BUCKS NEW UNIVERSITY: Marketing Career Research Report - 2021

This report, prepared by a student at Bucks New University Oxford Business College for a Career Viewpoint module, offers a comprehensive overview of the marketing industry. It explores general trends impacting the field, such as technological advancements, social developments, and economic factors, and their influence on job opportunities. The report identifies essential skills, including creativity, communication, and digital marketing expertise, as well as specialist skills like Microsoft Office proficiency and coordination abilities. It analyzes a current job advertisement for a Digital Marketing Coordinator and provides an evaluation of the chosen career path, highlighting the student's interests and aspirations in the marketing field. The report also includes references to relevant sources, such as articles and online resources, that support the research and analysis presented.

BUCKS NEW UNIVERSITY
OXFORD BUSINESS COLLEGE
MODULE: Career Viewpoint
ASSIGNMENT: CW1 – Career Research report
LECTURER: David Brook
STUDENT: Sarah Oliveira
BNU NUMBER: 21903207
March/2021

Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................3
General trends impacting on Marketing industry...............................................................4
Skills, knowledge and experience.......................................................................................6
General skills................................................................................................................................6
Specialist skills.............................................................................................................................7
Current job advertisement.................................................................................................9
Evaluation........................................................................................................................10
References.......................................................................................................................11

Introduction
This report aims to demonstrate an awareness of the knowledge, skills, and
experience required by a recent graduate to the marketing of graduate employment
using primary and secondary research.
Every media message you receive and every decision you make has been affected
by marketing powers, from the goods you purchase to the facilities you use to the
shops you visit. Marketing is about knowing the dynamic environment you choose,
the competitive marketplace of the industry you decide. It allows you to take
advantage of key trends, determine what people or companies want, create a
product that satisfies specific requirements at the right price and promote a product
at the right time and location. Understanding people and what motivates them to
function in such ways is at the core of marketing activities.

General trends impacting on Marketing industry
In general, the first signs of a shift are shown by social media or commitment
methods. The competitive advantage shows this significant increase or drop in
traffic, engagement or variation in demographics. Knowing this sooner rather will
have the opportunity to react, prepare for possible threats and seize the opportunity.
Changes are happening in marketing that might impact the jobs that I would apply
for, and below are some of these factors:
New technologies: As new technology becomes available, older technology may be
phased out; Remote working, for instance, allows employees to execute their
projects and accomplish their objects wherever they are. Also, the use and
availability of data and the growth of digital marketing and the acceleration of change
means it is hard to anticipate what might happen. The business may not respond to
modern technologies automatically, but it will bring about improvement.
Social developments: Business movements are adjusted as a result of the public
understanding of social issues. Consumer buying behaviour changes as the
dynamics of the target group alter. Notably, millennials' buying behave differently
from every other generation when it comes to purchasing decisions. Social media
listening tools, such as Sprout Social's listening app, have risen in prominence to
remain on top of consumer opinion exchanges and debates on social media, also the
use of influencers to persuade people from Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, for
example, help boost the brand's strength and creditability.
Political changes: Cultures change as legislation changes. New rules can influence
trade and trade agreements. Government preferences and financial strategies have
the ability to modify market conditions, resulting in a range of customer responses.
Economic factors: The economy is affected by a storm, massive fires, illnesses or
the death of a significant person. Seasonal and temporal trend research examines
changes in markets connected with externally occurring climate and vacation
influences.

Consumers are going to change their behaviour and produce new trends. For
example, the latest pandemic (Covid-19) has had an immense impact on almost
every economy globally, and the result is still uncertain.

