Marketing and Advertising
Marketing and advertising is “the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives.” A business uses marketing techniques to find and keep customers, with the ultimate goal of increasing profits. The key to successful marketing is making customers happy, because this is what will ultimately make them spend their money with you rather than your competitors.
Marketing can include anything from creating a product to getting it into the customer's shopping cart. It can be promoting a service with a newspaper ad, designing websites and writing press releases, or creating buzz through commercials and word-of-mouth advertising. Companies ranging from small locally owned restaurants to major multi-national corporations all need marketing and advertising specialists to promote their products and services.
Careers: A degree in marketing and advertising trains students to be creative, and successful graduates find themselves well prepared for a wide number of jobs. Careers for people with degrees in this field include positions as marketing and advertising managers, consultants, analysts, market researchers, professional salespersons, writers, e-commerce managers, public relations coordinators, promoters, and more. Many graduates find that they are excellent entrepreneurs, because they know what it takes to attract business and increase profits.
Skills: People will be successful in this field if they are innovative, resourceful, and original. They must also be motivated to listen, learn, analyze, and interpret information about target markets in order to advertise effectively to them. They tend to be good writers, hard workers, and critical thinkers.
Courses typically included in a degree program for marketing and advertising are:
- Principles of Marketing
- Behavioral Research
- Fundamentals of Advertising
- Creative Strategy
- Market Assessment
- Price Policies
- Marketing Strategy and Planning
- Consumer Behavior
- Copywriting
- Design and Evaluation
- Brand and Product Management
- Advertising and Marketing Communications
- Media Planning, Buying, and Analysis
Salary: Marketing and advertising professionals can expect to be paid well for their work. In 2008, median annual salaries were $80,220 for advertising and promotions managers, $97,260 for sales managers, and $108,870 for marketing managers. The largest industries employing these people included department stores, automobile dealers, management of companies/enterprises, insurance carriers, computer systems design services, consulting services, and equipment/supplies wholesalers.
Article Resources:
Ferris State University
New York University
The University of California, Los Angeles
The University of North Carolina, Wilmington
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The U.S. Small Business Administration