Charlie Roberts
IMG Year 2 Portfolio
Marketing Career Pathway
For this section of research I plan to look into the types of video game marketing jobs that are currently being advertised, in hopes of allowing myself to gain a greater understanding of the skills needed to carry out the responsibilities of the job, as well as having the requirements needed to get the job(s).
Additionally, I will be looking into this for apprenticeships / internships, and also university courses to see what I would need to be accepted (entry requirements), and what would be covered.
Job 1: Product Manager – AAA Video Games Studios (https://bit.ly/2VLutnB)
What is the job?
As the name suggests, the roles of this job is product management. This would include brand management and global marketing.
Responsibilities
There are a large number of responsibilities listed under the job description. Currently, I wouldn't be able to carry out any of the responsibilities listed on the job.
The only responsibilities that I will have some experience would be carrying out a task which requires communication within a team, since the extended project will be in a team, with different groups in that team.
Requirements
In the description for this job, the requirements, and even desired skills are listed.
The main requirements needed are previous experience in a similar role, with demonstrable success, and knowledge of marketing tools.
Just after reading these two requirements, I already know that a different job with a more minor role would be a better first step to take.
Job 2: JUNIOR MARKETING ASSISTANT (https://bit.ly/2D3QLtv)
Google (2018) JUNIOR MARKETING ASSISTANT [Online] Available from: https://bit.ly/2D3QLtv [Accessed 5 January 2019].
What is the job?
This job in particular is for working with a company known as Gameloft. As stated in the job title, the job role is for a marketing assistant, which is a more achievable role for me to apply for, since I have no prior knowledge of marketing (at a professional level), and have only just begun to research marketing for this current college project.
Responsibilities
Almost all of the responsibilities of the job would need to be taught to me, since I have no current knowledge about most of what's stated.
One responsibility listed is "Contributing to management of our UK social networks and communities​". I would need to learn how to effectively manage / contribute to a social media page for this,. However, since I use social media relatively often, I should be able to gain an understanding of this by looking at the social media pages of different companies, and taking notice of the types of posts they make.
There are also a number of other responsibilities stated on the job description that I would also need to learn. However, the only problem is a mater of learning them. The likeliest way of this would be by taking a university course for marketing (one which covers these things / more).
Requirements
The first requirement would be met, as English is my primary language and I have a decent enough understanding of it due to it.
However, I cannot say the same for the other requirements. One of the requirements states "Ideally a graduate in Communication/Marketing". This is something I had planned to look into anyway, as after reading the responsibilities, it felt like there would be large benefits to taking a marketing / marketing related degree. Additionally, a number of other video game marketing job descriptions I looked at also required some sort of marketing related degree anyway.
However, there is a requirement stated on the job description that will be developed during this project (and the next if I end up getting my secondary tole for the extended project). This requirement being "Experience with graphic design packages (e.g. Photoshop) would be helpful". I plan to use Photoshop and maybe even Illustrator to create posters for my experimentation for the current project, and by doing so, I hope to learn more about the software.
Undergraduate Qualifications
The University of Essex shows a number of marketing and marketing related undergraduate courses that are available there.
One of which is a course called BSc Marketing
University of Essex (2017) BSc Marketing [Online] Available from: https://www.essex.ac.uk/courses/ug00264/1/bsc-marketing [Accessed 5 January 2019].
What The Course Covers
One section of the page covers the topics that will be covered over the duration of the course.
"You study topics such as:
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the principles of markets, marketing and selling
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marketing strategy and planning
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services marketing
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business-to-business marketing
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consumer behaviour"
Course Requirements
To be able to apply to be accepted for this course, I would need at least a C grades in Maths (which I do have). Additionally, I would also need to get a distinction for my final project this year, since this is generally the other standard entry requirement for a BTEC.
If i was to aim for this course, I would have to brush up on my maths skills, since although I have a GCSE for it, I haven't went back to it since undertaking the exam.
marketing communications"
Apprenticeships / Internships
Digital Marketer Apprenticeship -https://www.colchester.ac.uk/course/social-media-and-digital-marketing-advanced-apprenticeship/
Colchester Institute (2019) Digital Marketer Apprenticeship [Online] Available from: https://www.colchester.ac.uk/course/social-media-and-digital-marketing-advanced-apprenticeship/ [Accessed 5 January 2019]
One apprenticeship, that is shown on the Colchester Institute Apprenticeships page is a 'Digital Marketer Apprenticeship'
What The Apprenticeship Covers
There are a number of topics / skills that the apprenticeship would cover. To list them out, the apprenticeship covers written communication, research, technologies, data, customer service, problem solving, analysis, implementation, application of skills (above) to specialist areas, use of digital tools, and digital analytics.
Apprenticeship Requirements
To apply and have a chance of being accepted for this apprenticeship, I would need to, at least, meet the requirements.
The requirements section on the page state that the requirements will vary depending on the employer. Although it states that "...but this might include GCSEs, A levels, a level 2 apprenticeship or other relevant qualifications, relevant experience and/or an aptitude test with a focus on functional maths. Employers are likely to be looking for a proven passion for digital and social media."
If the required grades consisted of GCSEs I would be fine since I have nine GCSE grades, all being A-C grades.
Additionally, after completing and hopefully passing this course I will have three A level equivalent grades, which should count as relevant grades as they're for a media related course.
Then I would also have proof of my interest / passion for marketing. This would be the work produced for the final project (if I end up not getting my primary role, and am instead tasked to carry out marketing).
What This Apprenticeship Could Lead To
At the bottom of the page explaining the various areas of this apprenticeship, there's an area that states what this apprenticeship could lead to.
"Successful candidates can progress into a digital Marketing career in jobs such as : Digital Marketing Assistant, Digital Marketing Executive, Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, Campaign Executive, Social Media Executive, Content Co-ordinator, Email Marketing Assistant, SEO Executive, Analytics Executive, Digital Marketing Technologist."