Fashion Industry : Marketer

One of the less glamorous, but still important, fashion careers you can pursue is that of a marketer. A fashion marketer creates advertising campaigns and/or marketing plans that an individual or company can use to sell its products. Fashion marketers are responsible for making sure that each accessory and garment is presented to the retailers or consumers in the best way possible. Fashion marketers analyze current trends to determine if a new idea or design is marketable or not; determine which age group, gender, or geographical area is more likely to buy the product and gather other information about their target market; discuss new ideas and designs with fashion designers to determine the qualities that may make the new design more marketable; draft advertisements and/or marketing plans that emphasize the qualities of a particular design and convince individuals within the target market to purchase it; draft plans for fashion shows that include details about which and how accessories and garments will be displayed; estimate the total cost of an advertising or marketing campaign and create a budget; review and edit advertisements to make sure that they convey the desired message to the target market; and set the suggested retail price for the accessory or garment based on the cost to produce the product, the target market, and other similar factors.

A fashion marketer typically earns between $55,000 and $95,000 a year, but some may make as little as $35,000 a year if just starting out in a small marketing company or as much as $125,000 a year if a senior marketer at a large marketing firm. The amount that a fashion marketer makes is also heavily based on his or her education. A fashion marketer may be able to make significantly more than usual if he or she has a master's degree in marketing or another similar field. Fashion marketers also typically receive bonuses if their advertising and marketing campaigns are extremely successful; these bonuses can add anywhere from a few thousand dollars to over $15,000 a year to their income.

Specific requirements for becoming a fashion marketer vary. Most companies require that you have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) credential, a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in advertising or marketing, and some marketing or sales experience (typically two to five years of experience as a fashion salesperson, marketing assistant, marketing intern, or another similar marketing or sales professional). Some companies may also require or prefer that you have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing, a bachelor's degree in fashion design, and/or another similar degree, especially if you are attempting to obtain an upper-level position as a fashion advertising manager or a fashion marketing manager.