Marketing and Advertising |
Who are Advertising and Marketing Professionals?Is This Program in My Area?What do Advertising and Marketing Professionals do? Advertising and marketing professionals perform a variety of duties, which often depend on their specific firm. Marketing professionals develop a firm’s marketing strategy, often with the help of a creative team. Some of their job requirements involve identifying market needs, exploring potential new markets, developing pricing strategies, monitoring trends, and overseeing product development. Advertising professionals often work with clients to develop advertising and promotional materials, serve as liaisons between their firm and clients, and depending on the size of their firm, will oversee in-house advertising and promotional teams (account, creative, and media services). The specific duties that advertising and marketing professionals perform are often quite specific to the particular product they are promoting or the particular firm or locale in which they work. Advertising and marketing professionals often work long hours and under pressure to meet deadlines and goals. There is also often travel involved for both marketing and advertising professionals to visit clients, attend association or industry meetings, and visit dealers and distributors. Advertising and Marketing Training Advertising and marketing professionals often enter the industry with a wide range of educational backgrounds. Students interested in becoming advertising and marketing professionals should be good communicators, highly motivated, creative, flexible, decisive, and have strong interpersonal skills. In terms of marketing positions, some employers prefer that employees attain a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration with a marketing emphasis or a marketing degree. Also, courses in economics, management, accounting, finance, mathematics, statistics, and business law are encouraged. Marketing training through internships is also beneficial, and often required, for students wanting to enter the field. In terms of advertising positions, some employers prefer a specific degree in advertising, or in journalism. Important courses for advertising majors to take might include general marketing and advertising classes, market research, consumer behavior, sales, visual arts, communication methods and technology, photography, and art history. In order to be successful in the field, marketing and advertising professionals should have strong computer skills, particularly in word-processing and database applications. Advertising and Marketing Certification Currently, people going into advertising and marketing are not required to attain any particular certification prior to beginning their career. However, some associations offer certification that assists with career advancement. For example, the American Marketing Association’s Professional Certified Marketer program allows marketers to demonstrate their experience with marketing concepts and processes. Also, some schools for marketing provide certificate programs, which involve students taking various marketing classes. Continuing education opportunities are also often provided at various marketing and advertising firms. Advertising and Marketing Job Prospects Advertising and marketing professionals are usually on the frontline at their firm, garnering attention for their company’s product, and often hold important and highly visible positions within companies. Opportunities abound for students interested in marketing or advertising careers, as these types of positions are found in virtually every industry. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics expects there to be a 12 percent increase in advertising and marketing positions through 2016. Advertising and marketing positions are usually found in a variety of industries including, wholesale trade and retail trade, manufacturing, health care, education, finance, insurance, and science. The advertising and marketing profession continues to evolve, change, and grow and is spurred by intense global and domestic competition for products and services. Advertising and Marketing Job Security and Salary Careers in advertising and marketing are often exciting and require employees to stay on the cutting edge of the latest trends. Jobs in advertising and marketing continue to develop as the industry increases activity in television, radio, internet, and outdoor advertising. Growth does vary by industry, with scientific, professional, and related services projected to grow the fastest. The advertising and marketing profession will continue to remain competitive and those people with related experience, high levels of creativity, and impressive communication skills will be most likely to succeed. Advertising and marketing professionals can expect to earn starting salaries averaging between $33,831 and $40,161, but have the potential to quickly make salaries between $91,420 and $119,540 depending on experience, the size of the firm, location, and industry. Positions in advertising and marketing continue to remain quite popular among graduates, and opportunities are projected to increase steadily. |