Top Career Options in Marketing & Advertising [For Freshers & Experienced]

Do you love being creative while meeting tight deadlines? If so, then a career in Advertising and Marketing might just be meant for you!

 A fast-growing career option in India, Advertising and Marketing involves relaying a product, service or idea to target customers in a way that piques their interest. It is a competitive industry that welcomes people with independent creative thinking, provided they can work well in high-pressure surroundings. The Advertising and Marketing industry in India is currently growing out of its infancy which is why it needs skilled, certified professionals now more than ever.

Today, organizations believe that with the right marketing and advertising, they are able to build a reputation and connection with their users. And most importantly, differentiate themselves from the competitors. 

With more attention given to marketing and advertising, the demand for skilled professionals is increasing. The global advertising market is expanding by 5.0%, with an estimated $792.7 billion value by 2027 (Source).

The growth and demand are positively reflected in numerous career opportunities in advertising and marketing available at this point in time. Job aspirants have a plethora of options to choose from with an increased number of employers. The journey to procuring a good job opportunity is guided by one of the most important factors: skill sets. 

Job aspirants should be aware of what the industry demands and accordingly keep investing their efforts into acquiring and polishing their skills. The fruits will bear, and career options in advertising and marketing will naturally keep increasing.

 To build a successful career in this field you must sharpen your aesthetic sense, communication skills and multi-tasking abilities, along with the right education. Read on to understand what a career in Advertising and Marketing have to offer to you and how we can help you land promising jobs in this domain.

 Career options that are open to you after getting an MBA in Advertising and Branding

 Let us dive into all the possible career options made available to you should you opt for our MBA program in Advertising & Branding, which offers you an Advanced Certificate from upGrad – offered in association with Jain University or our MBA in Marketing program.

1. Advertising Manager

An advertising manager is in charge of advertising and promoting a company’s products and services. If you’re creatively inclined, an advertising manager is a good career option for you as the position puts you in charge of outlining plans for advertisement campaigns and directing them successfully to generate and increase consumer interest in the product or service.

As an advertising manager:

• You get to work with different departments and their heads to draw up advertisement plans, discuss and negotiate contracts, conduct market research, and collect data to analyze market patterns. Also, you act as the point of contact between your organization and the clients. 
• Your job requires you to generate interest amongst target groups of a product/service created by a department, an organization, or on a third-party account basis. Your top Scouters are advertising agencies that map out advertising campaigns for third-party clients, organizations that offer advertising space and time for sales, and organizations with inbuilt advertising departments.

As a good advertising manager, you should be able to:

• Identify the objectives of the advertising campaign you’re leading or supervising. 
• Come up with efficient and creative advertising strategies.
• Target social groups and markets that would satisfy the client.
• Keep a close eye on all advertising activities you’re leading.
• Find holistic advertising ideas that target both offline and digital platforms. 
• Providing counsel to clients regarding marketing and its technicalities.
• Maintaining progress reports on the effectiveness of the channels you’re using.

As per the nature of your job, you also may be required to upskill and hone your interpersonal and analytical skills – the former because you are required to interact with several people to execute your job properly and the latter because of the digitization of mainstream media. You must also be a prompt decision-maker with stellar organizational skills to efficiently manage marketing campaigns within the time and budgets allocated to you.

Some of the skill sets that are required to make a successful career in advertising are-

1. Creative
2. Content creation
3. Analytical
4. Excellent verbal and written communication
5. Interpersonal skills
6. Leadership
7. Project management
8. Budgeting
9. Resource management
10. Problem- Solving
11. Time Management

The average salary procured by an advertising manager is 5.5 lakhs per annum. The average salary ranges from 2.3 lakhs per annum to 19.8 lakhs per annum (Source).

Some of the skill sets that are required to make a successful career in advertising are-

1. Creative
2. Content creation
3. Analytical
4. Excellent verbal and written communication
5. Interpersonal skills
6. Leadership
7. Project management
8. Budgeting
9. Resource management
10. Problem- Solving
11. Time Management

The average salary procured by an advertising manager is 5.5 lakhs per annum. The average salary ranges from 2.3 lakhs per annum to 19.8 lakhs per annum (Source).

2. Corporate Manager

Corporate managers are professionals that manage and oversee general operations within an organization. Industries on the lookout for corporate managers include the finance, technology, manufacturing, and marketing industries. A corporate manager helps design business strategies while also overlooking their implementation as a member of the executive operations team.

The skill set you need to possess and develop apart from your academic training includes:

• Building a professional network that offers you opportunities to establish business contacts inside and outside of the organization. You must establish reliable and respectful ties with executives, shareholders, and directors.
• Strengthening your verbal & non-verbal communication skills and listening skills to boost motivation and encourage teamwork.
• Good time management skills.
• A good sense of delegation is a must-have management skill. One must learn to plan things in such a way that the target can be met with the risk being as low as possible.

