The marketing manager is a position is primarily focused on the practical outworking of marketing techniques and the management of a firm’s marketing resources and activities.

The marketing manager is responsible for influencing the timing, level, and make-up of customer demand and definition of a given product of an organization. In part, this is because the role of a marketing manager can vary significantly based on a business’ size, corporate culture, and industry context. For example, in a large consumer products company, the marketing manager may act as the overall general manager of his or her assigned product.

In order to make a profit as well as satisfy customer needs a firm must first understand its situation and its internal as well as external situation. These include the customer, the market environment, and the firm’s own capabilities. It is also responsible in forecasting rends the chosen environment in a dynamic way. This is done by what is known as a situation analysis and consists of the 5 C’s.

Namely:
Company

• Product line
• Image in the market
• Technology and experience
• Culture
• Goals

Collaborators

• Distributors
• Suppliers
• Alliances

Customers

• Market size and growth
• Market segments
• Benefits that consumer is seeking, tangible and intangible.
• Motivation behind purchase; value drivers, benefits vs. costs
• Decision maker or decision-making unit
• Retail channel – where does the consumer actually purchase the product?
• Consumer information sources – where does the customer obtain information about the product?
• Buying process; e.g. impulse or careful comparison
• Frequency of purchase, seasonal factors
• Quantity purchased at a time
• Trends – how consumer needs and preferences change over time

Competitors

• Actual or potential
• Direct or indirect
• Products
• Positioning
• Market shares
• Strengths and weaknesses of competitors

Climate (or context)
The climate or macro-environmental factors are:

• Political & regulatory environment – governmental policies and regulations that affect the market
• Economic environment – business cycle, inflation rate, interest rates, and other macroeconomic issues
• Social/Cultural environment – society’s trends and fashions
• Technological environment – new knowledge that makes possible new ways of satisfying needs; the impact of technology on the demand for existing products.
• The analysis of these four external “climate” factors is often referred to as a PEST analysis.

Main Job Tasks and Responsibilities

• manage and coordinate all marketing, advertising and promotional staff and activities
• conduct market research to determine market requirements for existing and future products
• analysis of customer research, current market conditions and competitor information
• develop and initiate marketing plans and projects for new and existing products
• manage the productivity of the marketing plans and projects
• monitor, review and report on all marketing activity and results
• be smart with and determine the marketing budget as well as manage it
• provide marketing activity within agreed budget
• create pricing strategy
• interact with media and advertising

Education and Experience

• Degree
• Experience in all aspects of developing and maintaining marketing strategies
• Technical marketing skills
• Proven experience in customer and market research
• Relevant product and industry knowledge
• Experience with relevant software applications

A marketing manager must be excellent in written and verbal communication skills as well as organization and planning. He must be able to lead a team with persuasiveness as well as prove to be innovated and adaptable. He must have good judgement and decision- making skills with a good stress tolerance. The marketing manager must be a good problem solver with a positive attitude to succeed.

Positions we have available:

General Marketing Manager

Marketing Manager BEE