Marketing Manager Career - Coursework Example

Marketing manager career Affiliation Introduction Marketing is among the ancient careers that emerged with the emergence of civilization. Initially, marketing emerged as an internal looking discipline in organizations. Marketing was focused on products produced by the organization. However, marketing is now focused on external factors in the organization and aim at increasing the overall sales and maximizing profits. Marketing has a large number of meanings in different areas. Marketing is described as the performance and execution of business activities that are responsible for directing the flow of services and products from the initial producers to consumers. It is also known as the process of performing, planning, promotion, pricing, and distribution of goods, ideas and services to create exchanges that lead to achievement of organizational objectives and individual satisfaction. Marketing is referred to as a function of the organization and processes that involve creation, communication and delivery of value to consumers and management of customer relationship to benefit stakeholders and the organization. This study focuses on providing some details on the marketing career especially the marketing manager position. The research involves providing a description and history of marketing career, marketing manager job description and general outlook, skills and educational requirements and changes that have occurred in the occupation. Overview and Brief History of Marketing Manager Occupation Although the marketing concept was developed in the ancient times, the concept received more attention and development during the industrial revolution experienced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the industrial revolution, there was advancement in technology, rapid social change, and scientific innovation. According to Davis (2013), marketing began informally in 1741 when the first magazine was produced. Additional development in marketing was experienced in 1800 when first billboards were used to attract public attention and to convert the attention to sales. Development of marketing has been experienced through different phases as illustrated by White (2010). The simple trade era was the first era in marketing. The simple trade era was characterized by the limited supply of goods and services, utilization of hands for production and focus on the economic activities. The simple trade era ended in the mid-19th century after lasting for several of decades from civilization period. In the mid-19th century, the production era replaced the simple trade era during the industrial revolution period. The production era was characterized by different aspects. For instance, the level of production increased thus increasing products availability to consumers. The production era lasted for approximately sixty years beginning from 1860s to 1920s. After the production era was over, the sales era emerged in 1920s. The sales era had a saturated market where businesses were unable to sell readily and easily their produce. During the sales era, the competition for the market share was high due to increased number of industries. Commoditization also emerged where products produced were trading commodities and price became the distinguishing factor in competitive advantage. The sales era lasted from 1920s to 1940s. During the post -World War II economic boom, the sales era was overridden by the marketing department era in 1940s. The emergence of the marketing department era occurred when firms in the manufacturing sector realized that dependence on the past sales strategies and information was not reasonable and satisfying to the customers. Customers gained market power due to the establishment of new levels of affluence. The marketing department era was also characterized by consolidation of marketing-related activities. The marketing department era lasted for approximately two decades. Lastly, the current marketing era is known as the marketing company era. The era emerged when the market concept is accepted. The market concept is focused on addressing needs of customers. The marketing company era is the last and current marketing era. Duties and Responsibilities of Marketing Manager The marketing manager is among the rapidly growing careers in the world. It is a decision-making the position in an organization where the manager is required to make various marketing decisions and give directions in an organization. A marketing manager mainly focuses on selecting the best strategy to promote employer’s products, services, and brands. Marketing managers have diversified roles and responsibilities in different organizations depending on the activity and nature of the organization. However, there are various common roles and responsibilities of a marketing manager (Marketing Associations of ANZ, 2014). Some of the common duties and responsibilities of marketing manager include market research and analysis, identification of target markets, development of marketing strategies, designing social media strategies for marketing, management of marketing assistance and the executives team, attending sales meetings, conferences and trade shows, planning marketing campaigns and managing marketing budget (National Career Service, 2015). In addition, the marketing manager should ensure that brand messages are consistent, expanding product offerings and solutions, monitor and oversee delivery and creation of advertisements, press releases, and other materials used in marketing. The marketing manager should also gather and analyze insights of customers, participate in social media, collaborate with other managers within the organization and creation of good relationships with customers. Salary and Working Hours A marketing manager usually works from 9am to 5pm. He or she is expected to report to work from Monday to Friday. However, the working hours of a marketing manager vary with events, situations, and organizational commitments. For instance, the manager is required to attend to various marketing meetings, appointments, trade affairs, exhibitions, shows and other events. The marketing manager is supposed to work from the office and visit clients in various places. According to the National Career Service (2015), a marketing manager is likely to receive a salary ranging from £25000 to £40000 annually. Senior marketing managers and marketing directors are paid approximately £50000 yearly. In United States, marketing managers receive a total pay that range between $38,166 and $100,975. However, these salary figures are bound to change according the organization and employment terms. Education and Skills Required People aspiring to become marketing managers