Atlast a thread for marketing, I have been yearning for such a thread....but let me add a caveat here, even last year a thread started for marketing aspirants but couldn't sustain the tempo... hope this thread dosen't meet the same fate.

Ok, about me, I m a fresher and hope to pursue my MBA this year.
I am an ardent marketing fan and am convinced will make it big in this field.

My first question to guys here (for IIMs and Other top notch Institutes guys) is who do you all believe was the best marketer of all time??

my personal favorites are
1) Joseph Sugarman
2) Ingvar Kampard
and also 3) Julius Caesar

this is from my point of view,
I wanna Know who you people revere?
What your professors tell you about the most successful Marketer of all time?

hi gr8 thread,

a query frm my side..
how would an equal specialisation in fin and marketing look like after a mba frm a company pt of view??

Hi

Well i have taken fin +marketing as dual but i have taken subjects which complement finance as i am more inclined towards it , subjects such as strategic marketing , marketing of services etc , typically work ex guys do it , specially IT guys , as they want to diversify risk , some do it complement their primary interests as well

PS: i believe even Finance is more than 50% marketing ,having experienced it in summers :)

PPS: for people interested in SCM and operations , read about the Dabbawala Case of Mumbai , one of the best case for LSCM

I was looking for such a thread....

Q: If I am taking Marketing as majors, which other field would be good for minors...?? I know that depends on interest, but what is the most preferable combination.

P.S: I will go in as a fresher with B.E in electronics...

Hi Omiey
I just answered your query .
The combination would depend on what are your interests, what kind of a job you want to do etc. So there is no ideal answer to your problem! :)
Dont worry, your 1st year at a bschool will help you decide.

alpesh89 Says

i want to know if i want to pursue ma MBA (marketing+operations) then what kind of job can i expect?? is it a lethal combination??

From my point of view, it is one of the preferred combinations. Reason being there is a very strong syncronization needed between marketing team and operations team. Knowing the nuances of both shall help you in taking more informed decisions. Also, there are departments like Demand Planning department which work in strong sync with marketing team and here again your knowledge in both specializations shall help you.

Also, Distribution planning and accountability is the combined responsibility of Supply Chain Team and Marketing team which shall be benefitted by any personnel who is good in both the fields.

hi gr8 thread,

a query frm my side..
how would an equal specialisation in fin and marketing look like after a mba frm a company pt of view??

I think what you meant is the majors in one of them and minors in the other domain. Generally, the skill set of people required for these 2 specializations differ and hence we rarely find anyone going with this combination.

As an aspirant, one thinks of just packages offered in 2 fields and hence plan to go for this combo . However, once you get into a B-School, you will realize a significant difference between the skill set , work responsibilities and culture of the 2 specializations. And then ,you will be in a better state to answer whether to continue with this choice or not :)

Hope this helps !!

I was looking for such a thread....

Q: If I am taking Marketing as majors, which other field would be good for minors...?? I know that depends on interest, but what is the most preferable combination.

Query solved in next post...

Hi,

i hav looked at the BM syllabus at XL and hav come to understand tat u hav 2 choose 2 areas of specilisations...
i hav shortlisted marketing,fin and strategic managemen.Among them i wanted to get a clearer picture abt each one and as to how they would gel together and show some coherence..
so advise on this front would be really helpful..
thanks in advance..

Frankly speaking it would be too early to decide which of the 2 fields would form a good combination for you.
You have 1 year where you will be able to define what you exactly like and the kind of work profile you are looking at. For example, if you want to enter the Sales domain, Mktg+Operations should hold you in good stead. Dont worry! This is management. Any 2 can be made to gel together!! ;)

For XL specific advice, I urge you to talk to a BM senior.

Does such a thing exist?
If you are talking about dual specialization, well, I think it might be looked at negatively by the marketing firms especially. But you will have to confirm from seniors of the bschool where dual specialization exists.
What I can tell you is that marketing cos in general hate taking people who come because they could not crack finance. If you can convince them(it is very much possible) that is not the case, well and good!!

