Roles
Within the area of marketing most opportunities are in market research (sometimes simply referred to as project management). These individuals generally work in the private sector and deliver market research projects in a range of areas and provide thought leadership, strategic
insights and growth recommendations.  Research is generally undertaken using a range of techniques including focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Areas of responsibility include:

• Collecting, organising and interpreting data
• Assisting with the coordination and execution of research projects
• Assisting with the administration of research projects including any follow up work
• Preparing reports that effectively communicate the findings of market research
• Using data to prepare charts and reports and assist in identifying key insights

Skills

• Experience carrying out both qualitative and quantitative research
• Excellent attention to detail and high quality standards regarding data quality
• Strong project management skills including monitoring of schedules and planning project tasks
• An understanding of brands and the impact of advertising
• An ability to manage projects and deadlines, work with clients of varied backgrounds and be highly organised
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal and well developed interpersonal skills
• Excellent analytical skills

Possible Qualifications/ Experience Required

• Undergraduate qualifications in Marketing, Psychology, HR, Business or Economics
• Experience in using SPSS (Statistical Packaging for the Social Sciences)

Possible Employers
There are a wide range of employers in this area both in the public and private sector. Many market researchers are employed through recruitment agencies or directly through market research companies. Examples include:

• The Social Research Centre
• Research Recruitment
• CC International Recruitment
• Smaart Recruitment

Roles
Advertising agencies are often located within marketing companies and can comprise of anything from between two to three individuals to hundreds of employees. People who work in this area are generally known as Brand, Product or Marketing Managers and are involved in researching
target audiences for products and services and developing advertising materials based on this research. Specific duties include:

• Product design, brand development and management
• Assisting with the development and implementation of marketing strategies and digital marketing plans
• Coordinating campaign communication to relevant stakeholders
• Assisting with the communication and management of all external suppliers and agencies to ensure successful campaign implementation
• Assisting with the development and implementation of media strategies, working closely with all agency partners and suppliers
• Managing the media and production expenditure forecast and overseeing the processing of campaign administration
• Conducting market research, reporting and analysis

Skills

• Ability to ‘think outside the square’ and to work creatively
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Solid IT skills – competent across MS office and social media tools
• Strong team orientation
• Strong project management and organisational skills as well as considerable attention to detail
• Highly developed analytical skills, initiative and proactive problem solving ability
• Ability to work with ambiguous, uncertain or incomplete datasets
• Proven expertise in working with complex data analysis, plus relevant modelling tools (experience in propensity modelling)
• Experience in interrogation databases such as SQL, Siebel, Cognos etc.

Possible Qualifications/ Experience Required

• Undergraduate qualifications in a business discipline, preferably with a marketing major.
• Qualifications within mathematics, statistics, and/or operational research
• Undergraduate qualifications in PR, Journalism, Media and sometimes Psychology
• Some previous work experience whilst studying – customer service, hospitality etc.

Possible Employers
Possible employers within this area include marketing and media companies. There are about 250 major marketing agencies in Australia, with perhaps another 1000 small advertising and marketing consultancies. There are too many examples of possible employers
to name here but a simple search engine search or visit to an employment website will generate numerous employer names and jobs in this area.