have some entry requirements. First a manager in the marketing department is required to have an experience of at least five years as a marketing executive in a similar organization. In addition, a marketing manager is required to have a professional Bachelors’ degree or a Masters’ degree in the marketing field and should be a qualified chartered marketer. A marketing manager must possess managerial skills and ability to solve internal and external forces. Teamwork skills and appropriate communication techniques should be possessed by the manager. A marketing manager is required to have adequate experience in market research and analysis, Microsoft suite application, coordination of activities and a team player. Lastly, a marketing manager should have adequate skills such as a strong creative outlook, good time management, good listener, patience, team player, creative, has ability to juggle various tasks at once, innovative and with confident and dynamic personality. In United States, a marketing manager is required to have certificates from recognized bodies. Some of the marketing bodies include the Public Relations Society of America that offers a professional certificate, the Market Research Association that offers the professional researcher certificate for market research analysts and the American Market Association that recommends the marketers. There are different paths that a marketing person can follow to become a marketing manager. According to Career Services (2014), a marketing manager can follow the path below. • Assistant Brand Manager • Brand Manager • Marketing Director • Group or Division Director • Senior Company Executive Changes in the Marketing Sector The marketing departments have undergone various changes in the past 5-10n years. First, organization have experienced downsizing of marketing executives and marketing managers. Downsizing in the marketing sector in an organization can be caused by different factors. Some of these factors include acquisitions, mergers, centralization of leadership and ineffective performance of the organization. Secondly, executives in the marketing sector in many organizations are performing multiple tasks. Organizations are currently employing marketing managers with a wide range of skills and knowledge in order to undertake a different role in the organization. Lastly, there is a paradigm shift in the marketing career. The marketing managers and executives are required to be equipped with technological skills especially in utilizing social media. Extensive use of technology in the marketing sector is among the paradigm shifts experienced in the marketing sector. The marketing sector is expected to have some changes in the future. Rapid advancement in technology will have an impact on the marketing sector in most of the organizations. For instance, marketing departments of the organization will create applications that list all their products and prices. Product applications would be used by users to select various products they would like to consume. Secondly, mergers and acquisitions are marketing strategies that are likely to be experienced by different organizations to earn larger market share and high profit as they reduce the competition level. Lastly, multinational organizations are likely to adopt more foreign investment strategies in order to produce and market their produce in many countries. Summary of an Informational Interview During the research on the marketing manager occupation, I held a short informational interview with a marketing manager at PepsiCo, Armando de Paz. Armando de Paz is a marketing manager who has experienced the food and drinks industry for some years. According to the PepsiCo marketing manager, a marketing manager should have vast knowledge of the market in order to make appropriate decision. He stated that a marketing manager should be holding at least a Bachelor’s degree in Business marketing or marketing related field in order to manage effectively and determine the market. In response to the payment of a marketing manager, Paz stated that salaries of marketing managers vary from one organization to the other. However, the average salaries of marketing manager fall between $40000 and $100000. In addition, he revealed that a person should have an experience of about 5 or more year in the marketing department in order to be promoted to be a marketing manager. According to Paz, most of the organizations in the market have marketing departments. However, production and distribution organization utilize the marketing department extensively thus the career is more likely to considered in production and distribution organizations rather than utility or state organizations. Lastly, personal skill, attitudes, and attributes are key factors that determine the success of a marketing manager. A good marketing manager should have good communication skills, appropriate behavior, time management skills and good attitude towards clients. Personal Attributes towards the Marketing Manager Career Working as a marketing manager is one my future desires and ambitions. I have acquired adequate knowledge in the marketing sectors. PepsiCo is my desired fast moving consumer company that I would like to work at. The reason for selecting PepsiCo over other organizations is because marketing in such companies provides exposure and adequate experience. In addition, working at PepsiCo will enhance my marketing skills such as communication and promotion skills. I am a team player and goal oriented person with a focus on ensuring that organizational goals are achieved. In addition, I am creative in developing new strategies and solutions to problems in the marketing sector. I also like traveling thus I would be comfortable traveling from one place to another to market products and oversee the marketing process. I am a multicultural person thus I can effectively market products in various places with many cultures. References National Careers Service (2015). Marketing manager. Retrieved from https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/marketingmanager.aspx White S. (2010). The evolution of marketing. Retrieved from http://dstevenwhite.com/2010/06/18/the-evolution-of-marketing/ Career Services (2014). Marketing. Michigan Ross School of Business. Retrieved from http://www.bus.umich.edu/studentcareerservices/resources/cp12marketing.pdf Davis K.(2013). A (Kind of) Brief History of Marketing (Infographic). Entrepreneur. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227438 Marketing Assocition of ANZ (2014). A Career in Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.marketing.org.au/images/cimages/A%20Career%20in%20Marketing.pdf Armando de Paz. Marketing manager. PepsiCo Foods Canada. Read More