Marketing Manager

• Keen competition is expected for these highly coveted jobs.
• College graduates with related experience, a high level of creativity, and strong communication and computer skills should have the best job opportunities.
• High earnings, substantial travel, and long hours, including evenings and weekends, are common.
• Because of the importance and high visibility of their jobs, these managers often are prime candidates for advancement to the highest ranks.

Career Overview

Marketing managers work with advertising and promotion managers to promote the firm's or organization's products and services. With the help of lower level managers, including product development managers and market research managers, marketing managers estimate the demand for products and services offered by the firm and its competitors and identify potential markets for the firm’s products. Marketing managers also develop pricing strategies to help firms maximize profits and market share while ensuring that the firms' customers are satisfied. In collaboration with sales, product development, and other managers, they monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services and they oversee product development.

Work environment. Marketing managers work in offices close to those of top managers. Working under pressure is unavoidable when schedules change and problems arise, but deadlines and goals still must be met.

Substantial travel may be required in order to meet with customers and consult with others in the industry. Job transfers between headquarters and regional offices are common.

Long hours, including evenings and weekends are common. In 2008, over 80 percent of marketing and related managers worked 40 hours or more a week.

Training, Qualifications, and Advancement

A wide range of educational backgrounds is suitable for entry into marketing manager jobs, but many employers prefer college graduates with experience in related occupations.

Education and training. For marketing management positions, employers often prefer a bachelor's or master's degree in business administration with an emphasis on marketing. Courses in business law, management, economics, accounting, finance, mathematics, and statistics are advantageous. In addition, the completion of an internship while the candidate is in school is highly recommended. In highly technical industries, such as computer and electronics manufacturing, a bachelor's degree in engineering or science, combined with a master's degree in business administration, is preferred.

Most marketing management positions are filled through promotions of experienced staff or related professional personnel. For example, many managers are former sales representatives; purchasing agents; buyers; or product, advertising, promotions, or public relations specialists. In small firms, in which the number of positions is limited, advancement to a management position usually comes slowly. In large firms, promotion may occur more quickly.

Other qualifications. Computer skills are necessary for recordkeeping and data management, and the ability to work in an Internet environment is becoming increasingly vital as more marketing, product promotion, and advertising is done through the Internet. Also, the ability to communicate in a foreign language may open up employment opportunities in many rapidly growing areas around the country, especially cities with large Spanish-speaking populations.

Persons interested in becoming marketing managers should be mature, creative, highly motivated, resistant to stress, flexible, and decisive. The ability to communicate persuasively, both orally and in writing, with other managers, staff, and the public is vital. These managers also need tact, good judgment, and exceptional ability to establish and maintain effective personal relationships with supervisory and professional staff members and client firms.

Certification and advancement. Some associations offer certification programs for these managers. Certification—an indication of competence and achievement—is particularly important in a competitive job market. Although relatively few marketing managers currently are certified, the number of managers who seek certification is expected to grow. Today, there are numerous management certification programs based on education and job performance.

Although experience, ability, and leadership are emphasized for promotion, advancement can be accelerated by participation in management training programs conducted by larger firms. Many firms also provide their employees with continuing education opportunities—either in-house or at local colleges and universities—and encourage employee participation in seminars and conferences, often held by professional societies. In collaboration with colleges and universities, numerous marketing and related associations sponsor national or local management training programs. Course subjects include brand and product management; international marketing; sales management evaluation; telemarketing and direct sales; interactive marketing; product promotion; marketing communication; market research; organizational communication; and data-processing systems, procedures, and management. Many firms pay all or part of the cost for employees who complete courses.

Because of the importance and high visibility of their jobs marketing, managers often are prime candidates for advancement to the highest ranks. Well-trained, experienced, and successful managers may be promoted to higher positions in their own or another firm; some become top executives. Managers with extensive experience and sufficient capital may open their own businesses.

Employment

Marketing managers held about 175,600 jobs in 2008.

Marketing managers were found in virtually every industry. The professional, scientific, and technical services, and the finance and insurance industries employed around 32 percent of marketing managers.

Job Outlook

Employment is projected to grow about as fast as average. As with most managerial jobs, keen competition is expected for these highly coveted positions.

Employment change. Marketing managers and their departments constitute some of the most important personnel in an organization and are less subject to downsizing or outsourcing than are other types of managers, except in the case of companies that are consolidating. Employment of marketing managers, therefore, will vary primarily on the basis of the growth or contraction in the industries that employ them. Employment of marketing managers will grow about as fast as average at 12 percent between 2008 and 2018.

Job prospects. Most job openings for this occupation will be due to the need to replace workers who leave the occupation or retire. However, marketing manager jobs are highly coveted and are often sought by other managers or highly experienced professionals, resulting in keen competition. College graduates with related experience, a high level of creativity, and strong communication and computer skills should have the best job opportunities. In particular, employers will seek those who have the skills to conduct new types of marketing campaigns involving new media, particularly the Internet.

Earnings

Median annual wages in May 2008 were $80,220 for marketing managers. The middle 50 percent earned between $77,520 and $148,970. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $55,270 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $166,400.

Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of marketing managers were as follows:

Wages vary substantially, depending upon the employee’s level of managerial responsibility, length of service, and education; the size and location of the firm; and the industry in which the firm operates. For example, manufacturing firms usually pay these managers higher salaries than nonmanufacturing firms. Many managers earn bonuses equal to 10 percent or more of their salaries.

According to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, starting salaries for marketing majors graduating in 2009 averaged $43,325.

For More Information

For information about careers in marketing management, contact:

• The American Marketing Association, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 5800, Chicago, IL 60606. Internet: http://www.marketingpower.com