Corporate managers ideate ways to implement and work towards long-term organizational goals also known as Corporate Strategy. This is a crucial aspect of their job as it contributes to the overall growth of the organization. To create and implement a good strategy one is required to:

• Define a vision that aligns well with the company values and directs the code of conduct amongst its employers.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the company to build a comprehensive game plan
• Strategize and turn the vision into a goal by outlining project timelines.
• Achieve the planned goals through optimal utilisation of resources. 
• Stay updated with market trends to predict new and potential opportunities.

Although the salary of a corporate manager differs according to various factors, on average, the salary of a corporate manager is 7.0 lakhs per annum. The average salary ranges from 3.5 lakhs per annum to 14.9 lakhs per annum (Source).

3. Marketing Manager

A marketing manager is in charge of promoting a business, service, or product. They acquire customer feedback and study the market trends to create attractive campaigns for generating new leads and converting them into buyers. They also develop offers/discounts and best deals to retain existing customers. 

Marketing managers oversee launch plans for a product, their advertisements, and digital campaigns through the use of email and social media. Hence, they must possess a good understanding of the target consumer group. Marketing managers generally collaborate with product development and sales teams to deliver quality products/services to customers.

A marketing manager’s day-to-day responsibilities are:

• Identifying strategies to gain and maintain a competitive lead in the market.
• Planning creative campaigns in alignment with the company’s objectives and agendas.
• Planning and executing promotional events like conferences, webinars, product launches, etc.
• Being the point of contact internally between different departments and also liaising with external forces like business partners, stakeholders, vendors, and consumers.
• Managing and allocating departmental and campaign budgets.
• Collecting and studying market data and patterns to evaluate the competition and develop growth plans accordingly.

Some of the skills required by the marketing manager include

1. The ability to identify the user’s needs
2. Technical understanding of marketing 
3. Creative
4. The ability to understand the research and development process
5. Sales understanding
6. Customer service
7. Resource allocation
8. Analytical ability
9. Data management
10. Budget management
11. Problem- Solving
12. Decision- making
13. Business acumen

Some of the skills required by the marketing manager include

1. The ability to identify the user’s needs
2. Technical understanding of marketing 
3. Creative
4. The ability to understand the research and development process
5. Sales understanding
6. Customer service
7. Resource allocation
8. Analytical ability
9. Data management
10. Budget management
11. Problem- Solving
12. Decision- making
13. Business acumen

Their soft skill sets should include qualities like creativity, team spirit, leadership, time management, and verbal & written communication skills.

The average salary of a marketing manager is 7.3 lakhs per annum. The average salary ranges from 2.4 lakhs per annum to 23.0 lakhs per annum (Source).

4. Public Relations Officer

As the title indicates, a public relations officer’s job centers around managing the organization’s relationship with the public. They plan and execute strategies that help reinforce a positive image of the company before the general public. They build amicable relations in the industry, with media agencies and customers. Also, PR officers use their negotiation and people skills to manage crises that may negatively impact the company’s image.

The PR managers are seen as an asset by the organizations because they are responsible for maintaining a positive image of the brand among the users. Moreover, they are also responsible for protecting the brand’s image in case of any crisis.

They make sure that the brand appears humane and real to its users, and thus they take a stand on issues that are relevant and matter. 

The PR managers are also responsible for official communications on behalf of the brand. They deliver press releases and market the brand by highlighting its USPs. It is considered one of the most lucrative advertising career options.

A number requires the PR managers of entities. There are PR managers for individuals, organizations, governments, etc. Professionals can make successful advertising field career provided they are equipped with solid skill sets demanded by the market. 

The duties of a PR officer are:

• Planning public relations campaigns to promote the organization in a favorable light.
• Closely observe the media’s representation of their organization and find ways to steer the public opinion towards the same.
• Representing the company at social events like conferences, press launches, sponsorship events, exhibitions, etc.
• Maintaining cordial and efficient working rapport with media sources.
• Overseeing the production of advertisement films, business development campaigns, etc.

Skills required to excel at this job include good interpersonal skills, attention to detail, good communication skills, creativity, and problem-solving.

The average salary procured by a PR manager is 7.5 lakhs per annum. The average salary ranges from 4.0 lakhs per annum to 16.3 lakhs per annum (Source).

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5. Business Development Manager

Business development managers help companies grow and expand to new markets by identifying new opportunities and leads and establishing mutually beneficial business relationships with partners, vendors, and customers. They also brainstorm on ideas and business strategies that can boost ROIs and profits. The bottom line is that business development managers are responsible for the holistic development of a company. 

Business development managers are in demand across all industries, including education, healthcare, finance, banking, IT, telecommunications, media & entertainment, to name a few. 

