marketing or advertising? Differences and departures

Choosing a university career is one of the most important decisions we can make in our lives, and especially when we are still developing our professional profile for a future job.

In this article we are going to show you the differences between two related careers so that you know what to study: marketing or advertising. However, they have important differences and we will see the possible professional opportunities for each one.

What is marketing?

Definition

Marketing is defined as the set of techniques and strategies that seek to satisfy the needs and desires of consumers through the creation, promotion, distribution and sale of products or services. The key concepts of marketing are the customer, the product, promotion, distribution and price.

Areas of specialization and professional opportunities

Marketing is divided into different areas of specialization, such as digital marketing, content marketing, product marketing, among others. The most common career paths are marketing manager, marketing analyst, marketing consultant, among others.

What is the publicity?

Definition

Advertising is defined as the set of techniques and strategies that seek communicate and persuade the public about the benefits of a product or service. The key concepts of advertising are the message, the medium, the audience and the advertiser.

Areas of specialization and professional opportunities

Advertising is divided into different areas of specialization, such as digital advertising, media advertising, product advertising, among others. The most common career paths are advertising creative, media planner, account executive, among others.

Differences between studying marketing or advertising

Although marketing and advertising are closely related, there are some important differences between the two careers.

Approach

While Marketing focuses on the entire process of creating, promoting, distributing and selling products or services., advertising focuses solely on communication and persuasion of the public about the features or benefits of a product or service.

Function

Marketing is essential to the success of any business, as it is responsible for ensuring that products or services are attractive to the public and that they reach the right market. Advertising, for its part, is an important marketing tool.since it is responsible for communicating and persuading the public about products or services.

Techniques and strategies

If you study marketing, you will have to learn a variety of techniques and strategies related to this field, such as market research, data analysis, product development, and advertising campaign design, among others. Advertising, on the other hand, focuses mainly on the development of advertising campaigns from a more creative point of view.

Marketing or advertising career opportunities

Professional opportunities if you study marketing

• Gerente de Marketing: responsible for developing and supervising a company’s marketing strategy, coordinating all areas involved. The analytical vision will be important, since it is always positive to justify your decisions with data analysis and processing.
• Marketing analyst: in charge of carrying out market research and data analysis to identify trends and opportunities for the company, making sales forecasts, market share reports, etc.
• Marketing consultant: specialist in advising companies on marketing issues, identifying areas for improvement and developing strategies to improve their presence in the market.
• Digital Marketing Specialist: in charge of developing marketing strategies in digital media, such as social networks, websites or email marketing.
• Content Marketing Specialist: responsible for creating and managing content for the company’s website and social networks, with the aim of attracting and retaining customers. This is what we popularly know as inbound marketing strategies.

Professional opportunities if you study advertising

• Advertising creative: Responsible for proposing creative ideas and concepts for advertising campaigns, as well as writing copy and designing ads. You will have to study a client’s briefing (or starting document), and devise which campaign could fit their requirements to meet the set objectives.
• Media planner: in charge of selecting the appropriate media to transmit the company’s advertising message, such as television, radio, press, internet, among others. You will have to establish an appropriate message for each medium, as well as the creatives (visual elements) and the programming or duration of each ad.
• account executive: in charge of managing relationships with clients and coordinating the development of advertising campaigns. It is the professional who maintains the closest relationship with clients to inform them, advise them directly, or resolve doubts that may arise at any time.
• Creative director: Responsible for leading the creative team and overseeing the quality of advertising campaigns. However, to achieve this position you may require years of experience, not just good training.
• Digital advertising specialist: in charge of developing advertising strategies in digital media, such as social networks, websites and email. Mastering Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram Ads), TikTok Ads, email marketing or sales funnels is currently highly valued. You will be in charge of developing the advertising campaigns, from the texts that will appear to their illustrations, as well as segmenting the correct target audience.

You may also be interested in consulting the article we developed with the most in-demand Digital Marketing career opportunities, the best-paid professions, and check if any of them fit your professional profile.

Which career should you choose: marketing or advertising?

The choice between marketing and advertising depends on your personal interests and skills:

• If you are creative and you like to work on the development of advertising campaigns, advertising may be the best option for you.
• If you are analytical and you like working on product development and marketing strategies, then marketing may be more suitable for you.

In fact, if you are thinking about training in marketing, but even more specifically in digital marketing, we have a Master in Digital Marketing updated and with the possibility of taking it in person in Valencia or online. We recommend you take a look!

Whatever the case, we hope that this guide on what to study, whether marketing or advertising, has been useful to you. Remember that there is nothing more important than knowing what your strengths are, and what type of job you want to get to make the right decision.

Podcaster at Campamento Web, the most listened to Spanish-speaking SEO news and interview program for more than 5 years. Also, creator of Clave Podcast, the podcasting portal to train you as a podcaster. Graduated in Communication from Loyola University and SEO consultant, although currently focused more on his own projects focused on the field of communication and web positioning.