As an industry, marketing is subject to constant change. Change can be challenging, but it also means that graduates will encounter a wide range of opportunities and ways to follow a marketing career path. From classic marketing to digital marketing; from SEO and social media marketing to influencer marketing, there are marketing jobs to suit everyone’s interests.
In this article, you will learn about the many career opportunities in marketing. We will also talk about the kind of marketing jobs you can choose from. You will find out what qualifications and prerequisites you need, what you can earn and what the work actually involves in the different areas of marketing. Hopefully, you won’t just get an overview of the options. You will also be well-placed to decide whether marketing is right for you and which area to focus on.
Study programmes in English
Full-time Bachelor's in International Business - Specializing in International Marketing Management.
Full-time Master's in Digital Marketing.
Digital Marketing Certificate
Study programmes in German
Full-time Bachelor's in Business Administration and Management - Specializing in Marketing Management.
Dual Bachelor's in General Management - Specializing in Social Media & Influencer Marketing.
Dual Bachelor's in General Management - Specializing in Marketing, Media & Event Management.
Dual Bachelor's in General Management - Specializing in Marketing & Financing of Health Services.
Dual Bachelor's in General Management - Specializing in Brand Management.
Full-time Master's in Marketing Management.
Part-time Master's in Marketing Management.
Digital Marketing Certificate
What do you do in marketing?
It might sound obvious, but In marketing jobs, your main task will be to market products or services. You will need to ensure that the product or service is widely known and positively portrayed to the target audience so that people choose that product or service over the competition.
There are many opportunities to carry out these tasks and that is reflected in the diversity of different marketing professions. For example, you could forge a marketing career in classical marketing via advertising on television, radio or in daily newspapers and trade magazines. But digital marketing jobs are just as common. For example you might promote products via email marketing, social media marketing or influencer marketing. Digital marketing also includes search engine marketing, which includes search engine optimization (SEO).
Because of the wide range of marketing professions, aspiring marketing managers face many opportunities and choices. Let’s run through a few popular areas to help you make a decision.
Marketing jobs: key tasks
At its most basic, marketing includes the following tasks:
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Customer, competition and market analysis
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Product planning, product presentation and market launches
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Optimization of products and prices
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External communication, with clients, media, etc.
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Internal communication with other departments, management etc.
Market, customer and competition analysis provides a framework to understand what customers and the competition look like in any market sector. With that information, marketers can offer the right services or products, adjust prices, and so on. Another part of marketing is product planning, presentation and introduction. This is where new products are introduced, usually as a result of the market, customer and competition analysis mentioned earlier. Marketers also need to consider product and price optimisation of products or services. This adjusts prices to meet demand and cover costs, and the price level will also derive from the results of market analysis. Finally, marketing jobs also include internal and external communication. Marketers must liaise with other companies and customers, but they must also communicate internally, with other departments and employees.
Career prospects for marketing graduates
If you have a marketing degree jobs should be easy to come by. Graduates choosing a marketing career path will find numerous opportunities across the economy. There are a variety of industries and professions where you can put your new marketing skills to the test. And choosing the right sector matters. So we will now present a selection of popular and interesting marketing professions in more detail.
The Marketing Manager
Marketing Manager is one of the most well-known marketing jobs. You will plan campaigns and use different marketing tools to achieve company goals. As a marketing manager, your task is to successfully present products, services or even entire brands and place them on the market. The modern economy offers plenty of ways to achieve this. Techniques range from simple promotion to billboard, television or radio advertising, or even posting on Facebook or Instagram. Depending on the company you work for, you will be responsible for implementing various online and offline marketing measures. And every campaign will be different throughout your marketing career.
Typical tasks of a marketing manager
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Development of marketing strategies
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Planning and implementation of marketing campaigns
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Implementation of marketing measures
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Monitoring the success of the marketing measures
The product manager
Product managers are responsible for the marketing and success of a product or service. For example, they might be responsible for a certain car model or washing machine. The product manager needs to represent and sell that product successfully on the market. Their core goal is to successfully communicate that product to the target group, and make sure it is used or bought by them. In a way, the product manager is comparable to the marketing manager, but has a more specialised role. They deal with a single product, and they must be experts in promoting that product or service.
The typical tasks that the product manager has to take on are:
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Development of marketing strategies for the product
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Planning and implementation of marketing campaigns for the product or service
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Carrying out marketing measures for the product or service
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Monitoring the success of the marketing measures for the product
The market researcher
As the name suggests, the market researcher is one of the marketing jobs that relies on research and analysis. To be more specific, the market researcher investigates the current market situation and looks at how to successfully sell existing products or services, and what adjustments or modifications are required to improve sales. Market research can also be used to see which new products or services are well received by the target group or the market in general. This provides essential evidence to introduce new products. As a result the market researcher’s decisions and information tend to guide what is brought to the market by senior managers.
