Why I Choose Marketing: Essay Introduction
People often ask me, “Why did you choose marketing management?” Essay presented here aims to answer this question. I decided to choose marketing as a career because it aligns with my personal interests, capabilities, personality, motivation, creativity, and my passion in life. According to Kerin and Peterson, 2009, marketing is an interesting career, which offers a challenging environment to its practitioners, professionals in the field need to be creative and keep updating their skills, knowledge and exposure with time.
When business fields where first introduced in my senior high classes, I knew that my areas was marketing; the lecturer at the level gave a simple explanation what the unit was all about and the kind of people who have been successful in the field. He said it is a field of those people who have creative tendencies; those people who have the ability to think “outside the box” and have the power and self will to move people by their decisions and opinions. I felt the teacher was addressing my potential.
Right then I started involving my critical mind in different areas that I thought at the level entailed marketing; for instance, I would analyze an advert, try to figure out what the creator wanted, what kind of people he was addressing and what he was thinking when developing the advert. With time, I started differentiating effective adverts and those that never addressed the intended need. The spirit of being critical grew in me and I came to realize that I had a mind that was fit for the field.
In college, by dream of becoming an advertiser was reshaped, during inauguration when the difference between the two was polished, I realized that marketing entailed more than I thought and include advertising, which had initially captured my attention; currently no other areas of business capture my interest and triggers my enthusiasm like marketing.
The nature of marketers just excites me, they are forever jovial and optimistic; life is short thus it enjoying it to the fullest should be every ones dream; in the profession, my dream of being a happy person will be fulfilled. During marketers discussions, they are filled with friendliness, ideas, camaraderie, and communication; this motivates me knowing that I am in a professional were people are open to ideas and new concepts.
The world keeps changing; and so does the profession; professionals in the area are also not left behind by the trend; they are always willing to adjust their process, approach and thinking.
Personally, I choose the career out of personal understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses; marketing is a course that require a mind that thinks outside the box as well as one who is guided by high integrity; a marketer is supposed to be observant and willing to learn every time; this is in line with my personal attributes.
My personality according to Hippocrates definitions of temperaments falls on the middles of a sanguine and a Phlegmatic. I tend to be outgoing, self-content, committed, creative, willing to help, and kind. I also tend to be very observant and enjoys keeping to the current treads in business and the economy; local and international; attributes that makes me feel I am in the right profession.
For example in class I may not talk a lot however I always raise an issue that others had not thought about, on the other hand when in the field- I play football since my childhood, I have been the creative one. I am always the one who comes with an idea that unfolds the defense of the opponent.
This is done through being consistent. I am a hardworking person who is result oriented and can effectively and efficiently performs under pressure or minimum supervision or when working for long hours. I am accountable, flexible team player who is innovative and guided by integrity and discipline. Finally, I am a person with leadership skills, quantitative, analytical & communication skills as well as listening skills. These traits required in the career chosen.
Give an overview of the history of profession marketing over the last 100 years and the changes that may have occurred in the profession as well as their impact on the role of the profession.
According to David L. Kurtz, H. F. MacKenzie and Kim Snow, marketing has grown in four main stages, the stages are:
The production stage
This was the period prior to 1925, during this time firms were more interested in production of quality goods and after production, the firms would look for people to buy the products, during this time, what was most important is looking for customers to buy the commodities.
The sales era
During this stage, firms started getting more concerned on how they can match the amount of production and the potential customers. The difference with the production era is that during this era, managers were trying to have a controlled production. This era was between 1925 and the early 1930s (Bournemouth University, n.d).
The marketing era
After the great depression of the 1930s, which was followed by the second world war, firms started another phase of marketing where they were more interested with the kind of products they would sell their commodities to prospect buyers. This was the time that marketing concepts were formulated and theories of marketing produced. The publication of e History of Marketing Thought, by Robert Bartels is seen as the start point of the profession in a more specified manner.
The relationship era
The fourth era of marketing was experienced in the 20th century; it is the era of the creating a close relationship with their customers. Products are made to fit what the customers want; the company seeks to develop and maintain customer loyalty (Kurtz, MacKenzie and Kim, 2009).
