Many people assume marketing and advertising can be used interchangeably in the world of employment, but there are differences between advertising and marketing jobs. If you are studying to earn a degree in advertising or marketing, it is very important to decide which path you would like to take after you graduate from school. While people often confuse advertising and marketing, and there are similarities between both fields, knowing the differences can help you decide which field caters to your strengths. Learn these differences and then you can identify which positions you would like to pursue.
What is the Purpose of Marketing?
To understand the difference between advertising and marketing jobs, you need to start by understanding the purpose of marketing efforts compare to the purpose of advertising efforts. Marketing is a broad set of activities where you promote a product or service to communicate its value to consumers who are willing to exchange something for the product or service. There are a variety of different activities that fall under the marketing umbrella. Some of these activities include: research, sales, public relations, customer service, customer satisfaction, and even advertising. While advertising jobs are technically marketing jobs, marketing jobs are not necessarily advertising jobs.
What is the Purpose of Advertising?
Advertising is a marketing activity that is designed to inform prospects, first-time customers and repeat customers of the benefits of buying a single product. The focus of an advertising campaign is not on an entire company, but on an individual product or service that is being driven. Companies will advertise through a variety of different channels using various methods that vary in cost and success ratios. Traditional channels include newspaper, magazines and billboards, and new channels include email, web advertisements and banners. Many times, advertising professionals are the creative members of the marketing team who collaborate to design cleaver ads. These are not the only roles that advertising professionals play.
What Positions Can You Choose From?
Now that you know the difference between advertising and marketing, you may be interested in learning what types of positions fall into each category. It is important to recognize that all advertising positions fall into the broad spectrum of marketing, but for purposes of this article, they are two different categories. If you would like to work in advertising, you may become a media planner, copywriter, illustrator, production manager, public relations specialist, account executive, or a director.
If you would prefer to work in marketing, where you practice many different activities like advertising, there are several other titles to choose from. In addition to the careers above, you can pursue titles such as: brand manager, product manager, market research specialist, director, communications manager, publicist, and more. Each title attracts an individual with their own unique set of skills and interests and this is why marketing is a field that many choose.
Related Resource: Highest Paying Marketing Jobs
According to Forbes, there is a growing demand for marketing majors and this is why Marketing is listed as one of the 15 most valuable majors. By earning a degree in marketing or more focused on advertising, you can compete in a highly competitive field and start a career. Remember the differences between advertising and marketing jobs and decide which atmosphere and which roles are most interesting to you so that you can make a choice.
