The omnipresence of marketing..

Burning the midnight oil..

Two weeks into my final year at university and the pressure is already on to hunt down a graduate job.

This week saw a marquee arrive on campus filled with potential employers and a buzz soon went around that some were even 'hiring on the spot'. Aside from feeling a sense of panic, this all got me thinking about the job application process and how it relates to marketing.

I realised that a lot of the marketing work I do during university tends to be 'self-marketing' such as creating and updating CVs or regularly tweaking my LinkedIn profile.

In many respects applying for a job can be like a project for a client; the objective is to engage and interest an audience, in this case an employer. By tailoring the copy and design (like you would do on a client's product) a CV can appeal directly to the company, or audience, being targeted.

When producing e-shots and leaflets the ability to stand out is crucial given the influx of marketing materials circulated at any given time. The same concept can be applied to a CV given the number of applications being made.

My point is, marketing is used in everyday life in extremely subtle ways. It is not just the process of applying for a job that is an example of everyday marketing of some kind.

How often have you been to Starbucks to have your name comically spelt on the cup, only to tell people about the experience or share it online? Have you ever recommended a television series to a friend or raved about how good it was until they watched it? We are all mediums of marketing in some way and better at it than we think!