The typical marketing director has an MBA degree, is familiar with math and statistics, has many years of experience in sales and marketing, and earns a six-figure salary as well. Since this is considered to be a “plum” job, those who have it as a career goal must start with an entry-level position in the fields of advertising, sales, or product management and work their way up the proverbial career ladder.

In general, marketing directors supervise an organization’s promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts and staff and put relevant strategies in place to meet their department’s objectives. They monitor market conditions, customer satisfaction, and their competitors—and they are prepared to implement changes in their marketing plan whenever that seems necessary.

As an important part of their job, marketing directors concentrate on market segments—significant groups of consumers who are defined by age, income, ethnicity, and other relevant factors. This identifies consumers who are receptive to buying their products and the sales approach they should take in order to reach them.

A marketing director’s duties can vary widely from one company to another, and some place the emphasis on market analysis, others are also responsible for implementing marketing strategies, and many supervise sales managers who report to them. They use various techniques to determine the “sale-ability” of a product and keep a close eye on sales figures to determine and improve their company’s market share. Whether marketing research is done in-house or outsourced to another company, the marketing director is usually expected to make a final interpretation of the data and implement an appropriate strategy suited to the organization’s capability, budget, and resources.

Although this is an enviable position in many ways, marketing directors have an unpredictable work schedule, they often must arrange to meet and discuss matters with other directors, and they have to deal with the stress that comes when “problem solver” is part of your job description.

The job outlook for marketing directors is relatively good. Once they have filled that role, it may be possible to move up and become an executive vice president or even head of their organization. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that, in the short term at least, employment for these managers is expected to grow more quickly than the average for every other occupation. At the same time, many highly skilled people compete to fill this role, and because of the high status of the position, the turnover rate is considered to be rather low.

People think that in a down economy, the role of a marketing director might be diminished and the demand for marketing services in general is less.  In fact the opposite is true.  In a struggling economy, the importance of marketing is actually increased, because companies cannot afford to waste money on unsuccessful products that are not bringing in revenue. 

Remember that marketing starts before the product is ever even created.  It is much more than just advertising.  Marketing defines the entire process of product creation and ultimately gets into promoting and distributing the product or service as well.  As such, a company needs a strong marketing director to take control and ensure that the company is delivering in a way that is ultimately profitable for them.  Therefore marketing director jobs are very demanding and require someone who is experienced and competent when it comes to assessing long term risks and strategies.  You need someone who can see the big picture and not get swept away by the immediate details of the day to day grind.