Skills, knowledge and experience
The marketing profession can learn from entrepreneurs who take action and as
primary research, an extra lecture was provided by Ilane Frank (2021), who helped
discover what skills are needed to start a business and how to be an entrepreneur
based on her experiences. "An entrepreneur is an action, not a skill, leading to
economic growth" Joseph Schumpeter. Being an entrepreneur is a lifestyle that is
willing and able to convert a new idea into a successful innovation as an
entrepreneur leads to economic growth. Review the process inside of a business
that supports you to improve as you can innovate in any area - way of doing that
product or provide that service – “The only way to do great work is love what you
do.” (Steve Jobs)
Another crucial point is the necessity to be ready and prepare to take a risk and
manage it, always having a plan B. Also, people always need support as one hand
cannot clap. A helpful tip is not to mix the company money and your own money;
also, choose not to live with the business's money in the first year.
Write down everything and create tools to control your cash flow are other pieces of
advice.
When discussing knowledge, it is essential to create a network and be informed
about what you will open and know about the environment.
"A successful career in marketing requires a lot of skills. Whilst not all of these skills
are necessary, if you can pick out a couple that you are good at, this will really help
you when applying for marketing roles or courses." (CIM, 2021)
General skills
Transferable, technical marketing and software skills are general skills for a
marketing job. Some examples:
Creativity
A career in marketing will be a good fit for someone with a creative flair. It will help
the industry succeed in being able to produce and communicate goods in an
attractive manner. An interest in how brands identify themselves visually would also
distinguish them from those who wish to enter the market.
Communication

Marketing is a form of professional communication in that it explains to the public
why they should purchase or otherwise associate with whatever is being sold.
Having presentations to considerable numbers of prospective customers is another
method of marketing. Talk to audiences comfortably, be able to manage on-site
questions and manage presentation tools, for instance, PowerPoint or Prezi are
essential tools for marketing.
Technology
The ability to use technology is essential to growth. Comfort with complex suites of
various systems is necessary, from using project management tools to monitor a key
strategy and analytical programs' progress to assess social media initiatives'
effectiveness. To developing advertisement campaigns, it might be required to use
specific systems.
Problem-solving
People will always have problems, and it is the marketer's or owner's responsibility to
solve these problems for the client's satisfaction. This is truly the secret to business
growth. Employer’s rate problem-solving skills very highly qualified because it
measures your ability to assess and analyse knowledge.
Teamwork
The benefits of teamwork and collaboration are huge for idea generation, inclusion,
motivation, morale, and productivity, for example. Also, teamwork is essential in
marketing communication as it will be almost impossible for a single individual to
create and deliver successfully alone.
Specialist skills
Digital marketing
Digital marketing makes it simple to monitor campaigns, allowing for faster
adaptation and outcomes, enabling visualisation of metrics such as prints, clicks,
likes, shares, comments, conversions, etc. When is tracked the campaign's
performance, is easier to fix any issues and adapt to changes. (Storm, 2020)
Microsoft Office

Data analysis, presentation, and documentation are all part of every company.
These skills are highly valued in the workplace. A Microsoft Office toolkit that
includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications allow people to carry out
all of these responsibilities confidently. This specialist skill decreases one's
dependence on others for assistance. As a result, productivity has increased
significantly.
Coordination skills
A business coordinator is a key person in every company and handles the tasks that
ensure the business processes and functions are productive. The position needs
exceptional time management skills, good communication capability and an
understanding of project management and task tracking approaches.
Current job advertisement

(Figure 1: Job advertisement – Digital Marketing Coordinator)
Evaluation
I have chosen this job over others, and I am interested in this position because
marketing is a growing industry. As technology is constantly advancing, market
opportunities are more numerous. I believe the time I graduate, there will be more
jobs like that inside the work environment that I am looking for. Regarding the skills
required, I think I already improved some of them, such as communication and
teamwork skills, and I am looking to become better at the other abilities as digital
marketing, for instance. I am curious about the idea of using my creativity and giving
opinions about the brand’s design. There is no way to go wrong with various career
options to pick from, such as management, analytics, product design, and many
other options. In addition to the broad field for opportunities, I prefer this job
opportunity to others I considered because to work in this company is to play an
active role in redefining both the art and the science of retail which took my attention.
The possibility of developing my professional and personal abilities while advancing
my career, the different nationalities that are part of the team, and a creative and
collaborative environment is essential for the job requirements that I look for.
Workforce and the welcoming for new employees make me feel peaceful to choose
this opportunity.

Moreover, the functions included in this job - updating web content, creating and
posting social media content, assisting with photo shoots, supporting with campaigns
and analytics, and overseeing the CRM database - met with what I want to be
involved in future.
References
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