Every producer of goods and services does so for one reason, to satisfy the consumers. That is why it is popularly said that production is incomplete until what is produced gets to the final consumer.
From this, a lot of questions can arise, like: What do the consumers need? How much of goods and services do they need? How can the goods and services get to the consumers? How can they be encouraged to buy the goods and services? Etc. All these questions and many more can be solved by marketing.
From this, a lot of questions can arise, like: What do the consumers need? How much of goods and services do they need? How can the goods and services get to the consumers? How can they be encouraged to buy the goods and services? Etc. All these questions and many more can be solved by marketing.
Marketingis a total system of interacting business activities designed to plan, price, promote and distribute want-satisfying products and services to present and potential customers at a profit. Marketing tries to know the needs of consumers, produces goods that can satisfy the consumers and gets the goods to them. A marketer is an image builder. He builds the image of a company or a product.
For an organization to continue to exist, marketers are employed in order for the organization’s products or services to get to the customers. Without the products or services getting to the consumers, there won’t be any profit made because of no sales. Manufacturers, wholesalers even retailers employ marketers to sell, promote and advertise their products.
Some of the areas that marketing covers include:
- Research: finding out what people really like in order to develop a product to suit that need;
- Advertising:telling or informing the public about a product or service, its use(s), it price, where it can be located, etc;
- Packaging:Giving a product a physical container, label, paper bag, glass, nylon, etc in order to protect the product, send a message to its users, or differentiate it from another company’s product;
- Branding: Giving a product or service a name or design a symbol/logo or a combination of these that can make the consumers identify the product or service;
- Pricing: Giving a product or service the right price that will not be too exorbitant on the consumers and also allow the company to make profit;
- Sales promotion: This involves activities or materials that further encourage consumers to use a product or service e.g. bonanza, free samples, contests, free gifts, discount, etc.
The list is endless.
If you wish to pursue a career in marketing, then, you must have the following:
- The requirement for securing adimission to study marketing in Nigeria: A minimum of five ‘O’ level credit passes is required in English Language, Mathematics and any three (3) relevant subjects which can include Economics, Commerce, Accounting, Government, Geography and Business Methods;
OR
- Two ‘A’ level passes chosen from Accounting, Management, Government and Geography;
- You will sit for the following subjects in the UTME: Use of English, Mathematics, Economics and any other relevant subject chosen from Commerce, Accounting, Government or Geography;
- You will spend a four-year academic sessions or a three-year if you go through Direct entry.
- The following can be your choice of higher institutions: Nigerian universities offering this course include:
AJAYI, CRAWFORD, TANSIAN, BELLS, SALEM, VERITAS, CALABAR (offer the course as Marketing and Advertising), LASU, NOVENA, COVENANT, AKSU, and EBSU. You can consult the current Joint Admissions and Matriculation Boardbrochure for more tertiary institutions that offer a degree in Marketing and their various special requirements, if any.
Why not give marketing a try if what we have discussed above arouse your interest, so that you can be an image builder of a product(s) or companies. You will not regret it
Contributed by: Mr Dare Adeyemo.