Their responsibilities include:

• Identifying potential business opportunities and the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation.
• Find out the right point of contact across departments within the organization.
• Establishing and maintaining rapport with clients, vendors, and stakeholders and learning how to best meet both their individual and collective needs.
• Research and understand the target market to identify competitors.

One must be tenacious, interactive and approachable to take on this role. Considering that they’re often the first point of contact business development managers also need to be well mannered and polite with quick and precise negotiation skills. The job requires strategic thinking, an adaptive approach towards work.

The average salary procured by a Business Development Manager is 5.3 lakhs per annum. The average salary ranges from 2.5 lakhs per annum to 15.0 lakhs per annum (Source). The salary bracket may differ depending on the factors such as location, skill sets, experience, organization, etc.

6. Sales Channel Development Manager

An organization’s sales department must be managed by a sales channel development manager. This is one of the leading marketing job roles for freshers where they can collaborate and monitor the sales department’s performance and verify that the company’s product is being successfully marketed. This is one of the highest paying marketing jobs in India that demands impeccable leadership and decision-making skills.

In collaboration with other staff members, such as marketing and salespeople, he or she is also in charge of marketing and promoting the brand within a certain market segment and through particular channels. The key responsibilities of the position include:

• Developing marketing strategies and campaigns
• Researching the market
• Adjusting the marketing plans as necessary
• Evaluating the research
• Manage channel marketing communication
• Developing and modifying budgets and timelines
• Picking the platforms and channels that are best suited for the company’s business objectives
• Managing the marketing teams and staff

This is one of the most lucrative types of marketing jobs and salary for the same is an average yearly of INR 22,29,342. However, the additional cash salary for a channel development manager in India ranges anywhere between INR 62,253 to INR 5,71,048 with an average of INR 2,92,857.

7. Email Marketing Specialist

Considered a leading one among the hottest marketing careers, creating and executing an email marketing plan is the responsibility of email marketing professionals who want to interact with consumers, build brand awareness, and improve traffic, engagement, and/or sales. They frequently oversee:

• A creative team comprising copywriters, designers, and web developers for the creation of emails
• An analytics team for tracking and analyzing ongoing email campaign optimization

Careers in marketing and advertising industry take a definitive turn with the extensive expertise of email marketing professionals comprising knowledge in design, marketing analytics, and content generation.

With less than one year of experience to eight years, the average yearly compensation for an email marketing specialist in India is 4.1 lakhs.

8. Demand Generation Manager

This multidimensional position encompasses marketing endeavors that may be classified as “generating demand” for the goods or services of an organization. These efforts can be targeted to both B2C (individuals) or B2B (other businesses). Their duties typically comprise constructing loyalty programs to turn one-time customers into repeat customers generating new leads through content campaigns, creating excitement around the introduction of a new product through influencer marketing partnerships, and more. Their responsibilities are:

• Create and put into action marketing and strategies for demand generation
• To synchronize efforts and increase revenue, carefully collaborate with the sales and marketing teams
• Utilize analytics and data to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of your demand-creation initiatives
• Create and preserve connections with collaborators, decision-makers, and other stakeholders
• Work together with other departments to develop coordinated demand-generating initiatives, such as product and customer service
• Keep an eye on market trends and stay current with new tools and methods

The average yearly income for a demand generation manager in India is 12.0 lakhs, with salaries ranging from 4.5 lakhs to 31.0 lakhs.

How can upGrad help propel your career towards the above-mentioned options?

upGrad offers an MBA in Advertising and Marketing, which is meant to provide an educational insight into the marketing and advertising industry while also helping you develop the skill sets required, including technical and soft skills to help you excel in the industry. Specialists in advertising and marketing are in high demand as all organizations require some or the other form of advertising. One can choose to work in including television media, websites, newspapers, and much more with top companies like Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, several fields, and more being on the constant lookout for competent specialists. 

upGrad offers an MBA in Advertising & Branding + Advanced Certificate in association with Jain University. It is a 24 month long online course taught by top faculty members and industry mentors. The comprehensive syllabus covers 20+ subjects including accounts & finance, marketing operations, branding fundamentals and more. Each student gets dedicated career support via one-on-one interactions with mentors. 

The program is beneficial for people looking to boost their careers towards branding and marketing. The above-mentioned career options are only some of the endless opportunities you can enjoy if you opt for this course. 

Candidates may apply if they have a Bachelors degree from UGC recognized universities with a minimum of 50% (45% for reserved categories) or equivalent grade or even candidates who are wrapping up their final semester of Bachelor’s Programme. The students will be awarded certification from upGrad and their degree after successfully finishing the course.

Conclusion

Once you get the right training and certifications, an ocean of opportunities will open up before you. At upGrad, we do our best to guide you towards your ambition and passion by providing a range of industry-relevant courses. So, choose one that will not only make you a job-ready candidate but also allow you to explore your interests! 

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