Marketing

Selling goods and services has become increasingly complex in today’s global, technologically-advanced world, creating issues for everyone in the supply chain. How does an Australian designer maintain her business when consumers can buy the latest fashion straight off the catwalk in Milan or a cheap copy via eBay, months before she has had a chance to replicate them? How do movie distributors compete with internet download tools and global travellers who have purchased and viewed movies long before they are marketed in Australia?

Like it or not, we are a society of consumers. But with customers becoming more media-aware, developing marketing campaigns that work and making decisions about where and how to advertise is becoming more and more challenging. Literally everything is a marketable product, effectively meaning that every business, organisation and individual entity needs a marketing strategy. This extends to service organisations, government departments, e-businesses and boutique operators. Even people looking for work are developing their own personal brand.

Marketers’ expertise is no longer seen as a luxury, but as an essential part of business strategy. An effective marketing strategy can make a real difference to an organisation’s bottom line. Businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes are turning to marketers.

Marketing activities support everything from the birth of an idea, through conceptualising a product, to persuading people to buy it. People working at the retail end are also involved in marketing, using their product knowledge to help consumers to make the best choices. While there is a vast number of roles and activities that come under the umbrella of marketing, there are some commonalities between them. All marketers are:

  • interested in knowing about people’s purchasing decisions
  • fundamentally interested in the ‘saleability’ aspects of an item or group of items
  • more focused on creating ideas about a product or service than in the product or service itself (although their input helps create new products as well).

Some people in the marketing industry focus on short-term results (e.g. conducting an advertising campaign), while some develop long-term strategies. Some focus on maintaining a continuous public image while others respond to crises and avert potential disasters.

Further Resources

Careers for Marketing Graduates