What is Marketing?

Marketing involves much more than just selling goods and services. It also involves identifying customer needs, and finding new markets and new products to meet these needs and markets. Further, Marketing identifies what product changes are desired by customers.

Equally as important as developing products is Marketing's responsibility for selling the Company's products. This in turn involves advertising and personal (i.e., face-to-face) selling, both to consumers and to other companies that buy the Company's products.

Surprisingly, Marketing is very involved in pricing the Company's products. While there are important financial aspects of pricing, there are also the customers' perceptions of price to consider. As an example, for years Marketers at Mercedes warned that there is a limit to how much American luxury car buyers would pay for Mercedes' 500 Series automobiles. At some point, Mercedes' 500 Series pricing apparently passed that limit and sales dropped dramatically. As another example, Godiva chocolates were once priced with the competition. When Marketers raised prices to signal consumers that Godiva chocolates were somehow better than the rest, unit sales fell but revenue increased. The unit decline was more than offset by the price increase.

Marketing is also responsible for distributing the Company's products via wholesalers, retailers, catalogs, E-commerce, and more. In addition, Marketing is increasingly responsible for the physical distribution of the Company's products-- e.g., how they are inventoried, packed, transported, warehoused, etc. All other things being equal, consumers and companies prefer products that are available where they want them, in the right quantities, when they want them, etc.

In short, Marketing is responsible for finding needs and filling them, and maximizing exchanges between the Company and customers. This includes designing and refining the Company's products, and pricing, promoting, and distributing them.

Marketing is also responsible for identifying new target markets. This can involve Marketing in starting new companies, and acquiring outside companies.

Perhaps surprisingly, Marketing can be quite technical. For example, trained Marketers who are also trained Statisticians conduct Marketing Research for larger companies such as Proctor and Gamble. Trained Marketers who are also trained Psychologists perform Consumer Marketing Research studies. Trained Marketers who are also trained Engineers do Logistic system design. More unusual examples include the degreed Lawyers, who are also trained Marketers, who work for the U.S. Justice Department and larger law firms on the legal aspects of Marketing.

Marketers are involved in all aspects of the U.S. economy. For example, in addition to consumer products such as automobiles, Marketers are involved in Business-2-Business markets such as jet engines to Boeing. Marketers are involved in E-commerce, both to consumers (e.g., amazon.com), and to businesses (e.g., boeing.com). Surprisingly Marketers are involved in politics. The President and the President Elect used Marketing Researchers, Public Relations experts, Fund Raisers, and more. Most of these were trained Marketers. Marketers are also involved in environmental issues. Green Peace, the National Wildlife Federation, the Nature Conservancy, and more use trained Marketers to help generate donations and lobby for public and governmental support.

Marketers are involved with intercollegiate and professional sports. The recent Olympic Games involved trained Marketers to obtain sponsors, promote ticket sales, repair public relations (e.g., the bribes paid to the Commissioners), and more. The NFL employs Marketers to promote the NFL (e.g., the United Way involvement of name NFL players). Local franchises employ trained Marketers to promote the local team, lobby for new stadiums, etc.

Marketers can be among the highest paid individuals in a company. Over the years Marketers have occupied the executive suites of over half of the Fortune 500 companies. Sales persons in some larger companies can make seven figures per year-- executives in these companies know sales persons are responsible for producing and maintaining the Company's revenue stream, and will pay to ensure this.

Marketers usually specialize in one or more of the above jobs, and are found in all types and sizes of firms. They work for small to large companies that are publicly traded, and for small to large privately held firms such as Cargill. Marketers also work for small to large consulting firms. In California and elsewhere you can rent a Marketer for the day, week or month from temporary employment firms. Marketers are even found in higher education. Most of the Professors in our Marketing Department have actually spent part of their careers doing Marketing in real-world companies.

We believe that our Marketing program prepares Marketing students for a career managing and doing one or more of the above jobs, and that it prepares students for the graduate training required for those that require an advanced degree. Interested students can major in marketing as an undergraduate or graduate, or they can minor in marketing.

Careers in Marketing

Marketing is a vital and exciting field. Some are attracted to it by a desire for flexible, interesting, and challenging work. Others like the opportunities for travel and high income, meeting people, or contributing to the betterment of society.

There are diverse and numerous types of marketing occupations, each requiring somewhat different kinds of individual talents, interests, and motivation, for example:

"I enjoy my work in marketing research because I know I can have an impact on what the company decides to do. It's also satisfying personally to find the answers to questions about what customers really want. I guess I've always been an inquisitive person."

"I'm an account executive for an advertising agency. Sure, it was the creative element that appealed to me about this business, but I don't write copy or do the artwork myself. My job is to work with the agency's art, copy, and media people, on the one hand, and with the advertiser, on the other hand, to come up with a complete campaign. Currently, I'm handling five different projects."

"I'm a retail buyer in women's sportswear. My responsibility is to purchase merchandise from various manufacturers and importers for resale through our seven retail outlets. I have to be on top of the fashion scene; also get to travel quite a lot. My husband is in marketing, too. He's the store credit manager."

"I'm in charge of all physical distribution and logistics for our industrial products. That means I have to control inventory and warehousing procedures, and arrange for delivery as orders are received. Joe, over there, is in charge of "customer service," kind of a trouble-shooter. Chris is in marketing, too, but not in this department. She designs packaging--has to work closely with me and with our advertising people."

Career Opportunities