The profession of marketing has been growing since its birth; it has continued to be affected by the growing trends of the market. Different companies are coming up with different methods of marketing with the sole aim of getting a higher share of the market, the invention of computers and concentration of professionals are changing the shape of the profession (Kerin and Peterson, 2009)..
With growth in education and the invention of better business ways, there have been increased campaigns for companies to come up with their own styles of marketing. Scholars have developed theories and advice to the best way of reaching customers. The different viewpoints and establishment of an international marketing body assists in making the profession well known and develop on a certain platform (Kerin and Peterson, 2009).
Computers have aided the profession a great deal; marketers are using the development to create user-friendly way of marketing their commodities to the people. There are new tools of marketing in the market like social website marketing, use of phones as marketing tools, the use of computer graphics among other tools developed by computers.
The marketing profession is upgrading to a profession where marketers aim at creating a close relationship with their customers. One of strong competitive tool is product differentiation; customers are loyal to products that they have had a previous pleasant experience. Companies have kept their production technique as a secret as a way to retain their product differentiation.
However, with advance technology, product differentiation has narrowed; this limits the dependence of a company to its brand name. This has reduced the effectiveness of “Theory of Relativity”.
Marketing executives are now changing the approach to customer relations. This will enhance creating customer royalty not through product differentiation only but also through enhancing customer-company relationship. The sales associates are in the forefront to change their approach to reach the market (Rakesh, 2005).
Hypothesis the possible future of the profession
In the future, the profession is expected to rise and grow further; companies are continuing to develop different approaches to the profession and computers are expected to bring the profession to a greater height.
Social marketing and direct marketing are expected to grow further, this means that professionals in the course will have a chance to take advantage of the scientific inventions and innovation and develop methods that better fit their situations.
Competition among companies is expected to create pressure on marketers to develop new strategies that are unique to their business in the efforts of reaching their target customers. Computer graphics, animations, and creating are expected to dominate the profession as people. The increase of generation Y is likely to shape the approach taken by marketers; they are easily persuaded by strategies that incorporate the computers and computer software, the profession is likely to be integrated to technology.
I am looking forward to an era where sales associates are taught and given room to keep in touch past success; they should be using what they have succeeded in to come-up with new marketing approaches. They should understand what is happening in the trade of their past customers and visit them regularly. At the visit, they pose as business partners as they discuss what the customers, trade is doing and establishing any assistance that their hotel can accord to the customer; this calls for a lot of research on the part of sales people.
In the future, I expect to see consumers being more determined and exercise their rights in that if a certain marketer has misguided them; then they can have a legal suit against the marketer. This will reduce some impunity evident in the profession, when a consumer has sued for certain misleading information, then I predict the burden of proving otherwise will be placed on the marketer and not the company concerned (Möller, 2006).
Why Did You Choose Marketing Management: Essay Conclusion
In college, I am reading widely and am observing the trends in the marketing segment of business; I am taking time to applaud, criticize and challenge some marketing concepts/strategies adopted by companies. I have also been comparing the approach made by Nokia Phone company and Apple Inc.
The practice is building on my knowledge and opening my mind further to what is happening in the real world. After college, I wish to be employed in a marketing firm or in a marketing department of a reputable company; I will not mind starting the profession as a junior officer; I am looking forward to be employed at Toyota Motor Corporation in their head office in Dubai.
Within a period of five years, I wish to have developed knowledge and experience that can enable me establish a marketing firm in the United States of America. In the firm, I will concentrate of marketing consultancy; later, after getting knowledge from players in different sectors, I am looking forward to be a writer of marketing journals and book.
References
Bournemouth University. (n.d). A brief history of marketing. Retrieved from https://media3.bournemouth.ac.uk/marketing/02defining/01history.html
Kerin, R. A. and Peterson, R. A. ,2009. Strategic Marketing Problems: Cases and Comments. London: Pearson Education.
Kurtz, L., MacKenzie, F. and Kim, S.,2009. Contemporary Marketing. New York; Cengage Learning
Möller, K.,2006. Marketing Mix Discussion – Is the Mix Misleading Us or is We Misreading the Mix?. Journal of Marketing Management, 22(3), pp. 439-450.
Rakesh, J., 2005. International Marketing. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.