Marketing communications – what is it?

Dialogue, not monologue

Marketing communications is very simple, if explained simply. It’s the dialogue between the market (us, the people) and the providers (industries, factories, brands, services). Some people think that marketing communications is a one-way road – the brands give us a choice between certain products, and we just pick the ones we want. It is, however, much more complicated than that. See, the providers have to know what we want, and how we want it. Marketing communication makes sure that the business highway goes both ways. That the companies hear our demands, and sell us products as close as possible to what we were looking for.

Marketing communications encompass everything from graphic design to packaging, publicity, public relations and online marketing. Anyone who produces material that communicates the company message can be considered to be in marketing communications.

In line with our time

Since marketing plays such an important role for brands and companies, it is crucial that it keeps up with our evolution. For a long time, marketing communications were confined to print media advertising, since that was the main channel businesses had for communicating with customers. These days a whole host of other platforms are being used – from social media and email marketing to in-product marketing and branding. This means that the requirements for marketing communications professionals have evolved significantly and now encompass a much broader range of skills. Universities have struggled to keep up with the growing demand, especially since the mid-90s when the Internet suddenly changed our whole perception of dialogue between supplier and customer. These days, young specialists are graduating from universities across the globe, and have a sea of opportunities to look forward to.

Marketing communications are exciting, fun and always in a fast-paced. If you can imagine yourself speaking with people and advising them on what sort of technology or service they could benefit from, then a career in marketing is for you.