04 Nov 2014

Marketing is all around us, all the time. Whether you’re surfing the web, walking down the street or even hanging out in your own home, you can pretty much guarantee that some form of marketing or advertising is influencing you at any given moment.

Here, I’ll show you: look down at your phone (you probably have it close by). If you’ve got an iPhone, then you’ve already fallen under the influence of one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time: Apple. If it’s an Android, then you probably saw an advertisement, or review of the product before you made your decision. If you still have a Nokia brick phone, then you are clearly immune to advertising.

Basically, marketing shapes the world we live in, and the decisions we make every day. It tells us which products are good and which are bad, which brands are best, what services we need, where to shop, what to eat, the clothes we wear. This is because marketers have the power to control the success of a product, and completely shift the way brands are perceived by the public.

So, what do marketers do?

Marketers have a pretty awesome gig. They work in a highly creative and innovative field that actually pays well, unlike many creativity based careers. It is their job to dream up and execute new campaigns that they believe will grab their target audience’s attention and guide their thinking about a brand or product. Marketers have to come up with fresh, original ways to get their message across, through a variety of mediums including television, print, online, events and–the new favourite–social media.

Could I be a marketer?

Marketers are people who enjoy working in media, are creative, and are good communicators. Are you someone who gets a lot of likes on their Facebook statuses? Maybe you should consider social media marketing. Do you have an eye for design? Then you could work in graphics marketing. Handy with a camera? What about television advertisement? Marketing is the kind of job that could suit just about anyone, particularly if you think you understand what people want and are able to communicate that to a wide audience.

What kind of jobs are available?

Doing a degree in marketing will open up so many doors when it comes time to get a job, and marketing comes in many shapes and sizes.

  • Marketing managers are responsible for overseeing all marketing processes within a business or brand.
  • Market researchers study the target audiences and competitive products, then collate their findings to provide a business with information vital to creating a successful marketing campaign.
  • Market consultants are hired by businesses to come up with and implement a marketing strategy for their products.
  • Promoters and Advertisers are involved in the implementation of a marketing campaign by communicating it to the target audience. This could be through various mediums, including literally speaking to the target audience about their product.
  • Strategic Marketing Managers dream up innovative marketing strategies, and have a thorough knowledge of the market and potential successes and risks.
  • Product/Brand Managers are experts on their product, know where it sits in the market and know all about its target audience. They could oversee the price, look and overall feel of a product.

How do I get into marketing?

Many universities incorporate their marketing courses into business degrees, however some offer marketing as a standalone degree. Martin has a Bachelor of Business in Marketing course, and you can fast track this degree to take only two years to complete. You will graduate job-ready and well versed in all areas of marketing. You can also start in entry level marketing jobs while you study, usually in promotion or social media marketing.

And just to prove how prevalent marketing really is: well, this whole article was a marketing strategy to get you interested in marketing. Sneaky, right?