The tasks of the market researcher in detail are:
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Carrying out market, price and competitor analyses
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Analysis of the products and services for which there is a need on the market
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Analysis of the market, with the aim of adapting existing products and services
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Advising the management on the introduction of new products and services
The media planner
Media planners are also important jobs in marketing, but they have a slightly different focus. Media planners specialise in deciding which advertising a company should use, and how much to budget for advertising campaigns. The media planner also makes decisions such as which magazine to approach when placing an advertisement. The role also overlaps with digital marketing jobs. For instance, media planners often ask which websites make sense when purchasing banner ads? These are just two questions out of the many that media planners need to answer. As a media planner, you are the interface between your company or client, and the media. You need to consider which media are suitable for which type of advertising. And you must make sure that each advertising medium is used as well as possible to successfully place the product and reach the target group.
Typical tasks include:
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Development of advertising strategies for the client or the company
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Planning of advertising campaigns for your company or the client
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Prepare market and media analyses for the client
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Budget planning and cost preparation
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Success control of the advertising measures and reporting
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Negotiations with media representatives and clients
The project manager
The Marketing Project Manager is responsible for the supervision and marketing of specific projects. They take responsibility for steering new products and plans, and they organize market launches. But marketing project managers also take care of products that are already on the market. They spend a lot of time seeking ways to save costs and to market the product or service more successfully and efficiently. To this end, the project manager generally works closely with a competent team of experts and collaborates with other departments.
The tasks of the project manager in detail are:
Study paths and admission requirements
Anyone who wants to work in marketing jobs needs a sound knowledge of business administration and must be familiar with how markets and products work. This knowledge is usually obtained through a degree in business administration with a focus on marketing. But special marketing courses are also welcome in today’s economy. Degree programmes combining psychology and business administration are relatively new options that are currently in vogue. For instance, business psychology is very appealing in some sectors. At CBS, you will find various study programmes that will help you get started on a marketing career path.
Marketing career options: Agency or company?
Marketing jobs can be found in large numbers both in companies and in marketing or advertising agencies. There are some important differences between these employers. When you work for a company, you are usually limited to that company and its products. At an agency, you work on behalf of many different clients of varying sizes and with diverse products and requirements. Agency work is challenging and brings a lot of variety. As a rule, larger companies will usually have separate marketing departments. Smaller companies, on the other hand, often hire an external agency or take care of the area internally.
If you have an appropriate marketing degree jobs in both areas are easy to come by. But you have to decide for yourself what you value in work and where you would prefer to work. Do you want to work on a fixed product for one company, or handle changing customers and products?
What does a marketing manager earn?
Marketing managers are generally paid very well. However, it is impossible to say exactly how much money you will receive. In marketing jobs, the salary depends on many factors. The nature of the company, its size and location all matter. But your work experience, the qualifications you bring with you, etc. play an important role.
As a rule, you can expect a salary of 28,000 to 40,000 euros as a young professional. A higher income is possible if you upgrade your skills or already possess advanced qualifications. Find more detailed information about the marketing salary and the factors that influence the salary on the marketing salary page.
Possible places of employment or industries for marketing graduates
Marketing expertise is needed in many areas. The most important places of employment are marketing and advertising agencies that work externally on behalf of their clients. However, separate marketing departments in larger companies are also common workplaces. These departments look after the interests of the company and its products and services, and they constantly advertise conventional or digital marketing jobs.
These two areas are also relevant to those seeking Marketing Manager positions. It doesn't matter whether the role is at a bank, insurance company or another organisation. However, it’s important to note that marketing manager jobs are hard to come by outside agencies and companies.
Summary and conclusion
We’ve reached the end of the article, and hopefully we have been able to give you an overview of potential marketing jobs. As you can see, there are many possibilities and choices to make. Marketing offers something for every taste and every need. And remember, a career in marketing has a major advantage: Jobs in marketing are popular and abundant. Whether you seek work in a company or an agency, you can usually find a job in no time. On the other hand, applicants will benefit hugely from earning a degree in marketing. For example, degrees in business administration or business psychology are invaluable. With the right credentials, nothing stands in the way of your marketing career.
Looking for a suitable marketing degree?
Are you interested in a career in marketing? At CBS, we offer a range of marketing degree programmes that could be of interest to you. Find more information about the degree programmes and admission requirements on the Marketing Studies Pillar page.