Hi,

i hav looked at the BM syllabus at XL and hav come to understand tat u hav 2 choose 2 areas of specilisations...
i hav shortlisted marketing,fin and strategic managemen.Among them i wanted to get a clearer picture abt each one and as to how they would gel together and show some coherence..
so advise on this front would be really helpful..
thanks in advance..

Hi Nishant. Welcome back.


kuch kar sakta hun kya marketing oriented profile banane ke liye?

Adding to what Nishant has mentioned,

Apart from focussing on gathering CV points , i will suggest to expand the marketing knowledge spectrum .

Pick up few sectors of your choice and analyze them in depth. Understand how the sectors have evolved from marketing point of view, how the majors players in these sectors have modified their positioning and marketing strategies from time to time. For starters you can read about Nike, McDonald , Mahindra Scorpio, Dell, Nokia etc to get the feel of different sectors . Analyze how have they differentiated their approaches for developed and developing economies. You will find a difference in strategies for 2 kinds of economies.

Also, don't just see advertisements. Try to analyze what did the company try to highlight, what's the area of customer psychology where they tried to hit with the ad, impact of the ad etc etc.

These are few things with which you can kick off to strengthen your candidature from an aspiring marketeer point of view

PS: We are also aspiring marketeers. Here to share what we know and learn from what all fellow puys know

Cheers !

i want to know if i want to pursue ma MBA (marketing+operations) then what kind of job can i expect?? is it a lethal combination??

hi gr8 thread,

a query frm my side..
how would an equal specialisation in fin and marketing look like after a mba frm a company pt of view??

Does such a thing exist?
If you are talking about dual specialization, well, I think it might be looked at negatively by the marketing firms especially. But you will have to confirm from seniors of the bschool where dual specialization exists.
What I can tell you is that marketing cos in general hate taking people who come because they could not crack finance. If you can convince them(it is very much possible) that is not the case, well and good!!

hi gr8 thread,

a query frm my side..
how would an equal specialisation in fin and marketing look like after a mba frm a company pt of view??

Just add to what nishant sir stated for IT marketing profiles

Typical Profiles offered are :
Associate and Senior Associate Consultant
Business Analyst
Presales

(Deloitte , Infosys , HCL , CTS , TCS etc )

Most of the basic responsibilities for Pre Sales include

1. Work with Sales Personnel to provide product, business and technical knowledge in support of pre-sales activities.
   
2. Liaison with Product Managers and Development to understand details of product direction and design and communicate information back to sales organization.
   
3. Responsible for understanding business and technical problems addressed by the products including key regulations, business drivers, evolving business needs, etc.
   

nishant SIR???????????????????????

How much and in what way can a major in marketing be useful for consulting job profiles.

Also wanted to know how much different is IT based sales/marketing from FMCG based sales/marketing.How good is IT sales/marketing job profile in top B-schools?

PS: A very nice initiative.Kudos to you guys.Expecting similar threads for consulting and finance.

Just add to what nishant sir stated for IT marketing profiles

Typical Profiles offered are :
Associate and Senior Associate Consultant
Business Analyst
Presales

(Deloitte , Infosys , HCL , CTS , TCS etc )

Most of the basic responsibilities for Pre Sales include

1. Work with Sales Personnel to provide product, business and technical knowledge in support of pre-sales activities.
   
2. Liaison with Product Managers and Development to understand details of product direction and design and communicate information back to sales organization.
   
3. Responsible for understanding business and technical problems addressed by the products including key regulations, business drivers, evolving business needs, etc.
   

travel toh bahut karna padta hoga marketing mein?

Just to elaborate on travelling part , even in assignments our professor gave us targets to travel at least 2000kms to have a holistic understanding what marketing is all about from Company--> Distributor-->wholesaler-->retailers , more experience you gain , more you learn

Hi Nishant. Welcome back.
I did not get through the b schools I aimed for this year. I won't be a fresher next year.

1. How easy/difficult it is for non-freshers to get good profiles?
   

More queries later.

This is something that i have heard as well and that too from students in their MBA.
A good workex in IT can be a impediment towards getting intoa coveted FMCG marketing role.
IS this a myth or a general case to which excpetions exist or a hard and fat rule.

