Consumer marketing managers
…focus on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs). They direct and co-ordinate sales teams, market researchers and brand managers in ensuring the success of marketing campaigns for the particular product or products they are managing. They focus on consumer advertising, promotion ideas for in-store and also brand development.
Market research
…(sometimes termed “consumer business insight”) provides information about customers, products and services to help marketers make decisions about product development and communicating with customers. Researchers use both qualitative and quantitative methods to draw conclusions and direct business strategies. Market research helps to spot new opportunities, identify issues and measure performance of current marketing campaigns.
Brand management
…can be part of the general Consumer Marketing Manager’s role or can be undertaken by specialist Brand Managers on a consultancy basis. It involves creating a specific set of ‘meanings’ and ‘messages’ associated with a product. These ‘messages’ may result from visual advertising, packaging, the distribution outlets, the price, and so on. The key is that the brand becomes the differentiator and makes the product clearly identifiable and desirable. They work closely with production, sales and finance to ensure the product or service performs to target. They will also monitor marketing trends and customer feedback to ensure the brand meets with customer expectations.
Industrial marketing
… is often called Business to Business (B2B) because its targets are other organisations. Industrial marketing can require a more complex, technical understanding of the products, as the range being marketed can vary from chemicals through to industrial equipment.
Direct marketing
…involves marketing products or services directly to individuals. At the heart of direct marketing is targeting, personalisation of messages and measurability – a lot of which is driven by insights gained from databases of information. E-mail marketing within direct marketing is becoming an important tool. You may be involved in copywriting letters and brochures, doing data analysis, customer profiling and segmentation.
Marketing communications
…is all about getting the right message across via the most effective promotional method. In this aspect of marketing you could be writing and designing printed advertisements, leaflets or posters, or producing advertising for cinema, radio and TV. The work also includes PR, getting press coverage for products and securing sponsorship deals.
Digital marketing
uses the internet to generate responses from a target audience. This could involve elements of email marketing, SEO (search engine optimisation), online advertising, affiliate marketing, text messaging and blogging.
Social media marketing
engages the target audience and promotes an organisation’s brand using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and many others.
Sales executive roles
…(increasingly known as customer development) can be applied to a wide range of products and environments. At the heart of marketing is the customer, but it is the sales sector that comes into direct contact with the customer – whether the actual consumer, another company, or a retailer.
The emphasis in sales is not only on acquiring new business and hitting sales targets, but also on developing ongoing relationships with customers and providing sales support. Consumer sales will often mean working in a liaison role to large retailers and supermarkets, particularly the buyers within these organisations. Other more specialist sales areas include pharmaceutical sales, publishing and media sales, car sales, and financial product sales. Senior sales managers in large organisations are extremely powerful and their relationships with their equally large global clients can determine millions of pounds of profit. Sales roles at this level can be more about coordinating multi-disciplinary teams to ensure the satisfaction of global retailers.
