I’ve been asked the same question a couple of times: “Elvira, tell me, what’s the difference between a marketer and a manager?”. The question seemed interesting to me. And really, what? After surfing the Internet and processing a ton of diverse information, I found one phrase: “Marketers must create and sell a product, and managers must manage processes and personnel.” Everything seems to be clear, but is it so?
First, let’s look at the definitions
These definitions I took from the network:
Marketer (Eng. market – market or trade; Greek logos – doctrine or science) – in other words – studying the market or trade.
Manager (Eng. Manage – manage) – i.e. supervisor.
By definition, everything is simple and even almost understandable. However, the meaning of many definitions is often overlooked, translation and interpretation abound with inaccuracies, and we get a completely different picture of the world as a result.
A marketer in our country is engaged in everything, including drafting mock-ups and ordering office supplies, since, unfortunately, very often the head does not quite understand what the marketing department should do.
Anyone can be called a manager: from a person making coffee for the head to the leader of a company responsible for all internal processes.
Yes, modern realities have already changed a lot and all concepts are mixed up. By the way, until you haven’t read this article to the end, what thoughts do you have about the current situation?
Manager and marketer: so what is the difference?
The marketer’s field of activity is the standard 4P marketing complex (I’ve already written about it in one of the previous articles).
The manager’s area of activity is the company, its development, and directions.
You and I have repeatedly analyzed the responsibilities of a marketer. In simple terms, we can explain the differences between these two specialties in one sentence: the manager cuts the tasks, and the marketer tells how to complete them and launches the mechanism for implementing the plan.
Naturally, when implementing the plan, the marketing specialist will have to interact with people, manage the team, think through the nuances and features, i.e. perform managerial duties. But how can it be different? The launch of a marketing campaign or the process of laying out goods on store shelves, determining the direction of development of the company’s assortment, and much more – all this will require certain personnel. Everywhere there are people who need to be controlled!
Each stage and process needs a manager. Insignificant from the first glance nuances still require a curator. And who should be involved in the selection of the logo’s color scheme or the development of the company’s slogan, a manager?
No, of course, he should think about the global, for example, about the company’s development strategy. All this falls on the marketer’s shoulders. The marketer is the neck of the company, while the manager is its head.
It’s all about the hierarchy. The marketer must coordinate and obtain approval about all his actions. With whom? With the manager, of course. And then full carte blanche. Actually, this is why the phrase voiced at the very beginning caught me since the marketing specialist is not always responsible for a product or service only. Very often both processes and personnel management fall on his shoulders. And it is right. Otherwise, the marketer turns into an office manager ordering business cards 2 times a year. Do you agree?