PS I myslf have 19 months of workex in IT so i m concerned.
At this point in time my decision to pursue marketing would be based on my ability to make it to a FMCG co.

PPS Thnx nishant ....query answered in previous post

Hi Nishant. Welcome back.
I did not get through the b schools I aimed for this year. I won't be a fresher next year.

1. How easy/difficult it is for non-freshers to get good profiles?
   
2. kuch kar sakta hun kya marketing oriented profile banane ke liye?
   
3. travel toh bahut karna padta hoga marketing mein?
   
4. certifications toh hogi nhi koi?
   

More queries later.

1. Work-ex is only one criteria that a company will look at before hiring you. 3+ years workex in an irrelevant field will not be seen in a very positive light. But there are people who have bagged coveted profiles even with such workex. So bottomline is that work ex is an issue, but not a big one. 1 year is nothing(as is your case)
2. Marketing companies look at your extra-currics/PORs/social work etc apart from acads. In fact this is one field where you just need to prove that you have the ability to take initiative and shoulder responsibility more than the ability to mug up stuff. So what you can do is develop hobbies/participate in events/work for NGOs etc to enhance your profile
3.In the initial years yes. Most people enter this field via Sales. Sales will keep you out of home for half the month.
4. None that I know of. The field is such that certifications wont make sense AFAIK

Please elaborate on marketing as a career and different types of profiles that an MBA gets to work in..

Hi Nishant. Welcome back.
I did not get through the b schools I aimed for this year. I won't be a fresher next year.

1. How easy/difficult it is for non-freshers to get good profiles?
   
2. kuch kar sakta hun kya marketing oriented profile banane ke liye?
   
3. travel toh bahut karna padta hoga marketing mein?
   
4. certifications toh hogi nhi koi?
   

More queries later.

Anybody who does not agree with views expressed here is welcome to make contributions. After all, I am no Mar-god!! :P

How much and in what way can a major in marketing be useful for consulting job profiles.

Also wanted to know how much different is IT based sales/marketing from FMCG based sales/marketing.How good is IT sales/marketing job profile in top B-schools?

PS: A very nice initiative.Kudos to you guys.Expecting similar threads for consulting and finance.

Consulting is a domain that encompasses every other domain. There are Marketing consultants/HR consultants/Finance Consultants/SCM consultants etc.
So for instance, you get into BCG, you may work as a mktg consultant for 5 months and then you may have to work on an operations project for 2 months and so on.
If you specialize in marketing, and join a consultancy firm, the chances of you landing a mktg project should be higher.
Also marketing as a field is very crucial and hence a lot of projects that consultants get are from this field.

About marketing in IT, AFAIK, it is not a big field as yet. But I am not sure about this.
It is primarily B2B work and hence completely different from what you have to do at an FMCG(B2C).
Will explain more about B2B and B2C and the differences pretty shortly. At this point in time, I must tell you that B2B is a highly unstructured domain and hence extremely difficult when one enters it.

Hi Nishant

Thanks for starting this thread.

My query

Is it true or myth that Marketing folks climb the corporate ladder faster and make it to the board room sooner than others(Fin, Ops, and HR guys )

Good question!
It is generally accepted that marketing guys climb the corporate ladder the fastest. The reason being that they understand the market/consumers/competition better than anyone else.
Also, strategy making and execution is a work that they do on a daily basis. This skill is absolutely essential for leaders.
Having said that, there are numerous examples where people from other fields also have risen to the very top. But I personally have observed that most of the top guys were marketers.
P.S. Consultants are also highly sought after to lead companies for obvious reasons.

How much and in what way can a major in marketing be useful for consulting job profiles.

Also wanted to know how much different is IT based sales/marketing from FMCG based sales/marketing.How good is IT sales/marketing job profile in top B-schools?

PS: A very nice initiative.Kudos to you guys.Expecting similar threads for consulting and finance.

Hi Nishant

Thanks for starting this thread.

My query

Is it true or myth that Marketing folks climb the corporate ladder faster and make it to the board room sooner than others(Fin, Ops, and HR guys )

I request the mods to make this thread sticky.