and in writing (Careerinfonet para 4). Tasks and activities of a marketing manager Advertising and marketing managers hold an office close to those of top management. This is because they are responsible for all the marketing activities that take place in an organization. One core factor essential in all their roles is an effective mode of communication. Most of their duties involve communication with potential customers and dealing with various stakeholders. In cases involving advertisement, the managers need to talk with representatives of the media companies to structure their messages. In some occasions, the managers may be required to travel extensively to consult with other members of the same industry. Job transfer is also apparent in marketing, as organizations try to find the best manager to serve in a particular market (Occupational Outlook Handbook para 8). There are general and specific tasks that marketing managers need to perform in the course of their duties. These tasks may vary from one organization to the other depending on the policies each company has adopted. The general duties of the marketing manager include relaying information concerning marketing activities to supervisors, peers and concerned parties. Another task is communicating with people outside the organization on matters affecting marketing, such as legal and ethical issues. Communication may either be oral or in writing depending on prevailing circumstances. Additionally, the managers should be involved in the search for information relevant to their area of specialty. This may entail data mining on potential customers as well as gathering information concerning the current marketing trends. The managers are also required to think creatively at all times in order to innovate new methods of doing business (Careerinfonet para 6). Specifically, marketing managers must perform a number of tasks or delegate some of the activities to their subordinates. Such activities include conducting research and sales presentation, analyzing market and sales trend, and developing marketing and pricing policies. They may also be involved in delegating work to staff, hiring and training of workers, supervising marketing conduct, and evaluating individual performance (Occupational Outlook Handbook para ). On information, the marketing managers control customers’ contacts, prepare reports, inform the organization of new market trends and undertake publicity of new products. Other duties include providing customer services, identifying potential markets, and preparing financial analysis of their department (Careerinfonet para 7). Conclusion Organizations desire to succeed, and hence they have to formulate effective strategies to achieve such success. One of the best methods to achieve their goal is having a good marketing plan. Marketing entails all the activities that an organization engages in to create value for its customers. However, these strategies require the expertise of a visionary leader to accomplish. As a result, organizations have to seek the help of a marketing manager to coordinate the market research, marketing strategies, marketing mix, sales and advertising. There are general and specific duties managers have to fulfill, and for this, they have to be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to undertake the managerial obligations. Works Cited Barnett, Megan. "All The News That Clicks." Money & Business, 2005. Web. 11 October 2011. Biz Guy. "Famous Marketing Quotes." YoungEntrepreneur, 2011. Web. 11 October 2011. Careerinfonet. "Marketing Managers." America's Career InfoNet, 2011. Web.11 October 2011. Chronicle Guidance Publications, Inc. "Chronicle Occupational Briefs, Individual Titles Beginning with M." America's Career InfoNet, 2011. Web. 11 October 2011. Kagan, Marta. "100 Awesome Marketing Stats, Charts, & Graphs [Data]." Hubspot Blog, 20 May 2011. 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