WHAT CAREER TITLES WORK WITH GLOBAL MARKETING STRATEGIES?

By Mbuna Basil

Global Marketing Managers

Global Marketing Managers direct a company’s strategy and interests abroad, and may be posted in a specific foreign market.

What do they do?

Identify international market opportunities

Advise on the appropriate market mix (product, pricing, placement, and promotion) for various international markets

Establish relationships with local businesses in foreign markets in order to develop product branding and distribution in the location

Investigate and advise on the local conditions, including legal environments.

Marketing Manager (Global or Internet)

Most marketing managers have at least a bachelor’s degree, often in marketing, advertising, or business management. Education preparing them for a global marketing career includes classes in marketing, market research, and international law. The ability to communicate in another language is especially important; therefore, a global marketing manager will want to cultivate a proficiency in a foreign language (such as Mandarin or Japanese) or learn some of several different languages. Most marketing managers will also have substantial experience in their industry, in marketing, advertising, and/or public relations.

Internet Marketing Managers

Internet Marketing Managers develop a company’s online business.

What do they do?

Develop company websites in multiple languages in order to tap into the global online market

evaluate search terms used in other languages to optimize the website for increased traffic

develop online advertising that can immediately access foreign markets through the web, often focusing on the visual (non-language) aspects of the message

use online data to identify opportunities for expanding the physical company’s presence in the global market.

Education and experience

Internet marketing managers typically require at least a bachelor’s degree in marketing or a related field. Important courses in their education will include information technology, market research, communications, and consumer behavior. Internet marketing managers must have several years’ successful experience in online marketing and/or business development.

Market Research Analysts

Market Research Analysts gather data about foreign markets.

What do they do?

use a variety of methods (including interviews, questionnaires, and statistical analysis) to gather data on a foreign market’s consumer base.

identify the demand for a company’s products and estimate the prices those products can sell at, taking into account local competition and particularities of taste

identify the channels available for both product distribution and communications, and determine how costs in the foreign market will differ from domestic costs

investigate foreign cultures; evaluating and predicting cultural responses to product messaging.

Education and experience

Market research analysts need at least a bachelor’s degree in market research, or in a related field such as statistics or computer science. Research analysts involved with global marketing will also benefit from a background in cultural anthropology. Before examining global markets, researchers often gain experience in domestic markets, or in research assignments such as ethnographies.

How can a marketing school help you in this field?

A good marketing program allows students to build a significant knowledge base and highly developed skill set in communications and management -- key skills in the global marketplace.

As a marketer—as opposed to merely an advertiser—you’ll learn about economics, business management, and product development. Additionally, courses in market research will teach you how to gather the data you need in order to make marketing decisions. You’ll develop a variety of tools for both collecting and analyzing data, in both domestic and foreign markets. To prepare specifically for global marketing, you’ll also take advantage of classes offered in cultural anthropology and international business law.

Effective communication is crucial to any marketing strategy, and particularly in the global market, where communication can easily go awry. Developing communications skills will be a core part of your marketing program, and will not only equip you with speech and presentations skills, but also give you a background in both organizational and cross-cultural communication. You’ll learn how to use both verbal and graphic messages, and how to tap into the values of your target audience to create a powerful message.