Marketing managers plan, organise, coordinate and manage the marketing function in businesses. Their overall objectives are to prepare and implement detailed marketing plans for organisations' products or services and to formulate marketing policies for companies. This includes:
Studying the needs of consumers in order to make marketing decisions.
» Identifying marketing opportunities and thre
ats.
» Assisting with the development of new products for businesses.
» Determining product prizes.
» Creating, managing and modifying product distribution channels.
» Developing and launching marketing communication strategies. Marketing managers must achieve cooperation between persons inside and outside the company and they must constantly evaluate the effectiveness of marketing strategies. Marketing researchers are responsible for the scientific accumulation, analysis and interpretation of marketing information, and the presentation thereof to management. Research must be done on aspects such as products and services (acceptance of new products and product design), markets (market potential, market size and buyer and consumer behavior), and methods and policy (efficiency of advertising and methods of payment). In some companies the positions of marketing manager and marketing researcher are combined, but in larger organisations, these two managers may work together as a team.
