10 Things You’ll Only Understand If You’re A Marketing Major

As a marketing major, I’ve been through all the highs and lows this degree has to offer. And sure, it may seem like the “fun choice” compared to accounting or economics, but it’s not all watching advertisements in class (even though my first point is about exactly that). Here are 10 things every marketing student can relate to.

1. Watching ads in class

You know how most people find advertisements annoying and disruptive? Well as marketing majors we watch those ads in class. Willingly. Followed by lengthy discussions of said ad. You’re simply lying to yourself if advertising isn’t a huge reason for why you love marketing. I mean, who doesn’t love the Old Spice ads?

2. Group assignments

I speak for all students when I say group assignments are the worst. It’s just not a marketing unit unless there’s a major group assignment that’s worth almost half your grade. And we all know how it goes, one person carries the weight of the entire team while the others do the bare minimum, and there’s always that one person who goes M.I.A until the day before its due.

3. Not liking maths

I think it’s safe to say that a major reason for studying marketing is a shared hatred for maths. Once that compulsory stats class is out of the way we are done! Until of course you have to create a budgetary framework for your marketing strategy and you realise you haven’t quite escaped maths as you had hoped.

4. Being creative

We may not be maths and science people, but creativity is still a challenge for us marketing people! And it’s not made any easier when your tutors have a Superbowl commercial level of expectation for you. Like hey, that kind of creativity can’t just be pulled out of thin air!

5. Apple and Coca Cola

Apple and Coca Cola, the be all end all of brands. We know Apple is crazy expensive and yet we still buy it. We know Coca Cola is most definitely bad for out health and yet we still drink it. These two are giants are what I like to call marketing goals. I mean, did you even take a marketing class if one of these guys weren’t mentioned?

6. Internships

All marketing majors will have felt the pressure of getting internships during their degrees. And nothing adds to that pressure like LinkedIn’s “say congrats” function every time one of your fellow marketing friends snags an internship position.

7. Failed marketing

Case study after case study about failed marketing strategies. From Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi campaign to H&M’s “coolest monkey” fail, there are plenty of them out there and they provide us marketing students with heaps of ideas on what not to do!

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8. So many options

Marketing comes with so many options, which is both a blessing and a curse really. We have the benefit of a variety of career paths – branding, market research, digital marketing, public relations – the list doesn’t end! But when the inevitable “So what do you plan to do after your degree?” comes it can be a tad overwhelming.

9. Networking

As marketing majors we’ve all been told the importance of contacts if we want to get a job after our degrees. And the only way to do that is through networking. So grab your smartest business attire, a confident smile and a firm handshake because it’s time to meet your potential future employers!

10. LinkedIn stalking

And then come back to the comfort of your home to stalk all your newly made contacts on LinkedIn. Honestly, you’ll find yourself using LinkedIn more than Facebook these days.