Marketing is everywhere. From food and clothes to grocery items, luxury goods, cars, houses, and holiday destinations, we are surrounded by marketing all the time. It is most visible in media ads and hoardings, but present in other places as well. PR-led newspaper articles and viral videos are but some examples of subtle marketing tactics that seek to introduce us to new brands/products or improve the image of existing ones in our eyes.

The crucial role played by marketing makes it one of the most coveted and well-paying jobs in the corporate world today. Marketing managers play a key role in business planning and strategy owing to their deep understanding of the consumer psyche. At the same time, they are responsible for promoting sales and brand awareness to ensure that customers are aware of the existence of the brand and carry a positive impression of it in their minds.

Get Familiar with Marketing

Marketing includes all those activities undertaken by a company with the objective of selling their products and maintaining customer relationships. As a field, it straddles both arts and science and requires an adequate understanding of numerous subjects including psychology, sociology, mathematics, economics, anthropology and neuroscience.

The main job of marketers is to create and implement strategies that help their companies meet their sales targets. They conduct market research, assess demand, identify the target audience, create pricing strategies, and determine the most effective way to reach out to the target segment. They may also participate in product design, packaging, and media planning by giving their inputs.

Marketing is divided into categories based on the type of customers served. They include B2B (business-to-business), B2C (business-to-consumer), C2B (consumer-to-business), and C2C (consumer-to-consumer) marketing.

Types of Marketing Jobs

Marketing is a very large discipline in itself with several components under it. This allows different types of job seekers with different talents and temperaments to find opportunities in the sector. Some of the major branches of marketing are listed below:

• Market research
• Corporate communications
• Advertising
• Social media marketing
• Search marketing
• Copywriting/content writing
• Design and visualising
• Consumer behaviour analysis
• Public relations

Whether you are a numbers person or a writer, artist or analyst, marketing has space for you. Besides job function, you can also choose your sector (manufacturing, tech, media, oil and gas etc.) to create an alignment between temperament and interest.

Marketing in a Post-COVID World  

Perhaps more than any other sector, it is marketing that is influenced by a country’s economic performance. Pre-COVID estimates pointed to a 3.8% average annual GDP growth in the UAE until 2023. However, the coronavirus lockdowns are certain to slow down growth both in the UAE and the world. The marketing sector is likely to see a jump in hiring once the economy rebounds from the crisis.

Going forward, marketers will have to adapt to changed consumer behaviours once the economy reopens after the current spate of lockdowns. Accenture predicts lower risk tolerance in terms of trying out new brands, a greater focus on health, a shift towards digital, rise in home spending, and greater faith in a central authority such as the government, as the lasting behavioural fallouts of the Covid-19 crisis. It will be important for marketing managers of the future to take these shifts into account while determining their marketing strategies.

Personal Attributes

Being a successful marketer requires individuals to possess certain important personal attributes. The best marketers share the following traits that help them flourish in the business.

• Vision
• Innovation
• Creativity
• Strategic thinking
• Emotional intelligence
• Relationship focus
• Goal-orientation
• Business insight
• Domain knowledge
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Leadership

Candidates possessing the above attributes have a higher chance of reaching senior-level positions in the industry. At the same time, professionals in specialised branches such as market research, copywriting etc. require related skill sets such as numerical ability, language skills etc. to successfully discharge their duties.

The best marketing professionals are highly committed to their brands, excellent mediators, and value data and insights. They respect native cultures and regularly think outside the box to come up with innovative solutions and strategies.

Educational Qualifications

Getting a job in marketing usually requires the candidate to obtain a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. Candidates may also opt for a master’s degree or a PG diploma in marketing for an in-depth understanding of the field and also to improve their chances of getting hired in the industry.

Below is a list of some common marketing degrees that are offered globally:

• Bachelor of Science in Marketing
• Bachelor of Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
• Master of Science in Marketing
• MBA in Marketing
• Master of Science in Marketing Management

Apart from the above, courses and programmes are also available for candidates wanting to specialise in various areas within marketing.

• Master of Science in Advertising
• Master’s in Public Relations
• Diploma in Public Relations and Marketing
• PG Diploma in PR and Advertising
• Bachelor of Fine Arts
• Master of Fine Arts
• Master of Marketing Research
• Diploma in Digital Marketing
• Bachelor of Digital Marketing
• Master of Digital Marketing

At the same time, there are plenty of instances of professionals with degrees in other fields crossing over to marketing and making a success of it. But you may encounter a glass ceiling at some point in your career if you lack a formal marketing degree.

Eye on the Future

The post-COVID world is going to look very different from what it was in the past. As an aspiring marketer, it is very important for you to realise that marketing as a disciple is likely to undergo a major transformation when business activity finally resumes. Among other things, gaining customer trust against the background of the pandemic could turn out to be a major focus area for brands. There could also be a greater emphasis on the agility to handle future pandemic situations and other uncertain times to minimise damage from such situations.

Looking for marketing jobs? We can help. Log on to innovationuae.com to find jobs with top UAE and international brands.