About Marketing Management
Marketing is the strategic process of creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers. It encompasses a range of activities such as market research, product development, advertising, and sales aimed at satisfying consumer needs and achieving organizational goals. In essence, marketing involves understanding customer desires, crafting compelling messages, and effectively promoting products or services to drive sales and foster long-term customer relationships.
Cal Poly’s Marketing concentration cultivates agile marketers, who integrate data analytics, critical thinking and creativity. The curriculum is a conscious balance among the technical rigors of data, the nuance of creative strategy, and the finesse of customer relationship management. These experiences prepare marketing graduates to launch careers in digital marketing, marketing strategy, sales, experiential marketing, and more.
Career Pathways
Digital marketing is the strategic use of digital channels such as websites, social media, email, and search engines to reach and engage with target audiences. It encompasses a range of tactics including search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising to drive brand awareness, generate leads, and ultimately, achieve business objectives in the online realm.
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Content marketing involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a target audience. Its goal is to build brand awareness, establish credibility, and ultimately drive profitable customer action through informative and engaging material such as articles, videos, and social media posts. Content marketing is a component of digital marketing, emphasizing the strategic use of content to drive results within the broader digital landscape.
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Key Recruiting Programs & Timelines
Recruiting happens on a rolling basis for most business analytics programs, starting in Winter for the next Summer Internship cycle (18 months before internship start date) and August for full-time positions the following summer (nine months before start date). There are a number of Consulting programs for internships and early career opportunities, including:
- PWC Women’s Consulting Experience, Start
- Deloitte Discovery
- EY Launch
- KPMG Embark, Rise
- Accenture SLP
Consulting On-Campus Organizations & Resources
- Cal Poly Consulting
- Mustang Consulting
- Net Impact Consulting
- OCOB Career Readiness Center Case Preparation
Demand generation and field marketing encompass the strategies and tactics used to stimulate interest and generate demand for a product or service within a targeted market. This involves a range of activities such as organizing events, creating compelling campaigns, and engaging with potential customers to drive brand awareness and ultimately, sales. It’s a strategic approach aimed at effectively reaching and influencing potential buyers to take action.
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Careers in market research involve studying market trends, consumer preferences, and competitors to provide insights that inform business decisions. Market researchers collect and analyze data through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other methods to understand consumer behavior and preferences. They interpret findings to identify opportunities, assess market demand, and evaluate the effectiveness of marketing strategies.
Market research encompasses the systematic gathering, analysis, and interpretation of data related to markets, consumers, and competitors. It involves studying various aspects of the market, such as consumer behavior, preferences, demographics, and trends, to provide valuable insights to businesses and organizations. Market researchers employ a range of techniques and methodologies, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, and data analysis, to gather information and draw conclusions.
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Experiential marketing, also known as engagement marketing or event marketing, involves creating immersive brand experiences that actively engage consumers and allow them to interact with products or services in memorable ways. Instead of relying solely on traditional advertising methods, experiential marketing seeks to forge emotional connections and foster positive associations with the brand through firsthand experiences.
This approach often involves organizing live events, pop-up activations, product demonstrations, or interactive installations where consumers can directly interact with the brand in a physical space. Experiential marketing aims to evoke emotions, stimulate senses, and create meaningful interactions that resonate with consumers on a deeper level than traditional advertising.
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A career in sales involves the process of selling products, services, or solutions to potential customers. Sales professionals are responsible for identifying leads, building relationships, and persuading prospects to make a purchase. They often work closely with marketing teams to understand customer needs, generate leads, and develop effective sales strategies.
Sales roles can vary widely across industries and sectors, including retail, real estate, pharmaceuticals, technology, and more. Depending on the industry and product/service, sales professionals may work with individual consumers (B2C) or businesses (B2B).
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UI/UX On-Campus Organizations
- Iter8
- UX Fest
The fields of public relations (PR) and advertising both focus on shaping public perception and promoting products, services, or ideas, but they differ in their approaches and objectives. Public relations involves managing the reputation and image of an organization or individual through strategic communication with various stakeholders, including the media, customers, employees, investors, and the public.
Advertising, on the other hand, involves paid promotional activities aimed at reaching and influencing target audiences to drive sales, brand awareness, or other desired outcomes. Advertisers develop creative campaigns and messaging to attract attention, engage consumers, and persuade them to take action, such as making a purchase or visiting a website.
Both PR and advertising play essential roles in building and maintaining a brand’s reputation and visibility. While PR focuses on earned media and relationship building, advertising relies on paid media and creative messaging. Opportunities in PR & advertising span across industries, from agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, or government agencies.
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Graduate Outcomes
Top Jobs
- Marketing Analyst
- Marketing and Operations Manager
- Marketing Associate
- Sales Development Representative
- Business Development Representative
- Recruiter
- Marketing Coordinator
- Content Coordinator
- Digital Marketing Specialist
Salary Report
- $65,000 - Median Based Salary
- $1,850 - Average Signing Bonus
- $30,600 - Average Expected Commission**
*110 respondents from 2023-24 Graduate Status Report
**Based on those receiving commission
Top Companies
- Adobe
- Insight Global
- Walt Disney
- DocuSign
- Oracle
- RSM
- American Express
Marketing Management Alumni Mentors

Ashley Bocast: Field Marketing Manager @ Workday
Ashley lives in San Diego and works remote as a Field Marketing Manager for Workday. She works very closely with the Sales team to build and accelerate pipeline, mostly via in-person and virtual events. Ashley graduated from Cal Poly in 2015 as a Business major with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. In my free time, she loves going to the beach with my 2 year old french bulldog (Benny), traveling to new cities/ countries, going to live music shows, and reading by the pool.

Gianna Kettmann: Digital Advertising Operations Manager @ Palo Alto Networks
Gianna specializes in advertising, marketing technology and operations in the technology sector, specifically cybersecurity. She manages a team of operations and analytics specialists that function as the operations arm of Global Paid Media. Outside of work, Gianna is passionate about travel, fitness, and reading. She can mentor on finding a job, deciding on a career path, transitioning to post-grad, and having a fulfilling, values aligned college career.

Tom Howell: Senior Client Success Manager @ Hinge Health
For the entirety of my career, Tom has served in a variety of cross-functional roles with an emphasis on account management. Tom started in Oracle’s “Class Of” Program, quickly transitioned to a pilot team within their IaaS/PaaS space, and for the past 3 years he’s been working for a high growth startup in the digital health industry.
Tom has lived in Austin TX, San Francisco, and just recently relocated to Sacramento, CA. In my free time, he is an exercise fanatic and an (improving) fly fisherman!
Connect with Alumni
To gain mentorship from these alumni or other industry professionals, apply to the Alumni Mentoring Program or reach out on Cal Poly Career Connections. Mentors exist in various pathways in Information Systems and provide career-related support to launch your career.