Do you want to work in advertising and marketing management, but you aren’t sure about what to expect? Don’t worry – here’s what you need to know if you want to be a success in this industry.

Firstly let’s define the roles:

What is an advertising manager?

An advertising manager oversees the process (and the people) involved in informing the public about products and services that are available. It is the responsibility of the advertising manager, along with his or her team, to:

  • Gather all the information that is needed to run various promotional campaigns for an organisation
  • Create and distribute suitable advertising material for those promotional campaigns (while keeping the brand’s image and reputation in mind)
  • Identify new advertising platforms and opportunities
  • Report on the performance of advertising campaigns
  • Use the advertising budget effectively

In the modern advertising and marketing environment, the term ‘advertising manager’ can also refer to the person responsible for managing online advertising accounts (via search engine advertising and social media advertising, for example).

What is a marketing manager?

A marketing manager is responsible for developing and implementing various marketing plans and strategies for the organisation. This involves:

  • Identifying suitable prospective customers and making them aware of the products/services on offer
  • Maintaining good relationships with existing customers
  • Developing the brand’s image and upholding the brand’s reputation
  • Recruiting the right talent for, and supervising members of, the marketing team
  • Overseeing the development of marketing materials

Marketing management plays an important role in the overall success of the business and can become a rewarding career to enter. In 2012, Forbes  stated that the role of marketing manager was one of the best-paying jobs available for those who enjoy working with people.

As you can see from the descriptions above, there is a great deal of overlap between the roles of advertising manager and marketing manager, and it is not uncommon for the two roles to be combined in the workplace.

Now that you have an idea of what a career in this line of work entails, let’s talk about the key areas you need to focus on if you want to achieve success in advertising and marketing management:

Find out how to succeed in advertising and marketing management

1 – Understand the market and your customers:

In the marketing and advertising environment, it is essential to know what the market forces are, who your customers are, and who your competitors are. Without this knowledge, you won’t be able to develop a suitable strategy, run successful promotional campaigns, or make a positive contribution to the organisation’s bottom line.

For example:

If you aren’t aware of the fact that your target audience is predominantly male, you might end up wasting money by placing ads in a beauty magazine.

Or if you aren’t aware that a large portion of your target market lives in a specific geographic region, you may be missing a huge opportunity by not carrying out any marketing activities (or placing any ads) in that region.

2 – Think strategically:

Once you have established your target audience, you need to start constructing a good strategic advertising/marketing plan that will help you achieve the organisation’s overall vision. A good advertising/marketing plan is one that is both specific and achievable.

You need to be able to communicate clear goals to your team, so that they can help you come up with creative ways of achieving them.

3 – Manage your team with pride:

According to Walker Blogs, one of the keys to successful management is being able to “lead by example. It is often said that a reputation can take years to build and seconds to destroy.  Managers must show themselves to be people of integrity and consistency in who they are and what they believe.”

This means that if you want to be a successful manager, and if you want your employees to be enthusiastic and to perform well, you have to be consistently passionate about your role  – especially in a fast-paced environment such as marketing or advertising.

If you think you have what it takes, and if you’re ready to work toward your career in advertising and marketing management, then you can enrol for any of the following courses at Oxbridge Academy:

National Qualifications (N4 – N6)

Oxbridge Academy Skills Courses

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